Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-03-04


Why, if we should give fair consideration
Now, do not know what he considers
fair consideration. What he said was
If We give fair consideration to pension cases,
give the time that il would seem ought to be
given to them, we could not get through this
session with the cases that are now on the
Calendar from Pennsylvania alone.
Mr.. White.-Wi1o said that?
Mr.. Updegraff.-My colleague, Mr..
Warnef.l Now, there is one of two
things pretty certain, either my col
league has been more successful with
his pensioners
Mr.. Townshend, of nlinois.-I rise to
point of order.
The Chairman. The gentleman will
state it.
Mr.. Townshend, of Illinois.-My point
of order is that the gentleman is not de-
batting the amendment under considera-
tion.
The Chairman.-Of course it is i'm
possible for the Chair to say in advance
the relation that the remarks of the gen.
tleman may have to the pending amend
ment d UfGl s,aif 4- sf
Mr.. Updegraff.-I am coming to that
in a few minutes. -{ i5taa I'D.
The Chairman.-It is very difficult
matter always for presiding officer to
rule in advance that what a gentleman
is saying or may say has no reference to
the pending proposition.
Mr.. Townshend, of Illinois.-It is a
very easy matter for the Chair to rule
in this case. rs fis
MIR. Updegraff-The gentleman from
Illinois Mr.. Townshendl seems to have
the floor good deal of the time in Or
der and out of order.
The ChairmaR.-The gentleman from
Ohio Mr.. Updegraff] will proceed in
order. IrJf
Mr.. Updegraff.-I will endeavOr to do
so. There is one thing pretty certain,
that my worthy colleague from Ohio,
Mr.. Warner, having been successful
himself in his own pedsion case, either
considers these matters are not worthy
of attention or else he has got into some
very wild imitation arithmetic. He says
"we could not get through this session
with the cases that are now on the Cal
endar from Pennsylvania alone"
Sir, hold in my hand the Private Cal
endar of this House. On that Calendar
there are only thirty-two pension cases
from Pennsylvania. There are on it
fifty-two pension cases reported by the
chairman of the Committee on Invalid
Pensions, Mr. Coffroth, only thirty-two
of which are from Pennsylvania Now,
sir, if this House has not time to con-
slider thirty-two pension cases, after hav-
ing wasted weeks and months on MOON
shine imitation financial doctrines it is
about time that We should commence
holding longer sessions than three Lours
day. A days work for aGovernment
employe is at least eight hours.
In my judgment Congress has no duty
that is now so binding, so imperative up
on it, and so important TO the people
of the country as the consideration of
these pension claims. Besides, the gem
tleman has figured it down very fine. He
says that there have been introduced in
TO this House, or into Congress, between
three thousand five hundred and four
thousand bills granting pensions. Are
all these bills to come up for considera-
tion2 IN great number of these cases
there will be found three bills in the
House and one in the Senate, sometimes
two in the Senate and one in the House,
for the identically same pension. There
fore it does not make that manydiffer-
ent cases. Again, a large portion of the
cases before the Pension Committee are
cases which year after year, and by com
mittee after committee, have been report
ed adversely upon, and they need not
and will not claim the attention of this
House. So that few hundred are real
ly all the cases that need claim the time
of Congress.