Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-01-02
OLD SOLDIERS, PENSION BILL.
speech of Hon. John h Savage, of Ten-
nessee.

speech
nessee.
tcoScLuDEDl
Among the opponents of this bill are q certain
class OF gentlemen upon this ioor who pride them
selves upon being called the watch dogs Of the
Treasury Whether ornot they deserve the honors
they seem ambitious Of. wearing will leave poster
ity to determine. One thing do know, that their
efforts are always Powerless, except against the
humble and the poor.
When the Galphins and the Gardeners the land
grants the ocean mail Steamers and all such prince
" schemes of public plumber enter your Halls, if
thew do not crouch or stand aside for safety, their
barking is no more in the pathway Of these giants
than the breath of child upon the pillows of the
ocean, l am willing they shall be the high priests
at the altar of economy; they may preach their
sermons and pharisaieally thank God that they are
not as other men; bit not willing that the
rights and hopes of the old soldier, and the policy
of great nation, shall be victim to their politi>
cal notions.
Gentlemen say we have no money, and it is there
fore the wrong time TO pass this bill say, If their
allegation be rue that it is the wrong time for the
Treasury to belempty. l brought forward this
measure at the last Congress, when the Treasury
was full to overlooking. The eyes OF this nation
were turned upon it. universal argument was
made that so much money ought not be Withheld
from general circulation Almost athousand schemes
were discussed proposed for its distribution Some
House bill to invest So 0OO 000 in railroad stocks
was voted for by some very distinguished opponents
of pensions. bill also passed this House, by a
vote of 119 to 49, distributing the surplus between
the different States; and the old idea Of bank de-
posits was not without its advocates.
Sir these were the most prominent Of the rival
schemes for the distribution of the vast sccumula-
ton opposed them all as being unwise, partial,
and unjust to the great mass of the nation. This
money was the property of the whole people, and
belonged to every man alike-tO the poor and the
humble, as much as The rich and the proud; and
was unwilling TO sanction any plan for its dstrbu>
ton that did not extend its incidental benefits, az
far as possible, to every citizen of the Union To
deposit il with the banks to give it to the mer
chants, spectators, politicians, and wealthy men
about your cities, whose character and influence
would secure accommodations. The mechanics,
agricuuriss, and people Of the interior, would not
get dollar To invest it in railroad stocks was o
scheme for the heSeft Of the Shylocks and capital
lists of the Union by giving them gold from the
Treasury at a very high figure for railF0ed bonds,
which they had purchased much lower. 1t would
have realized to those bobdholders great fortunes
while the nation at large would have been in no de
gree benefited ] was unwilling to distribute it to
the States, because 1 believed it would induce
wise and exravsgant legislation for The benefit of
the few without regard to the rights of the many
was unwilling for this great fund to be scattered
abroad, unless like the dews of heaven, it should
fall with its refreshing power upon every citizen Of
the Union whether rich or poor, humble or distin~
guished, living in great city or the remote cOun-
try. l expected by this bill to accomplish three
things:
l. To reward the old soldier for the patriotism he
has displayed and the injuries sustained in your
service. .
2 By the honor conferred upon old age, to encour-
age an emulous spirit in the bosoms Of cur youth
that will forever furnish citizen soldiers TO meet the
exigencies of war, and thus avoid that most to be
dreaded of all necessities, standing army.
g. A distribution and expenditure of the public
revenue which will, TO a greater extent than any
other plsn confer its incidental benefits upon all
sections and classes
have neither time nor space to examine our vast
expenditures; but to illustrate this view of the
guments will state a few prominent items
general standard.
know that it is very difficult for the Government
in making expenditures TO confer equal benefits up
on all sections and upon all classes but hold that
that it is a duty to approximate thereto as
possible and never, without some great necessity
to adopt measures OF make expenditures which con-
fer benefits upon one section class to the
oluson Of others. 1t requires argument to prove
that if all the revenue is collected in class of
States and spent IN another, or from one class Of
men and paid to another that the latter will become
rich and the former poor and hence it follows that
almost as much Partially and injustice may exist in
disbursing as in collecting the public revenue. It.
appears from Secretary Cobb's report, from which
have already quoted, that the total amount collect
ed by the Government since 1889 is 81 1916 $685. JIG.
81, which consists of the following items
FoTeg IrS intercourse including awards s65i 81
Miscellaneous 999,22lll5 /.
Military service 5G3,233,O4s %
Revolutionary and other pensions 77,37294l 81
Indian depaTmen including Chicasaw fund 1873 l70 6
Hpp1oPraons exclusive of public debt l6 j
Public debt 5gI,yO24OJ 40
Amount carried to surplus fund 4l,Oe6O56 %
Now, it is seen that nearly half of the whole
amount collected for sll purposes has been spent
upon our little Army and Navy, and that our pen
soners have received less than have paid the In
dians.
1t appears from this same report that our expend~
itures for the year ending June, 1857, amounted
ST., 274 5S7.83, and it is well grounded opinion
that for the last year they amounted to eighty
millions The estimates for the present year amount
to S74, 065, 1876 SO. These vast collected
from all sections, and every citizen, and partial
expenditure nicts the greatest injustice The large
items for sustaining the Army and Navy are ezpend-
ed upon the borders and along the seaboard, and in
The great cities. The interior agricultural people |
are refreshed by this golden shower TO very slight
extent. And far as 1 can see, it is misfortune
without a remedy but it is not so with some other
tens that will mention.
Congress has heretofore appropriated the sum of |
S2l, SIC, JOB 81, for roads, rivers, and harbors
which expenditures are local and partial in every
espect-s mere draft upon the Treasury for the |
1eneft of some particular city or community and |
am well informed that some gentlemen, quite prom
uent in this system of public plumber have disin.
pushed themselves opponents of this bill. Con-
PRESS has also expended much treasure in terrifying
,ur great cities and seaport towns. Since the year
S82 the sum of S24 5S4 375 has beenvoted for this
purpose and of this sum, the last Congress voted |
So 6S4, 375. To fortify cities, may have been
wise at the time this system vas commenced; for |
hen the nation was weak, and the communication /
With the interior slow. Now, railroads extend to |
very section, and the iron horse far outstrips in
peed the ships upon The ocean. hold that fortif-
atoRs are, at best, very poor substitute for the
rant Of men. History proves them to have been
pore commonly the instruments of domestic tyran-