Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-01-25
Prom the Augusta oonsIitutiOnalIs,.
The Pension NH.


soldiers has never been the policy Of, coutem-
templsted by our government; but it BIll also x
hibt the enormities Of the bill lately passed by the
House of Representatives, by contrasting it's pro-
visions with those of former acts. This bill pre-
vides pension for every soldier who served two
months or was IN battle, while the act Of 18th
March, 1918, (the first granting pensions to revolu-
tionary soldiers, exctpf inValidsi required ser
vice to The end Of the par, which service must have
been at least of nine months duration; and then,
pensions TO be granted TO such only as were in
such INDECENT circumstances, TO "be in need of
assistance from their country for SUPPORT
They required to render a schedule OF all their
property or resources, upon oath; and the Seore~
tary of War decided upon this schedule who need
ed the pension, and who did not
Congress also passed an act on the 1st of May,
1920, requiring every Iensioner to furnish new
schedule Of his effects, that his circumstances
might sgain PASS under review; and if any
longer stood in need Of such help, his name was
stricken from the pension list. The act of the 10Th
Of May, 1928, provided pension for life fer all
those who 8 enlisted for and curing the car and con
tnued ia service until us termination"
II was not until the 9Th of June 1882 forty nine
years after the close of the wsr, that an act was
passed. granting pensions TO all the soldiers Of the
war of the revolution making no discrimination
to their circumstances, and including the State
troops volunteers and militia and this act required
tco years service to entille soldier to full pay
pension eighty dollars per annum,) and was
entitled 10 pension who had not served six months
and then pension of twenty d,laTs yer annum
| ooly, was granted
Nov, there was some justice in Pensoning the
soldiers of the revolution, because they n, yer were
paid for their service. aud Congress- often failed
even to suhsist them while in service. Pensions to
them, therefore, not to be con pl i1ed of But
even If system OF gran iag PEI all soldiers
Unfortunately, was correct one, it would be an
! Outrsgs patriotic fathers, and defama-
tion OF their names and memorable detds, to graz
| TO soldiers who have served since The revolanon,
aUy greater pension, or on more favorable ccud
| tione, than was granted TO th-m. The act of 1892
! gave twenty dollars per year for SIR months scryi
The lste House bill, gives fy dollars per year for
f,ro months. That act gave eighty dollars year
fer taco years service! The late bill gives niley
six dollars year TO all who served year, who
! were d" in bait e."
the decisions Of the pension Office, which apply
to similar provision Of the bounty land act of So
be applied TO this pension BILL it will give pension
Of Ninety six collars per year to fully three -fourhs
of all who were in service at all. correspondent
of the Baltimore Sun has given the following illus
| trston, which you have already published, but
which is worthy of being repeated
Being in battle" under the construction Of the
Pension Office in bounty land cases comprehends
those who wereinvolved by the fortunes of the day.
Fer instance, there were rome thousands of men en-
route for and at Bladensburg but the fighting per-
in that " battle" were rather limited in num-
Der. All over the country there were points expos
ed 10 British attack during the last war, where but
trfng affairs in the way of actual fighting occur
red, but which suddenly called out thousands upon
thousands Of men. Sc, also, forces temporarily in
enrenched or other positions, are considered in
battle" when the actual fighting was done by de-
taehment within striking distance. 1t is believed
that under the official construction of the word
battle" nearly all who were oUt at all in the last
/ war, would be entitled to the maximum amount of
min ~ nllaTG tad hut IoFo.
| the Senate"
All the Maryland and District Of Columbia forces.
and a portion of the Virginia troops we're either
at, near route for, within striking distance of,
or dlOdy from, that celebrated engagement. The
District troops consisted of three regiments with
perhaps fifteen hundred men they were in serv ce
from the 18th Of August till the Sth Of October,
lSl4-not two months but yet they were in " bat
tle," and would get pension of ninetyNsix dollars
under this bill.
/ In the State Of New York, Col Knickerbocker's
regiment, consisting of over five hundred men, were
en- route for Plattsburg in September, 1914 On
their way, they heard Of the battle and defeat Of
the British forces, having taken place on the llth
AID went no fur her. They were discharged at
Granville, n Y, on the 10Th of Sept, and allowed
several days pay 10 travel home. Their whole SER
vice and travel wEs only eleven days; and yet the
Pension Office has decided that they we're in bat
tle," and has given them bounty land There we're
also the regiments of Colonies Green, McCleary
Van Schaick, Carr, Stewart, Noble, Adams Miller
Joiner, ard Cook, and the bsttslons If MsjoI 3
Smith, Sanford and Yale, consisting of over ave
| thousand men, who we're raised for the defense Of
Plstsburg, and served from eleven to sixteen DAYS
none longer than sixtee inducing the trave which
they we're allowed. Only very small portion of
these men we're at the battle. The most of them
were on their way TO Plattsburg when the battle
! took place. One Of these regiments was raised
and entered the service the very day of the bat
tle the l1th and served ill the 22d but as they
had all entered the service for The defense of Platts-
! burg, and were either there their way there
! they are considered as having been lin battle, )"
J and have received bounty land; and if this late
! pension bill becomes law, the decision will
! give them pension of Diuety-six dollars year.
Much Of the service in Massachusetts, which
would be pensioned, by this act, would exhibit the
most unparalleled injustice, Take one instance
There were some twelve companies at least consist
| ing of over five hundred men, who were called out
/ BY Gen Blake, and served e." on the alarm at Hamp-
! den, from the lst TO the Bird of September, ISl4-
! three days. There was DO battle The demon,
| strs ions were rather belIigerent; perhaps few
shots fired, and the women and children frighten-
| ed. Inc Pension office has decided that these men
we're in battle and given them land.
1t will not be amiss here TO glance at the conduct
! of the State of Massachusetts during the war of
1872. Her Legislature and people denounced the
war, and used every possible eIertion to cripple
and thWart the efO.ts of the COVE nment to carry
it on. Her press was well Dign a unit in condemn,
ing the measure and abusing its friends; and her
pulpit fully exhibited its blasphemOus characters-
tics, by heaping curses on the government and all
friendly to the var policy, charging them with be-
ing murderers, and copsgning them to eternal tor
mentG.
After Congress had declared war, the lower house
of the Massachusetts legislature declared that
' the real cause Of the war was an abandon
ment Of the policy of Washington, and the friends
and trainers of the Constitution " {" The influence
of worthless foreigners over the press and the
government in all its branches-s jealousy of
the commercial States, (meaning the New Eng
land SIates,) fear of their power, contempt for
their pursuits, and ignorance of their character
and Importance" and "a violent passion for con-
guest" sc.
The State Senate resolved, that the war was
founded In falsehOOd and declared without neces.
sity."
A combination was formed throughout the New
England States to defeat the efforts Of the govern.
ment to obtain money to carry on the war. This
conspiracy had its head quarters in Boston, and its
influence to prevent the of loans authorized
BY Congress, extended far and wide.
The Boston Gazette said 1t is very grateful to
find that the universal sentiment is, that any man
who lends his money to the government at the pre-
sent time, 1CiH forfeit all claim to common honesty
and common eourtesy, among all the true friends TO the
country"
Again Our merchants constitute an honorable
high minded, independent and intelligent class of
citizens They feel theOppresson, injury and mock
cry, with which they are treated by the govern
meut They will lend them nancy In retroca