Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1868-08-07
voI... .sss2.l

\ eral bounties were awarded TO those who
come in toward the. end of the conflict.
/ Equslity is equity, and the question, was
/ how to frame bounsy bill that would
i place slithe soldiers Of the war as nearly
/ on a common level ss possible. 1t was
no easy task; apd the 6nancisl situation
of. the country presented a serious obs,a-
Gle to the passage Of any bill on the sub.
jsct, IL vss, however, earnestly spitaied
IN both branches Of Congress, and in the
i Executive Departments of the Govern
ment. The Presideut was soou found to
be decidedly hostile to any measure OF
Y equalization. II did NOT SO avow. him
self, but, bis acts proved Il. His provost
mars al, ,ge neral, as u sort of flank move
ment,, made, M official estimate of the
amo ount required for the purpose Of equal
izsiion, which. L believe. footed up from
six to seven hundred milliops OF dcllars,
4 The pay .departme exhibited similar
gifts 10 arithuetic, though il made the ag-
gregste smount required some two hun
dred millions less. The Treasury De-
partment 1 tried ito hand with simiIsr re
suits, several ofits bureaus furnishing the
most exaggerated calculations Of the
amount called for by the proposed meas
ure, aud Mr.. McColloch himself being
especially active 10 the business Of dis
suadipg members Of Congress from touch.
log SO dreadful project The effect Of
these executive demonstrations was soon
made manifest. Congress admitted that
Justice should be done TO our soldiers, tut
it was felt that ;psuperable financial diff
culties we're 10 the way, and the result
was the birth Of the project Of land boun-
ties, which rapidly began to take shape
aud threatened TO lure into its support q
decided majority OF both Houses. We
had, il was said, over one thousand mil
lions Of acres Of public lands, aud with
them we would pay of the soldiers with.
out adding 10 the burdens Of the people
saw that the policy would be utterly ruin.
Gus to the country, while Its promised jus
iice to the soldier would prove a deIusion
II was almost Us wanton q Conspiracy
against the homestead law aud the produc
tive wealth OF the nation as the kindred
proposition Of certain prominent politicians
ia 1853, TO mortgage the public domain "a
our creditors IN security for our debt
which l had the houor TO expose aud de
nounee at the time, on this noor. Ear
nesily entertaining these views, | was glad
J 10 and an early opportunity TO expires,
: then IN the form Of a report from the
4 House COMMITTEES. on fhe Public Lands
Ia response tos& memorial from New
Hampshire soldiers praying bouniIes in
laod. That report. which was laid on the
! a. H..~ IL -
led iuto tho newspapers. showed 20 con-
cluri,ely, by unanswerable facts aud hg-
ures; the iwpelcy and iuiquity OF the
proposition, that hope | shall be per-
doned Tor saying that u very materially
aided In it, defeat. aud in thus saving the
public domain FROM most frightiul
scheme Of spoiliaiion and plunder.
The way was thus again opened, very
naturally, Tor the consideration OF bonn-
tee IN money, aud the suffice, was exam
ined more earnestly than before Caleu-
laiiops were made, which believe we're
reliable. showing that about one hundred
aud hliy millions of dollars would be suf
deient 10 pay aud equalize bounIies on the
basis Of eight aud one third dollars pet
month for The time OF service, aud after
freely oonlerripg with Intelligent soldiers
aud sailors on the subject, reported "a
the House u bill framed upon that basis
which was referred TO the Committee on
Military Affairs, General Schepck re
ported il back, with sundry notifications
as 10 details. aud IL passed the House By
an overwhelming vote. 10 the Senate
however, IL encountered serious opposi.
ton. The execuiiye agencies to which
have referred seemed TO be lar more po'
tent In that body than In the House. The
fnaacial difficulty was regarded as iusur.
mountable. Besides, many Senators de-
elsred that the soldier, having received
what he contracted to fight for, was en-.
titled 10 nothing more. These Senators,
however, were quite anxious for the
passage Of a bill TO increase their own
salaries 81, 900 a year, which the House
refused TO agree 10, for the reason, in part
at least, that the Senate refused TO concur
in the bounty bill. The final result Of
this couSict was compromise, by which
the measure now known as the act OF Jul,
20, 1866, was indissolubly married to the
proposition TO increase the pay Of mem
bers; aud, under tho motive power Of al
\ argument two thousand dollars, this Gun
ming disereditable project was carried.
am very glad that it has a Democratic
psrentage, and that a largo wing Of tho
Republicsas in Congress opposed i,from
!, the beginning TO the end. The bonnty
/ bill thps carried lhrouph was ao insult
to the very principle of uslizstioni and
though Il takos from the Treasury nearly
sixty millions Of money, II has provet
almost as unsatisfactory TO our soldiers ai
ifsno bill at oil had boon enacted. -
The agitation Of the subject, however
now gradually subsided. What had beer
done for the soldier, though IL disappoint
cd bin, seemed 20 create a new obstacle
In the way OF doing more. The fiuancial
condition ofthe country did not improve
and although the House re-enacted Gen
Schenek's bill during the last session oil
the Thirty Ninth Congress. II tailed Ia
the Senate, as was naturally 10 be cx
, peeied. Thus the matter restad, Mr.
Chairman, ill the early part Of the pres
ent session, when bill was introduced
: and. refeued TO the Committee on The Pub
lic Lauds, providing FOR very large boun
ties Ia lands. The aggregate number e
whom u promised bounty was two million,
4 two 'huDdred and forty five thousand six
hundred and ffty-nine. and IL called foi
4 three hundred and thirty four mplionl
nine hundrod md seventv thonsand tbras