Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-05-17
tnlon Soldiers for Pension Agents.


the passage of this act, in case of vacancie.
from any cause, the office Of pension agen
shall be filled by wounded or disabled sol.
diers, or the widows or daughters of Union
soldiers" On this there was long and
animated debate, and it was finally passed
| by one majority. Senator Morrill, voted fol-
1t, while Senator Eimunds opposed it.
MIR. Edmunds-l am opposed to this whole
thing. | am in favor of striking out the
provision in the House bill which provides
for selecting soldiers for this place lam in
favor of it, in the first place, for the reason
that it is against the spirit of our lules most
explicitly about having legislation on appro-
priation bills. In the next place, am op-
posed to this provision, both the amendment
and the original text of the House bill, upon
the ground that, although in my Judgment it
Is perfectly constitutional for Congress 70
make this provision, it is really class lcgisla-
ton, which as applied to the soldier NAV in
this instance be very good and kind to him,
recognition of his great services that We
all talk 20 much about, while at the same
time it involves the principle of the right of
Congress and its expediency, whenever there
is majority that happens to wish to do such
thing as that, to make other class distinc-
tons IN the selection of officers of the United
States. for one shall hcsitatea good while
before | adopt any such provision. do not
doubt at all the constitutional power of
Congress to do that thing. but believe it to
be contrary to the principle for which these
very soldiers fought, and that is the princi-
pie of Just and equal Government that
leaves open to all classes of citizens all the
honors and preferments that the Govern
ment constitutionally, through its constitu-
tlonal departments may call upon them to
fill. Ia saying that, Mr.. President, think
am expressing the just sentiment of the
soldiers OF the State Of Vermont. at least,
whose intelligence is as great as their pa
tr:otism was, and who understood the prin-
ciples for which they fought and suffered,
and who believed in them, and who believe
in them yet, and who would scOrn this little
method of undertaking to get votes and to
tickle their fancy by saying that they, to the
exclusion OF every body else, right or wong,
tit or unfit, shall be the class of persons
from whom pension agents shall be selected.
So that, Mr.. President, shall vote against
the whole thing from beginning to end. The
honors that they deserve they receive now and
will continue to receive. No act or omission of
the Administration. no act or omission of the
Congress of the United States can strip them
OF one title of the perpetual remembrance
and honor in which they will be held in
every part of this country. As time rolls
on, when the unity of this Government and
of this people shall become more and more
perfect, when the interchange of its commerce
and of its emigration and the community of
its interests become more and more homo
geneous, there will be South and West,
as well as North and East, a perfect con-
cord of respect in a perpetual memorial
to those people who, at the risk Of their lives,
ano many OF them by losing them, in main
tanning the unity Of this Republic, because it
will be more and more unit, more and more
free, more and more prosperous when the
temporary evils that such great convulsion
has caused have passed by. | think the
true place to leave this question of appoint
ments is with the President of the United
States and his constitutional advisers, where
the responsibility truly belongs. That they
have not wisely and rightly exercised that
responsibility within the last year, have
very good reason to think. | know a section
of Ne. England where there were six or sew
en- pension agencies, two in each of the three
northern New England States, Vermont,
New Hampshire and Maine. There were,
believe, in those three States seven pension
agents, and think that six of the pension
agents were soldiers ; most of them had been
wounded severely; all OF them had done gal
liant and meritorious service. One was n
civilian who found it convenient for the pub
lie and iur his own purpOses-ard do not
complain of him for ito be, a. am told,
a clerk in the city of Washington. not far
from the other end Of the Capitol,
during the period of the strife.
But through some, ss | must sup
pose just, reasons, the Secretary of the lnte-
rior, or the President of the United |
States, in the constellation of these
'eycn agencies into one and 10 the |
selection of one pension agent, happened to |
hit the civilian and to miss the six soldiers. |
Di course, if this civilian was not hit during
The war, he ought to have been hit some
lime ; and he got hit at last. | do not |
think, Mr.. President. that We are called |
lpon in order to show our honor and graft |
.ude to the soldier To indulge in this species
If what is really class legislation, which, ap- |
Piled in thousand ways upon this princi- |
pie, would be of great detriment to the Re
public.
Mr.. Wadeigh. of New Hampshire, said
that the selection of the pension agent al
udeG to depended upon his locality in the
.entre of the three States con-olidatcn. No
has been made Of the manner in
which he fas performed his du:ic~: but he
Mr.. Wadleigb) was willing to 80 amend the
bill 50 as To give the executive the opportu-
lty to repair any wrong done to thc soldiers
,f that part of New England, and to appoint
n the place OF the very e,timahe gentleman
holds the office ul pension agent, a sol
iier of the Union who has been wounded or
iiSabled
Mr. Blaine replied to Mr. WaGleigh'S as
'erton that Concord was ii central point
or the three consolidated Stntes. The mail
natter from Maine, destined to Concord, he
aid, practically all goes by way Of Boston.
There are five trunk lines of railroad that
cad from Maine into New Hampshire. and
N none of them is Concord situated Maine
happens to have two thousand more pen
ioner1 than New hampshire and Fer-
mont together, for she sent more
oldiers to the field than both
VI them, and Portland is nearer to Lake
jhamplain. on the western side of Vermont,
han it is to the eastern side of Maine. Mr..
Blaine went on to say that the last time he
Iad the honor OF meeting the Secretary OF
he Interior officially, he asked him who was
he geOgrapher general OF the department OF
he interior who had suggested To him that
,>ncord was central point Tor the three
tates, and he thought that he had the honor
4 Communicating some geographical knOwl-
dge to that admirable officer.
Mr.. VOORHEES,, OF Indiana, sustained the
'rovision. lie said: shall vote against the
notion of the Senator from Vermont to strike
ut the section OF the bll under considera-
ion. | am glad there are some subjects that
xcite the Senator's opposition tn class legis-
alton. On this particular occasion, how
yer. am in favor of class legislation. and
believe it is the first instance in my life.