Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-10-02
RICE AND ARREARS OF PENSIONS.

ure-RICe'S Repeated Attempts TO Dee
feat 1.-THE Rice Bill Never Acted on
Ii Opened the way for PensIOning
COnferderates
Special Correspondence Cincinnati Gazette
WASHINGTON, June 15.-The attempt of
the Ohio Democrats to secure the support
of the soldier vote by claiming that Gen.
Rice originated and carried through the
arrears of pension law, is one of the
most unblushing frauds which they could
well undertake. The bill which Gen.
Rice introduced never passed either house
of Congress, and is still on the order of
the last Congress among the measures
pending before the committee of the
whole and unacted on when that Con-
gresS expired.
The bill which become the present law
was introduced by Mr.. Cummings, of
Iowa, a Republican, April ,, 1873. 1t
passed the House June 10. 1873. and the /
Senate January 16, 1879. The president |
signed it January %, 1879.
When it first came up for action in the |
House Gen. Rice tried to prevent vote
| upon it, and attempted TO defeat 1t by !
/ filibuStering. He first tried to have 1t re-
/ fered to his committee, than announced |
| that it had never been considered Dy any
committee, and failing to stop it, then
moved to adjourn. This motion failed.
He then, though out of order, announced
that his committee had "matured bill
of like import" This was very far from
correct, since Rice's bill, to which he re-
ferred, sought to place disloyal persons
on the pension rolls.
| Upon the direct vote the Democrats de-
feated the bill by negative vote of 76,
| against 146 in the affirmatiVe-nOt two
| thirds, as required under a suspension of
the rules. Rice, having first led in the
attempt to prevent vote on the bill, was
constrained to vote for it when action was
finally forced by the Republicans.
While the vote was proceeding, Mr.,
Rice went over to Mr.. Cummings, and
charged him with playing the demagogue
for trying to pass the bill over the heads
of the committee when they had bill of
the same character. But it was because
the committee bill was of very different
I character, and because it opened the way
/ for rebels to be placed on the pension
; rolls, that the Republicans were trying
to kill it.
The bill was next brought up in the
House by Mr.. Haskell Republican,, of
: Kansas, who had the floor to move sus-
u pension of the rules.
: Mr.. Rice again tried to Obstruct action
I on the bill by twice announcing, out OF
. order, that this was not the committee s
i bill. The Republicans, however, forced
u a vote, and the bill, which is the present
= law, was passed by 164 to 81, the latter ali
Democrats. Gen. Rice, when the vote
> which he tried to prevent was taken:
, voted as before for the bill.
RICE 5 DISIOYAL PENSION BILL.
5 The Democrats, claim that Rice was the
+; author of the present arrears of pension
d law will appear more clearly in its proper
If light and proportions from statement OI
j. the real provisions of Rice's bill. 1t was
/. an attempt to give arrears of pensions, il
a is true. But it coupled with this pro
D. vision to open the way to the nationa
$ pension rolls for Confederate soldiers,
}3 project then much talked about among
70 extreme Southern Democrats and thei
te allies at the North.
The order of business of the House 0
xe Representatives of the last Congress, 70
,e Jrnuary p. two DAYS after the presen
l. law had been approved by the President
= still contained the following official state
ne ment of the Rice bill:
of ''H R. No. 3,25S, February 13, Nj
of Americus V. Rice, Invalid Pensions:
ne bill to regulate the granting of pension
ne Oh account of death or wounds, or III
ed juries received, or desease contracted i
gs the service of the United States since tn
4th day of March, 1861, and for the pay
10 ment of arrears of pensions; also to at
se thorize the Secretary of the Interior
nv return to the roll of invalid pensiOnel
he the names stricken therefrOn on accom-
ed of disloyalty, and to repeal section
nv 4709, 47l6, and 47l7 of the revised sta
lie utes of the United States. Special Ordt
nv for Wednesday, February 27, 1873, aftt
er, the morning hour, and from day to da
K priation bills or reports from the COmmi
* tee on Ways and Means"
he This bill was meyer acted upon, al
in lies buried with the mass of unfinishC
he business of the FOrty-fifth Congress.
OIL The atrOcious and dislOyal part of Il
lty Rice bill was the proposal to repeal Sc
act tiOn 47l6 of the revised statutes. Th
he is the section which prohibits payment
eli pensions to all who were in the COnfe
ces crate army, or gave the rebellion aid l.
tic comfort. 1t is as follows:
c ir- ''SEC. 47I6. No money on account
Al pensions shall be paid to any person,
ol- to the widow children, or heirs of al
en- UNFAIRLY engaged in, or aided or abett
,l,9 ne the late rebellion against the authority
SEE the United States.''
i This attempt was the distinguishing fl
l., lures of the Rice bill. Il will not requ
ne much time for any soldier of the Uni
ans army to decied how much he owes, or
for actly what he owes, to Gen. Rice for tn
oh AS has been seen, Gen. Rice's only acti
. in regard to the bill which is now
per law, was to exert himself to prevent
ties House from acting upon it. When
the publicans forced it to a vote, against
bio most active opposition, he had no cOu
left but to vote for it.
IN Such is the record of Gen. Rice NJ
With the arrears of pension bill. Fl. V. B
the --"--a-"--
we're Look Well to Your Tickets.
his We give timely notice to our Repu
Ways can friends, before voting, to see that
as a names of the Republican candidates
elec- their tickets are all spelled correctly,