The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-01-17
good old gsn,lemanly vice. svsros after they pos

sessed with
"The love Of gold, that meanest rage,
And latest folly of mans sinking age,
Which, rarely venturing in the van OF life,
While nober passions wage their heated strife,
Comes skuking last with selfshness and fear
And dies collecting lumber in the rear
that small minority of the surviving officers Of the
luton conceived the WISH which father Of the thought
that money due them for their military services
Many OF their eow-ofcers sconed the idea OF claim
the score of the resolve of $780, and refused to join in
ferrng 1t to Congress honor them for their noble self
denial and excuse the sellove of those Who in the inn
bscility OF age, sought the aid Of the government
was too, after the majority Of the Of the revolu
ton who gave tone public sentiment and created that
public opinion which blasted with its this halpay
pension sstem for life had gone down to their graves and
another generation had succeeded them that these
forward and urged their claims the half pay for
life What did the Congress of that day say2 Their
port has been quoted and will refer to it, and sub
sequent reports in order to subsantate the position which
assume which cannot be confuted, that large number
of benefcaries under this bill have been thrice paid AT
that day the petitioners based their claim on the very
ground which is urged now which 6rs that they
were compelled by necessity to accept the communication
and, secondly that the Communication accepted in
fcaes which, for want of any specific provision for pay
ment OF principal interest Immediately deprecated to
five and ten for one. Tho committee say they
"Are Of opinion that the contract entered into by Con-
granting them bapay fer fe has been substantially
complied with by our government They therefore recon-
"Reolvsd, That the prayer of the petitioners
BILE, and ought to be granted"
Now, that the same ground for this claim be-
ing preferred that day. the committee came to the
cuson that halfpay for life ought be given. They do
not say from what time II should be granted though
suppose they from the tim. covered by Communication
This claim then slept until 1915 eight years. whea these
claimants again came forward On the 18th of March,
1918, Congress passed the INDECENT BILL giving halfpay
for life not exceeding twenty dollars per month"; the
officers of the revolution who by of reduced cir
cumstances in need of assistance from their
try but that did not equal half pay of any officer
above captain of infantry and only embraced the poor
IL.
in December, 1918 The committee then say they ado
agree with the petitioners In regarding the Communication
as forced hem nor in finding any reasonable ground
for repudating that contract They, however put the
proprety of extending relief another groundabout
the which it is put by my honorable friend from
South Carolina. They say;
They reconcile to their feelings their duty
entire rejection Of the memorial they looked for
combination Of the principle of equity and gratitude which
might be rewarded, in little degree, the abors and
suerings OF the memoriass without involving future diff
cultes in the establishment of dangerous This
principle has been found in the depreciation Of the
ton certificates and the losses sustained the unimey
Of these certificates"
They, therefore, recommended the payment of the nom
nal amount OF the certificates without interest deducng
One-eighth part of said amount
In 1919, the next year, it was again brought up A
committee then reviewing the grounds and assuming
the same reasons for granting relief conclude BY
mendng the proposition now made pay each OF the said
officers hal-pay from the cessation of hosttes to the
close OF his life deducng the full nominal amount Of the
computation certificate. aS
The fourth application which was made was in May,
1926 In 1926 the committee suggest two modes for the
final settlement Of these claims the first that above pro-
posed in 1915 and secondly that Congress should pro-
coed the equitable circumstances of the case pay
such specific sum rataby among the officers according
their rank and the resolves of Congress may appear
reasonable and JUST
The fifth and last application ia 1884, and then the
committee review the grouad assign the same rea
sons for the relief and conclude by proposing aern
tive adopting Of two provisions for their relief and
the satisfaction Of their caimseither to give them
6c clyrbf fn h. G1aT .T
Claims or to give them halpay for life, deducting the
Communication Congress adopted neither of these PROPOSE
tons but it agreed instead Of these pay them fapay
pension for life to begin from the Sd of March, 1926 Thus
we see s that according to the report of the connie.
the bill of 1928 Yves adopted expressly in ,;s,,; =
TINS very claim here again presrr for the halfpay prom
t;mon a's 'A OF 1880. / need not read the tes-
of the trainers and authors of that bill to establish
TINS tact tits patent the face of the itself Its title
An act for the relief of certain surviving officers and
soldiers OF the army of the revolution The first
ton is at
"That each Of the surviving officers of the army Of the
revolution in the continental ne ,oho soas entitled to half
pay by the rssolps Of October 81 $780, be authorized to re-
prated the amount Of his full pay in line according
bis rank in the line to begin the third Of March, 1926
and to continue during his natural life," &c.
Thus it is that this provision embraced only that
class OF officers who were promised hapay life by the
resolve of $780, and fulfilled their part OF the contract SO
called by serving to the end of the war; 1t expressly
for the benefit of that very class of officers who are pro-
posed to be your chief benecaries under this bill and
yet this class having been rendered this bounty in satis
ton OF their claim having accepted it, having enjoyed
their full pay during their lives having transmitted by vr
tue OF acts OF Congress their hapay widows who
may have survived them this day in the enjoyment of
this full payhe representatives with certain degrees of
this class are now to forward and be paid fourth
time after having already realized than they would
have enjoyed the hapay resolve of 1880 had been car
red into effect Am not fortified by facts in making the
assertion that this bill proposes give most to those WHO
nave already been paid moshat it proposes pay mos,
to those who have already been thrice paid for their ser
vices2
Mr. President will not indulge in any further remarks
on this bill shall test however the justice and the equ-
y OF its advocates by amendment proposing they
have excluded all who have received hapay under any
special act to exclude all who have received hapay or
full pay under general act If they do not ACCEPT that
amendment-if they pass this bill without amendment in
its shape they may call in vain august shade
OF Washington them from the rays of the ndip
nant scorntal wrath of the American people 1t is as
have sed before the most onstrous unjust ubiquitous
measure In the shape OF pension BILL which has ever been
proposed in Congress.
BAYFIELD,, LAKE SuPERIoR--The 81. Paul Financial
Real Estate and Railroad Advertiser) says
"a few weeks since chronicled the fact that the new
and what is to be our great of trade had been
opened by the first shipment OF goods direct to Superior
at the end of Lake Superior This week another although