The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-10-30
Garfield and Pensions.

Garfield and Pensions.
Mr.. James A. Garfield. the Republic
an nominee for President, is on record
as an opponent Of the bill providing
that pensions TO Union soldiers or their
widows shall date from the discharge
or death of the person on whose ac-
count the pension has been or shall be
granted, and extending the time for the
filing of applications for the same. On
January Is, 1872, Hon. X. Milton Speer.
Democratic Member Of Congress from
PENNSYLVANIA, asked unanimous consent
of the House to report this bill from thu
Committee of Invalid Pensions. Mr.
Garfield, of Ohio, objected. This sin
gle objection prevented Mr.. Speer from
reporting the bi'i.-See Conyressiona
Globe for the Forty-second Congress, e
Session. page 4l4.
On January II, 1872, reports from
committees being in order in the House,
Mr.. Speer, when the Committee on In
valid Pensions was called, reportes
from that committee the bill to which
Mr.. Garfield had made objection the
previous day. The bill passed without
. division or call of the yeas and
nays.-See Congressional Glodc for ths
F6rty-second Congress, III Session. laJ'
437. ,....'
On January 20, 1872, Mr.. Garfield
of Ohio, asked unanimous consent II
offer resolution requesting the SEN
alto TO which body MIR. Speer's bill
had been messaged) to return tho
bill in question to the House. De-
bate Immediately arose and Mr..
Garfield moved to suspend the rules
in order that he mi ght bring his
resolution before the House. In the
course of the debate Mr.. Garfield AS.
serted that many of the pensions al
ready granted were fraudulent and that
the bill had been passed without due
consideration by the House. MIR. Moore,
Republican, OF Illinois, defended the
bill and the action of the House there
on. Mr.. Maynard, Republican, of Ten
nessee, (now Postmaster GeneraD re-
Piled to Mr.. Garfield by propoundins
this question: III so many Of these
pensions are fraudulent, why does not
the Commissioner of Pensions correct
the fraud?' and added, "He Qhe
Commissioner has ample power to 10
> it." 10 which Mr.. Garfield failed to
I make reply.-See Congressional Globe
| for the Forty-second Congress. ID Session.
+, page 437.
l MIR. Garfield made very bitter and
Y angry speech against the proposition to
. date pensions from the time OF the dis
g charge or death of the person on whose
l account they had been or might be
: granted. He said: "Now shall we, by
5 one stroke of the pen. by one act that il
!, took us but minute to pass make
, our pension laws. and all pensions
i under those laws, revert back to tht
: period when the injury was received
n and at q single blow add more thar
r thirty-two million dollars to the eS
: penses of this Government with0!l
d any investigation at all = Ill
r also charged that about one-tourth o
d all the pensions that had then bcel
l. granted were fraudulently obtained
n and that the strongest eases presente'
N to the Pension Bureau were those gotte1
l. up on forged evidence. He said, to us
N his own words, that "thc man VIII
gets up thoroughly rotten case. would
e. when he started out to lie, dose strong
in ly and unscrupulously, and hence IN
it papers would be prepared in the mo;
Or complete and convincing manner. J
a. other words, he branded the penslonel
Or whose cases were presented in tn
ID strongest light as forgers and per]urer'
ct But the House refused to listen to MI
1t Garfield's violent dcnunciatlon OF tn
q bill, and on the question being put
)r his motion to suspend the rules, tbe'
or were but fifty-tive ayes. though moi
,r than two hundred members were pre-!
Id ent, Had Mr.. Garfield succeeded in b
H. motion, the bill would probably HAY
IS, been defeated and might not have b
e. come law to this day. In that even
iy thousands of crippled defenders Of Il
e. Union. and thousands Of women vii
p. owed and children made fatherless
ns the war, would now be homeless ar
to suffering the bitter pangs Of povert
ed Had Mr.. Garfield shown like dispO;
ew ton to economize the public none
let when he reported appropriations +
On the District OF Columbia ring and vot'
NO for subsidies for gigantic and graspil
it corporations. he could at least ple'
m. consistency in extenuation Of his ASA,
it'll upon the pensioners. But in view
ng his we'll. known course in that regar
ar. his bitter opposition to the back'pe
ED sion bill has the appearance Of havi
lic- been inspired by desire to save
Md pensions only to spend in appropr
en-. tons demanded by the lobby. 7
Of soldiers of the country win do well
md look M Mr.. Gartield's record on 81
err jects affecting their interests. HAIR
inc burg (Pa.) Patriot.
eat -~e..
mt The country is waiting with pa
The full anxiety for Gar6eld's pledges
cen the rebel claims. Not because there
the any chance Of Garfield being Preside
ter. but because he Is Senator Ell
ing already. He left the army on the fl
un. Of battle to 20 to Congress and "
an appropriations to pay rebel claims. .
"a the country demands that he plet
inst himself to stop that kind Of voting
all 81. Louis Republicans