Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-02-12
Otfora 1tmotrat.


ne III SccllOu or inc act - ~ totfcNs'
SEC. 2. dad Be Il further enacted. That
upon The presentation NJ satisfactory evil
denee 20 the Commissioner Of Pensions
that anv female pensioner is living hie
ot rTostitution, or is cohabiting with, on
living with. or being supported by any
man As his wife or mistress, 90 whom she
is not lawfully married. nc shall imDedi-
ately notify such peasioner or her age@
of the charge or charges and the evidence
upon which the same Is founded; and un-
less suci penSiouer shall Within
months thereafter produce satisfactory
rebatting evidence. her aame shall be
dropped from the pension rolls
Whether the bill u sufficiently guarded,
in all It's provisions, or not. is one ques'
ton. but the prsacipie sought TO be car
ried out, is Enthusiastically eorcct and
mus, ultimately be adopted by the gov
eminent. because last and demanded 10y
morality,
The Hilt was attacked with considerable
b. ternesS. on It's introduction, and on n
m ,tion to recommit Mr.. PerlIam was af-
fprled an opportunity 70 explain the bill.
tlo' not 10 discuss il So lully rs is allowa-
be at certain stages of legislation. Mr..
Ingersou of Illinois characterized the Blu
in most unmeasured terms IS an act tit
oliy for a barbarous age-that it was in
dieatiye of barbariSn. and that il cOuid
have eRanated only from the coid and
rigid regions Of Maine The objections
urged against the section quoted above.
We're, that il casts y stigma upon the
whole class 81 female pensioners and sub
jeets them Ia the danger of being made
the victims af ANONYMOUS and slander0uS
conplainants aud puts them upon their
dptence needleSSly, and that an improper
discrimination is nIsdc between female
pensioners who commit crime and males.
who are equally gully and that it d.
>uoyS the safeguards oi the law I'm crimi-
nu eases, which provide that 4 person
chargcd with the commission " : crime
shah be presented by grand jury. shall
have a traverse jury 10 ny his case. shall
lie allowed a. NEE; MS or her aCcuser face
10 face, and shall be allowed counsel. and
on member, Mr. Boydcn, raised the qucs
ton whether Government or IL officers,
arc required TO t,lAe care Of the morality
ofts citizens
Mr. Perham, tho subjected to 8 run
Ming fre OF inter ptions from All quarters,
aud restricted to the limits Of debate or
the motion to recommii. ably answered
thr objections. and showed cCncluSivelv
n, necessity for such bill lie quoted
from The report at the Commits ,ioners of
Pensions. showing that the proposition
did not emanate entirely from the ''cold
and rigid regions OF Maine The Com
missioner says:
Widows in increasing numbers cohali,
without marriage, refusing this solemn
rite and living IN open prostitution -
The Govern
meut should not hc placed mwittiugly
in The strange attitude ~ Offering pre-
MUM upon morality
In regard u the necessity for the law.
Mr.. Perham said;
Now. - for the occasion for L. gisiatiOn .
OF this kind. facts are coming % The Auowl- /
edge at me Pension Office from different
SECTIONS aI over the country Of numvr-
ous instances and the number i irercaS
iug every dav-Ot widows who arc cu /
Titled 20 pensions who perhaps contract /
To- q, II
pnse of retaining their pensions they f.
cotae Together and live together a. though /
they were married. and have chilir,u.-I
IL such c;s,e, tho woman every >iN 4
months makes oath that She Is sill q /
widow md she draws her pension from .
the Government. You place the Gov F..
erument, by the law n IL now j.. IN this .
anomalous position; and ask my friends /
who oppose This mraSurc 20 see iuStwhat |
they propose % vote for ii they vote rs
they Indicated they would yesterday -
Here ar two widows drawing pensions
and living. IL may be, in the same COM
munitv. They both make an agreement
With some gentleman "a their acguaint-
ancc for marria@r. one Of the women
marrieS honestly. a she should do: un-
der the law she fOrfeitS her pension. The
other declines 10 marry, but lives with the
man lu>t the same as though she was
married, and she draws her pension every
six months, making out that she is still
awidOW. The Government i thus placed
IL this position: yOu take away the pen
sion from the woman who Is honest and
has married as she ought 70 do, while %
the woman who is dishonest and living
in ERNIE YOU give the pension - re
w4-l Cor her sin That i JUS; the posi-
ton.
In regard to male pensioners. whoi
may be equally criminal. Mr. p. Justly
saws:
That is an entirely different case. You
offer 70 the man no premium for crime
You give him pension because he HIM
self has personally barred hi bosom To
the storm ofbattle ; he him has person
ally suffered the loss of an eve or The loss
OF limb or the loss Ut bis health upon
the field OF battle. DO not know what
the members Of the House may think.
but the members Of the Committee ON
Invalid Pensions are of opinion that there
IS a great difference in the cases.
As to removing the safeguards of the
law, Mr.. Z. says, if the Bill is not suf-
heiently guarded, let ii be amended. but if
the principle is right there is h. need Of
sacrificing 1t on account of omissions in
the details. But the section provides that
satisfactory erideRce shall be produced.
&c, and the pensioDer viii be afforded
ample time TO meet the charges before
her penslca is suspended.
Mr.. Perham closed with an eloquent
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