The Leavenworth weekly times., 1878-02-21
In CONGRESS.
A Comparatively Tame Session n
Both Senate and House
Yesterday.
The Siii c aniing Pensions 10 Vet
eFias Of the War ofi3l2 and
V-rious Iri.in Wars
Passes the Senate.
In CONGRESS.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, February I9-Mr. Spen-
Ger, from tue cUnml- lee On military affairs.
reported favOraJly on tae bill .or the relief
OF Vim. \. Hammond, late Surgeon General
OF the army, and il was placed on the
Calendar IL authorizes the President Ia
! review the proceedings OF the general
cUurimarIial IN his case, and 10 aunui and
! sc, aside the findings and sentence OF said
coartmarii4l, iiaiter such review he shall
deem ii right and proper TO do so, and in
The event u. the finding being set aside, the
President it authorized to place the name OF
Vim. \ Hammond on the retired list OF the
army a, surgeon-general, provided that in
case Of suca restoration he shall not be en-
titled To back, present, or future pay or al
lowance OF any kind whatsoever.
I Mr. FERRY called up the Senate bill TO
regulate the compensation OF postmas;ers
and for other purposes, which was discuss
ed al some length. Messrs. Edmunds, Ham
lin, Davis, (W. Va and others expressed
themselves in iavoro Of the restoration OF the
franking privilege. Further consideration
of the bill was then postponed till to-mOr-
row.
At the expiration OF the morning hour,
Mr.Withers called up for consideration the
Senate bill amending the laws granting
pensions to soldiers and sailors of the w;r
OF 1912; and their widows.
The committee reported an amendment
to the section authorizing the restoration to
the pension rolls of all persons now surviv-
Ing, heretofore pensioned on account OF SER
vice in the war OF 1872 or any of the Indi-
an wars, whose names were stricken there
from on account OF disloyalty, so as to pro-
vide that all such persons should be restor-
ed whose disabilities had been removed, or
who had made application for such remov-
al After some discussion it was agreed
that the words OF the amendment were not
necessary to restore TO the pension rolls the
names OF those persons stricken therefrom
on account OF disloy atty and Mr. r.Withers, in
charge Of the bill, withdrew it. Other
amendments Of the committee of a verbal
character were agreed to. The question
being on the third reading of the bill, Mr..
Ingalls, said he was opposed to the whole
system Of gratuitous pensions as proposed
by the bill which was to grant pensions 10
all survivors OF the war Of 1912, who served
in the military OF naval service for ii days.
He was in favor of pensioning those who
were wounded and disabled in service, but
could not favor the granting Of pensions 10
persons merely because they entered the
service. If such gratuitous pensions
be given, how would Congress be able
to resist tie appeals Tor pensions which
would come ten or fifteen years from this
time from those who merely served in the
late war and were not named. Such legis-
iation as this was prompted by senlime1t,
and when Congress, in 1871, departed i.on
the system OF granting pensions only to
those who were disabled, it took ! danger
Gus step.
Mr. OGLESBR opposed the filth section
Of the bill authorizing the restoration to the
pension rolls OF those persons whose names
were stricken theretrom on account OF dis
LOYALTY, and moved 70 strike it out.
Mr. BLAINE said that every soldier who
served in the war OF 1872 must have been
at least sixty years of age when the rebel
hon broke out, and they were now nearly
eighty years oi age. ltwas impossible that
these men could have done anything active
against the government of the United States
during the late war, and it was not to be
expected that they would break their fam
ily ties and come north when the war broke
out. tie (Biaine) had not
laid awake at night considering
how to resto e the men engaged in the re-
belliOn to privileges, but these old men did
their part in upholding the country in the
war OF 1872, and he would not exclude one
OF them from the pension rolls. If Congress
was going to legislate SO as TO exclude old
men and widows from the generosity of the
government, it was taking ground which
dishonored the magnanimity OF the govern
ment.
Mr.. INGALLS, said the attempt to array
the American Congress against few old
men was indicative to his mind Of spirit
which would lead a man to strike woman
or kick baby.
The motion of Mr.. OGLESBY to strike
out the section of the bill was rejected; !;
yeas, 80, nays, T. The negative votes were
given by Messrs. Anthony, Cameron, wis
Edmunds, Mcmillan, Morrill,, OGlesby and
Fuller
The bill was then read the third time
and passed yeas A., nays 8 Mr.. Hamlin
voting with those whe favored Mr.. Cgles-
by's amendment against the passage of the
bill
Mr.. MATTHEWS, by request, intro
duced bill making presumption grant to
the heirs OF Jean Baptiste Benheim, de-
ceased, for part Of the Fort Dearbon res
ervation at Chicago, and to confirm the
purchasers of other parts in their titles and
to convey to Chicago the streets and alleys
OF said reservation. Referred.
Mr.. EDMUNDS called up the Senate
bill TO annul the act of the legislative as
sembly of the Territory of Wyoming to
provide for the organization in Crook and
Pease counties, and to provide for holding
court therein, which was discussed briefly
and laid over un il tomorrow.
Adjourned.