New-York tribune., 1872-02-01
ROI'NTY AND BOUNTY LAND.

THE BTLLS BEFORE CONGRESS FOR THE BENEFIT
or sOLDIERS-GREAr COST OF EQCALIZING
| OUNTIEs-PROBABILITY OF THE PASSAGE
OF LAND WARRANT BILL.
IRON A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRTBUSR.l
WASHINGTON, Jan. 28.-If there were no
other signs it would be easy to that the Presidential
election is approaching by the multitude Of bills intro
Congress to give money land TO soldiers OF
the late war. These emanate from both par
ties The Democratsea of in their introduction, and
Mr. Holman, Mr. Kerr, Mr.. Niblack. and half dozen
others got their bills print before tho Republicans
woke mp that their opponents trying to
from them the OF the class OF men upon whom
they had always largely relied. Then fol-
lowed food OF bills from the Republican side
of the House. And thus the two parties, since
began. have been rvalng each other in the
munccnce Of their proers Of bounty land and bounty
money to the men who seven years ago. took off their
uniforms and back to the farms and trades proud
their hard service in the ranks, and thinking
that the country owed them any debt but gratitude.
The bills all went the Military Committee, and
sent up TO the War Department for information about
the money they would take from the Treasury II passed
The estimates made, and IL found that the
generous Of them all wOud s13 OOOOO
taking every dollar OF surplus from Mr.. BoutwelPs
vaults and obigng him To increase the public debt TO
make np the deficit One bill asked for more than
fiO0,OOO0O0.
believing all members 10, thar there grievous
to redress and that they the chosen cham
the soldiers entitled TO bounty, but the magu
tude figures startled them. They mud that there
j. way To pay Peter without robbng Paul in other
words. two three hundred millions cannot be put into
the pOcket of the soldiers without being taken out of the
pockets Of the taxpayers, themselves soldiers in many
The first idea was that 10 would be fine thing
for the popularity OF the Representative If he could
home tell his soldier constituents that lie had been
instrumental in giving them each 500 or $780, but now
the after thought comes-What would the taX-paytng
constituents say How would they relish being taxed
give gratues 90 men who were paid OFT in full and
discharged agOi Then there Is further question.
IN IN CrE Nps
very little evidence that they do OF more than
2O00 who carried arms between 1861 ana 1865 less than
800 have signed petitions 10 Congress asking for the
eqna ZatOn of bOuutes and these petitions FROM
by claim agents.
The Republican members OF the Committee feel how.
that they ought TO report some measure for the
benefit Of the soldiers in view OF the coming political
campaign, for II they fail to do the Democrats will
tell the soldiers how much they wanted to do Them
but could not because the Republican majority would not
bounty bills will be put away in the pigeonholes OF the
Committee and some measure agreed upon TO give land
warrants, done after the Mexican War. Such a
bill would pass the House almost without question.
There serious objections that might be urged against
IT, but the House would trust the Senate 70 perceive
these and to have the to let the bill by de-
fault, did the bounty equalization bills passed IN the
XLth aud XLIst Congresses. The chief objection, which
soldiers would sell their warrants for tring 20
speculaOrs who would get possession or oil the best n
settled land In the West holding il in large tracts for
high prices TO the great deriment OF the new states
seriously retarded II warrant for 100 acres were given
every soldier Is proposed the quantity OF good
farming land remaining for homestead settlement after
the warrants located would be very small. The
would be Observation-Disclosures or $40 apiece, perhaps
while profits would be gained by specuators