Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-09-23

country in sustaining that bill. But
not upon the ground that the pensioner
mas right with the muzzle OF pistol
to demand of the country q pension.
Good God are we to have that doctrine
presented here or anywhere else that
the pensioner has the right to make
such demand of the country? Not
at all. Ii is not upon any such ground.
III was upon the ground that these men
had rendered efficient service, and il
became the country to be liberal to
them in turn"
From these extracts it will readily be
seen that the Republican party asserts
that an invalid pension is not debt !;
that 1T may be granted or withheld at
the pleasure of the government; that
there is no obligation to pay it; that it
is simply a gratuity.
Such having been settled as the doc.
trine of the Republican party, let us
hear what the Democratic party urges
and insists upon on the same subject,
and at the same time and place, Mr..
jerks of Pennsylvania, chairman of
the committee on invalid pensions, in
the name of the Democratic party diff.
fered from the ideas as above held, and
in his memorable speech entitled an
"lnvalid Pension, Right" fairly es.
tablished the fact that pension is a
debt of the highest order, and to him
belongs the honor of first and fairly es.
tablishing as the doctrine of the Demo.
cratic party that pension is a debt.
Hear what he said on the floor of the
house while a member of the Forty.
fourth congress in support of this
grandest of doctrines
1t is to refute this view, and that the
people may comprehend what is right
and what is a gift, that propose now to
discuss this as the first question in this
BILL
A contract, as we are led to suppose
from our early legal lucubrations, is an
agreement for sufficient consideration
to do or not to do some given thing;
promise for a consideration an offer
for consideration accepted. This con.
stitutes a contract, as differently ex.
pressed by different authors. Now, if
the government before the soldier en-.
tered the army told that soldier that if
he should enter and become disabled
he should be paid a pension, that would
be a contract, if the soldier entered the
army and was disabled. | apprehend
that cannot be disputed.
First, in l776, before the revolution.
ary war had made its crippled and dis.
abled soldiers. there was a resolution
passed in the continental congress,
which to be sure might not be binding
as a law, but is certainly binding in
good faith. | read from Mr.. Ruff's pen.
sion manual:
"The continental congress by a series
of resolutions passed August 26, l776,
provided that every commissioned and
non commissioned officer and private in
the army who should lose limb in
any engagement, or be otherwise so dis.
abled in the service of the States, in
the war then existing with the mother
country, as to be rendered incapable
+afterward of regaining n livelihood
should receive during life, or the con.
tinuance OF such disability, one. half of
his monthly pay after his pay as a SOL
dier should cease"
Hence, before the revolutionary war
had made its cripples, there was a
promise by the government to those
who were disabled in the cause OF lib.
erty that they should receive a pension.
1T that promise is binding upon the ma
ton after they were organized under
the present constitution, it is q con.
tract as to these soldiers. We will see
now whether that WAS ratified by the
United States. In 1890. after the or.
ganization of the government, the con.
gress OF the United States passed an
act, approved April 30, 1890. "for the
regulation and formation of the armies
of the United States" That act pro-
vided
"That il any commissioned officer,
non.commissioned officer, private or
musician aforesaid shall be wounded or
disabled while in the line of his duty
in public service, he shall be placed on
the list of invalids of the United States
at such rate of pay and under such reg.
ulations as shall be directed by the
president OF the United States for the
time being"
That was in 1890. Thus at that time
the resolution of the continental con.
gress was ratified in the passage of the
general army bill, and it was promised
that any one disabled in the line of
his duty as a soldier should be paid a
pension. IL that promise was accepted
by the soldier and he was disabled, was
it not contract and has he not a right
to demand his pension a?
In order that there never should he
any Misrepresentation on this subject
and that every we'll informed man
should know his rights, prior to every
war, with very few exceptions, a similar
resolution or law has been enacted.
Such re.enactment took place before or
in the early stages of every great war.
In anticipation of the war Of 1912 with
Great Britain, and for the very purpose
of inducing enlistments, there was
passed an act approved January II,
1872, entitled San act to raise an ad.
ditional military force" II provided
THAT If any officer, non. commission.
ed officer, musician, or private shall be
disabled by wounds or otherwise while
In hsnl las.s. IF f..m =.