The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-09-01
SOLDIERS BACK PAY AND BOUNTY

OOAOlEnO Dawn n AMI DOO ~ Z.
indianapolis sentinell
In the desperation of despair the organs OF
the Republican party are endeavoring toshow
that the representatives of the Democratic
party in Congress have delayed the payment
of soldiers and their heirs their back pay
and bounty, and the Journal in the mean
ness of its mendacity, says ''that there is de-
lay is undeniable, but it is not the fault of
Government officials nor of the Republican
party 1t is the fault of the Democratic
majority in Congress, which has hindered the
settlement of the accounts by refusing TO
make appropriations for clerk hire and
by multiplying red tape difficulties.
The action of the Democratic party, with re-
gard TO arrears of pensions and bounty,
should be fully understood by the people,
and the better it is understood, the more full
and complete the information, the better it
will be for the Democratic party. From the
day the Democratic party obtained control
of the National House of Representatives
an earnest effort was made to do justice to
the soldier, and the facts in the case defy
successful contradiction. The Democratic
party came into power in the House of Rep
resentatives with the Forty-fourth Congress,
December, 1875, and since that date the APP
preparations for pensions made by the Dem
Ocratic House are as follows:
For % 5 800
TOT ~
For otl,UO
For 1880 -.----..-...--......-. 6olbS,2OO
Total in four years.. S152 500. 200
Such figures do not not look much like
opposing pensions. The purpose ofthe Demo
Gratis in Congress to do all in their power
for the soldier is well set forth in speech
made by Hon. John A. Mcmahon, OF Ohio,
in 1878. He said:
The importance of these votes is more appa-
rent when we consider that the Democratic party
form. Have we ever cut down the pension bills2
Have we ever listened TO the oft-repeated charge
lent claims are ON it. that it should be
revised? No, we prefer to err on the side of the
soldier and his suffering family: We have cut
rectfon but in that We vote for no increased ex-
penditure except for the Union soldier.
In the Forty-third Congress bill passed
the House of Representatives to equalize
the bountIes OF soldlersi 1t was delayed in
the Senate, but finally went through, and
was vetoed by Grant-at least his veto was
prepared. He did not sign the dill and
justice was therefore not done to the soldier
On March IL, 1876 another equal
ization bill passed the Democratic
House. and was killed by Republican SEN
ate BY the vote of the Democratic House a
bill was passed for extending the time for
filing claims for additional bounty to $780,
which, by the law passed in 1866 expired in
January. 1875 This bill was in the interest
of the soldiers. The active leader in secur-
ing the passage of bill giving the arrears
of pensions to soldiers was General Rice, of
Ohio This BILL which was urged through
the Democratic House by General Rice, in
opposition to the maneuvering of Garfield
Hoar, Hale and other Republicans,
finally passed the House March 3,
1877, and was killed by Republican Senate,
and the bill that finally passed, though not
! as perfect as that offered by General Rice,
received his active support and was passed
by Democratic votes. Any intimation that
the Democrats in Congress, or out of Con-
gress, opposed the measure, is deliberate
falsehood, known to be such by those who
utter it. The Democratic Congress has made
every possible provision for the payment
and the speedy payment of pensions, and to
facilitate the work appropriated $3.50 for
the payment of additional clerical force,
which the arrears of pensions rem
dered necessary. The reasons assigned
by George Van Buren,, of Brooklyn,
n. Y, who testified before the
Select Committee on the Paymento OF Pen
sions, Bounty and Back-pay, will set the
whole matter in the clearest possible light
Mr. Van Buren, testified as to his politics as
follows: e,t,u .af--1 1890
! I will sayrI am RADICAL REPUBLICAN, and do
not want to interfere with the party in any way.
This Radical Republican has been
largely engaged in obtaing pensions for SOL
diers, and was intimately familiar with the
workings of the Pension Bureau. He testi-
fled as follows:
There are, suppose, 26O, 900 claims for pensions
on file in the Office and there probably $4,000
cases for gunshOt wounds. Those cases are prac-
/ tically settled when the Commissioner gets the
reports from the Surgeon General and the Adju-
tant General, and these $1,000 cases could be
issued in few months with the present force that
the Commissioner has but those cases dare not be
sent out to the people. They can not be sent out
The Commissioner understands that, and sup
pose your Committee understand 1t.
The Chairman-No, we do not; that is what we
The witness-The payment of the arrears I be-
lieve has reached $3.50 or some such sum. The time
now is nearly double. The average payment of
pensions now will be about 81 ,O00-more OF less
Sc TIA. scr erery 1,c9g Cases that the C-mmis