Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-06-23
THE LATEST DEMOCRATIC SCHEME,

THE LATEST DEMOCRATIC SCHEME.
Attempt to Secure Pensions for Con-
fcderate Soldiers Through a Bill
the Mexican War.
The attempt of the Democrats to Sc
cure pensions for confederate soldiers
under the guise Of q bill pensioning all
soldiers of the Mexican war gave rise to
remarkable debate in the senate on
Saturday, which is thus described by
correspondent of the New York Times.
Lit was not until 4:30 that Senator Will
hams, of Kentucky, succeeded in getting
before the senate his bill for placing up
on the pension list every veteran of the
Mexican war, whether healthy or dis
abled, rich or poor. This bill contains
a provision repeating the statute which
forblds the settlement of pension upon
any person, or the relatives Of any per-
son, who engaged in or aided the rebel
lion. The debate opened quietly. The
committee had proposed an amendment
that all persons receiving pensions under
the bill should swear allegiance to the
constitution, and this was adopted.
The contest was begun by Senator
Ingalls,, who offered an amendment that
pensions should also be paid to all per-
sons who fought for the Union in the
war of the rebellion. This amendment,
which had apparently been agreed upon
by the leaders on the Republican side,
brought Mr.. Voorhees, to his feet, and
he charged Mr.. Ingalls, with attemp ting
to destroy the bill by adding 1000, 900
men to those originally affected by it.
AS usual, he painted his own
devotion to the Union soldier
in glowing colors. Mr.. Brown, the
senator from Georgia, then offered
an amendment to the Ingalls, amend
ment, providing that the pensions
to the entire Union army should not be
paid until the lapse of 33 years, the time
which has passed since the war with
Mexico. Mr.. Ingalls, had asked for the
yeas and nays on his amendment, and
Mr.. Conkling asked for. them on this.
Mr.. Blaine declared that he would have
every pension law now in existence apply
to Mexican veterans, but protested
against an indiscriminate bestowal of
pensions upon all O; these men. Mr..
Voorhees, urged that the veterans OF the
Mexican war were very old, whereupor
Mr.. Hoar pointed out Senator Williams,
Senator Burnside, Senator Logan and
Senator Maxey, and asked if they were
not vigorous and well endowed with this
world'sgoods and honors. This question
Mr.. Voorhees, denounced as worthy only
of contempt, and became very noisy.
Mr.. Maxey then described The gran
deur of the conquest of Mexico and de-
clared that southwestern senators would
not be in the senate if that conquest had
not been made. This aroused Mr..
CCnkling. "Were the fruits of that
conquest" he asked, "greater in value
and more precious to the American peo-
pie than the fruits and achievements of
the war FOR the Union? Was it greater
to wrest the domain from Mexico than to
preserve from destruction nationality
incontestably the greatest the world has
ever seen ?" In endeavoring to answer,
Mr.. Maxey houndered pitiably, but at
last declared that the war of the Union
had added nothing to our soil, and COM
pared it to the war between the houses
of York and Lancaster. When he arose
again, the eloquence of Mr.. Conking
could not be restrained. GAS dust in the
balance" he cried, "were those acquisi-
tons of territory to the achievement
of the brave soldiers who preserved
to Immortality the institutions under
which we live and prevented this gov
eminent of ours from going down in
blood to the sepulchre of buried nation
alities. But for their valor, heroism and
suffering, the senator from Texas, and
those with him, would not hold their
seats In the senate of the United States,
nor would there be senate in which
those seats would be held. Mr.. Maxey,
after declaring that such remarks were
not in good taste, turned again to the
Mexican veterans, and maintained that
they had right to something, for the
same reason that sailors are paid prize
money. Having praised the magnanim-
ity of Gen. Grant at Appomattox, he de-
clared that the southern soldiers had
fought for what they believed to be right,
and now had right to expect that it
would not be hurled in their teeth that
they held seats in the senate by the
bounty of their conquerors. cit was my
good fortune said he, ''to fight under
the stars and bars, but now am true to
my OATH"
MI. Blaine showed that the existing
pension laws applied to disabled veterans
OF the Mexican war, and contrasted the
sweeping character of the bill with the
opposition shown in the senate to a
proposition to pension disabled Indian
scout.
"This is the himsiest masquerade I
ever saw" said Mr.. VOORHEES,.
81 wish, " continued Mr.. Blaine, "to
keep the Mexican veterans and the Union
soldiers on level If this bill passes
for one, it shall for the other" and he
smote his hands together to emphasize
his declaration