The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1858-05-28

privates. How unfair such an argument 10.
Did you ever hear Of bill, relating TO pay
or pensions to soldiers, which did not make
that distinctioni What il the reason Of the
discrimination between the pay Of member
Of Congress and the pay Of common SOL
der, who serves his country now2 Why
does not teegentleman propose to cut down
his own saie<y, which is more per diem than
was tbs soldiers per month, who served his
counssy in 1872? Why do gentlemen com
plain Of a discrimination. when they are re-
ceiying three hundred dollars per month,
while the soldier Is receiving only ten dollars
per month. IL i'll becomes us, members Of
this branch Of service, who are receiving lib
eral compensation, to complain OF q discrim-
ination, which has always existed, between
the pay Of common soldiers and oi6cers. IL
that an argument which goes to the meeits,
Or is it an appeal to prejudice and popnlar
emotions?
Mr.. Gar,rell. l ask w gentleman II he
nlludes to me2
| Mr.. Curtis. No, sir; on the contrary,
was going to observe, that to avoid the OBJ
lection entertained by some, am going ID
vote for the amendment Of the gentleman
from Georgia lMr. aartrelll to the bill, for
the purpose Of meeting and avoiding the
consequence of this argument, unjust and
ungenerous as it is. | will yield something
due the officers, for the sake of securing to
| them and the poor soldiers Of this country
portion Of their reasonable demands.
| The Amendment OF the gentleman ! con-
slider an amendment made in good faith,
calculated to aid in the final passage of the
bill. But am sorry to see other gentlemen
disposed to defeat this bill bv every means,
by eloquence, power, and influence, as we'll
as adding irrelevant and extrayagant amend
ments and by thrusts, SCOTS, and indrec-
tons, endangering its passage. am deter
| mined, therefore, to yield anything which,
willis doing only partial justice TO the OH
GERS, will not do injustice TO the soldiers.
But let me say one word more upon thts
subject Of paying moro to officers than -
soldiers, for the argument goes to pay just
rs fairly a. to pensions. When an officer
goesinto the service4 generally makes
gsse1er Sacri6ccs ~ - eennon soldier.
I@say that those - upon this floor
who went as of60D1O % MeSfco generally
made much grenter sAsri1oaD shan the young
men did, who volunteersd I'D served as pri-
Yates. Did you not leave 4eur Offices. your
farms, your professions, your families p
Officers were generally of ripper years, and
had, by toll, study, or distinguished service,
aoaRired more and commanded more for
TIT service a. civlians, otherwise they
MSnM not have'bsen chosen to take upon
ehemselves, not only an equal amount Of ex.
paoof0 and toll, but also d vast amount of
lSare, anxiety, md responsibility, that pri-
vate does not encounter. And after an off.
Ger has left the service, he ID harassed and
taxed during the whole period of his life
with explanations and testimony, which he
has to furnish without compensation TO Sc
cure the rights of those who served under
him. All who have commanded volunteers
will appreciate the service here presented.
Tor most Of us have written volumes volumes
since We retired from the service for the nc
oommodatlon OF the public. The officer has
made greater sacrifices, constantly incurs
greater expense OF living, and he ongh, to
receive higher pay or pension; and there is
not common soldier in the United States
who wOnld not admit that it 10 right. Still
am Niillng to forego that feature, in order
to obsieke the objeosioa which some GENTLE
men, in good faith, sesn ~ snssrtain to this
bill. s
have endeavored to meet the argument
that this measure opens tho door too wide,
by showing that you need mot inelude all
those who served in all your wars. II
gansral ruie obtains, you can take only those
who are seventy Eva years Of age and over.
But gentlemen try to make out that this
measure will cost the Government many mill
lions each year. One gentleman said that il
would cost the Government At least eleven
million doilars year, when it is shown un-
questionabiy that there are only about ff-
teen thousand OF these men now living. |
submit that the pension will not average
xlUu man per annurn, even il we pension
tho officers as this Dill proposes, and that
will only be one million and half per an
mum, according to my figures. This sum
will rapidly decline as the recipients rapidly
descend to the tomb, upon the brink OF which
they oil with trembling limbs will cast back
2 lingering, nfisctionate look, at You express
Stone Of generosity.
The effect Of the law OF 1882, which incor-
porated all the soldiers Of the Revolution on
the pension rolls, corroborates my estimate
Ut tho probable insignfcnnce Of the cost
whteh tnis bill will incur; that revolutionary
provision, after it Was fairly in operation 10
1885, did not require an annual payment of
over two millions for revolutionary pension
ers.
Mr.. Washburne, OF Illinois. ths
gentleman explain 10 what respect the calcu.
latlon read by the gentleman from Alabama
| Mr.. Curry is erroneous.
M. Curtis. The gentleman from Alabama
road IN estimate which il predicated unon
The principle that the pension law and the
bounty land law were similar. They are an.
tirely dissimi'ar. The pension law include.
every man who served three months. and thn
other includes those who only served four.
teen days. Now, it il we'll known. to those
familiar with the history of the war OF 1879. |
that hundreds and thousands Of men turned
out, 10 Ohio, Pennsy lvanis, and other States. !
Tor the purpose OF restoring the condolences |
OF the country after the defeat OF Hull. ana |
on other extraordinary occasions, serving /
only few days, and all shoss men were IN.
cluded under the bounty in this land law.
but they ARE not included in this pension
bill. The vast numbers OF what were de-. /
"minate men, come under the |
bounty land law, which this bill excludes.
because they did not serve three month";. II |
not that fair answer
Another argument urged against this bill. t
and TO which some weight seems to be a.. I
tached, IL, that it is an appeal to merceuarv |
motives tha. the motives OF our brave vol. |
unteers are too exalted to admit Of money |