The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-05-22

IS IS " Aaani dsToas lo. q. !, Icy Is, 1870.

The thousands OF MANNED and disabled
.soidiersf tSeir widows. orphans j ana.
friends. III iaot. All The people Of this now
happy oonntry, heirs of the 8psace and
prosperity purchaaed BY the sacrifice and
wounds or these heroes, cannot fail to be
interested in the debate which occurred
in the House the other day upon the bill
submitted by the Committee on Invalid
Pensions, prescribing. the manner of pay
ing pensions, the same bill which was
brought forward by the Committee last
December, but was laid over on account
OF objections brought forward by Judge
Lawrence, of Ohio. He objected to the
wholesystem of paying pensions, as cum
brOus, expensive, and unjust to pension
ers; the bill proposed, being but q very
slight Improvement upon existing laws
He thought the present system should be
abolished with all its machinery and fees,
thus saving the Government annually
$3.50, 900, and relieving the pensioners
of oil the burdens of fees to agents,
making out vouchers, delnys of cores
pondenoe, sc; and advocated the paying
of the pension by the Assistant Assessors
or Collectors who are accessible to every
pensioner. He said "Pensioners are the
only persons of whom the Government
e1acts fees to get their Dues" ''In the
name of Justice, and for shame let us
abolish all fees and costs now exacted of
these pensioners.
In consequence of these objections,
the bill, when it re-appeared last week,
was slightly improved. It proposed quar-
terly, instead Of seDi-annual payments
o3 Int q fa, k<~'S .
sion agent for preparing the vouchers
shall be paid by the Government instead
Of the pensioner. But, as Judge Law
renee showed, the system is cnmbrons
aid expensive to the pensioner, besides
involving tho Government in the expen-
diture OF $3.50, 900 salary for the agent,
and $500, 900 more in fees; aliow wing them,
on an average. Che enormous salary of
50, 169, and still leaving the pensioner TO
pay every year, 40 cents to local officers,
for verifying each voucher. making an
annualaggregate of 1888. SOC, (which with
postage and other expenses, rs Judge
Lawrence estimated, will soon reach the
sum OF S500,0 annually. The bill in
troduced by him some time since, he
stated remedies that "by bringing to the
door of each pensioner an officer who
shall prepare the proper vouchers, ad-
minister the oath, deliver check for the
amount of the pension, and all without
any expense to the pensioners.
Mr.. Randall, of Pennsylvania, Mr..
Cobbs, of Illinois, General Butler and
others, urged the same objections to the
bill of the committee, and proposed
plans for removing them. The plnn of
Gen. Butler, advocated by him, very
earnestly in ten minutes speech, was
similar to that of Judge Lawrence, only
il substituted the postmasters of the
country instead of the assessors, to act
as pension agents. Mr.. Benjamin,
Chairman of the Committee on Invalid
Pensions. said that the adoption Of
either Of these plans would involve the
necessity for the appointment of 500
additional clerks in the Pension Office,
to which Mr.. Lawrence replied, ''uny-
body who says that, does not under
stand his business" Gen. Butler said,
"anybody who says that, is not fit for his
place." -. - -
The amendments were all rejected,
and the bill passed as reported by the
committee. It is to be hoped that it may
be amended by the Senate in accordance
with some OF the plans proposed in the
House. At all events the pensioners and
tACiI iAAShoo ChiCu3hONo IAO SOubtJ
and none will be willing to be excluded
from this category-havo cause to be
grateful for the efforts of Judge Law
renee, Gen. Butler, Mr.. Randall, and
others who endeavored 80 earnestly,
though for the present in vain, to secure
justice to the pensioner and economy for
the Government.
Unexpectedly, General Schenck. the
Chairman of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, and MIR. Dawes, Chairman on Ap-
preparation, got into quarrel on Mon
day over the question whether it was not
the duty Of the former to postpone action
on the tariff bill until after all the ap-
preparation bills shall have been passed.
The statement of Mr.. Dawes, that in six
weeks more unless immediate action be
taken on the numerous appropriation
bills, eight in number, the administra-
tion of the Government would be with
out funds, created quite sensation on
the floor of the House. One half of the
members were on their feet and near the
contending speakers, Sohenck and Dawes.
Genl Schenck seemed obstinate and Of
fered o resolution that when the House
again resolve itself into committee of the
whole on the tariff bill it shall be in the