Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-09
FRIENDS OF THE sULDIERs.
The Claim of the Republican Party to
Friendship for the Soldiers Completely


Friendship for the Soldiers Completely
Upset.
The Campaign Textbook, Issued by authority of
the Republican Congressional committee, falsifies
the records Of the Democratic and Republican
parties on the question of pensions. Take the act
providing for paying arrears of pensions The
Textbook says:
1.-The plain truth of the whole matter Is that the
Democratic Congress has inherited legacy of hate
for the Union soldier, and while 1t would pretend to
love him just before important election In order
to catch his vote, the moment it is over-should
Hancock be elect ed or counted in-they would ding
him aside like piece Of waste paper It needs but
little evidence, in addition to that already given to
prove this Take for instance, the Democratic OPP
position to the bill voting arrears of pensions. This
bill was introduced April 2, 1873, into the House of
Representatives. in the second session of the Forty
fifth Congress, by Hon. Henry J. B. Cummings, of
Iowa, and in the same session, June 49, 1875 1t was
passed in the House-yeas, 1874 nays, 6l."
Now, the "pain truth" as established by the Con-
gTessona records is that the credit Of the arrears
OF the pension act belongs exclusively to the Demo
cratic party, and had Its origin In the Fory.fourth
Congress. Gen. A. V. Rice, of Ohio-himself SOL
committee on invalid pensions, prepared and intro
duced into the House on the 22d Of March, 1875, the
original bill this subject. He labored day and
night to press 1t through and made lengthy speech
IN advocacy of it the 3rd day of March, 1877, and
succeeded in having 1t pass the House the same day.
The bill then went to the Republican Senate, and was
left to die there.
Gen. Rice was reelected to the Forty-ifth Con.
gress, and made chairman Of the pension COMMITTEES
and at once resumed his abors on behalf Of the ar
rears of pensions bill His committee held many
meetings on the subject. The soldiers In all parts of
the Union had their attention attracted to It, and Pc
itonsI letters, ETC., came pouring In, and the COM
mittee prepared new end improved bill from the
OF the Forty fourth Congress, which the general
introduced into the House October 20, 1877.
Five months after this, during which time tn
soldiers were everywhere expressing their gratitude
10 General Rice other members of the House, seeing
the popularity Of the measure, sought to attain for
themselves small portion of the glory to be achiev-
ed by their services in putting this law upon the
statute books, among whom Was Mr.. Cummings, of
Iowa, Republican, who introduced into the House,
on the I'd day OF APRIL 1875 the identical bill drawn
by General Rice in the Forty-fourth Congress.
On the 10Th OF June following, MT. Haskell, of
Kansas, having the prlsilege Of moving to suspend
the rules, he used It for the passage Of the Cum
mings Pension bill General Rice stated that this
mittee but being the close OF the session.
he feared its failure, and urged his Democratic
friends to support it, and the bill passed.
When the appropriation Tor the bill came up In
the House General Rice succeeded In getting at
sched to 1t part Of the improvements Of his own bill
over the Cummings bill. On the 26th Of February
1879 when the appropriation for the bill was pending
ury, addressed q communication there, In which he
declared that if the appropriation was made 1t would
take millions Of dollars from the treasury and impair
the resumption Of specie payment, In spite Of thia
opposition the Democratic Congress passed the ep-
propriation and up to the present time over
BOO have been paid under 1t to soldiers and their
families.
This is the true history of the arrears act, which
VIII De seen to nave been purely Democratic meas
ure. Not only has the act not impaired resumption,
but 1t has been o blessing, carrying relief into
thousands of soldiers families.