The National tribune., 1882-07-15

pared to do what I asked the gentleman
whether he is willing to do; that Is. to pay the
Just debt which our government OWES " Ihe'o
people.
DIr. CANSoH. Certainly.
Mr.. MONEY. And | an prepared to say that
/ will vote to enlarge these homes III order to
provide for every man who IS lncapaciattd from
earning his support, whether by wounds or
disease whom we have not already provided
for. w.
Mr.. DAWES Does the gentleman from Hi
nois Mr.. Cannon wants to squeeze out these
veterans in order 10 make room for others?
Mr.. CANNON. / have said nothing about
that / want to know if you want to vote
appropriations to enlarge these homes.
Mr.. DAWES. And L want to know that from
you.
Here the hammer fell
The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman
has expired.
Nj BAYNE. l commend to the House the
statement Of the chairman OF the committee
on denominations Mr.. HIsCOCK in regard to the
provisisI,: that are being made for the desti-
tute soldiers OF the country. When some tune
400 4 bill was brought before the House, unanl-
morslv reported by the COCaTnittce on Military
Affairs. in favor of establishing soldiers
home at Erie, Pennsylvania, 1t was urged ViiaI
adequate provision had not been made to take
/
the country.
some reflection was cast at that time by
some mbcrs5upOn the Satte OF pennsylvania.
Ii was said that the bill contemplated merely
q local institution. | disclaimed IN the most
positive and emphatic language that 1t had
any local character whatever, but thaV inc
doors of that institution should be open to sol
dicrs from all sections of the country. 1t was
| q place admirably adapted to make proper pro
vision for these people. 1t is the high ana
solemn duty of the American people to provide
for their INDECENT soldiers. | think no man
| except one with heart OF stone can deny thaO
| proposition. ,
The question is not the one suggested by the
| gentleman from Illinois, MIR. CANNoN,I
| whether 100000 soldiers should be provided
with homes The question is, how many midi
/ GENT soldiers are there i'll this country who are
/ unable to take care of themselves, VINO We're
/ honorahly discharged from the service, and VINO
! rendered good service during the war! HOW
many Of that class of men are there IN the
nation to-day who need the protection, the
care and the providence Of this Government?
/ That is the question. Whatever number there
may be- whether it be one thousand or ten
/ thousand or one hundred thousand, the pledge
! of this Government was made to those men
when they entered the service that they should
not want nor should their families want; that
they should he provided for and cared for; and
| that obligation now rests upon Congress.
| am glad the suggestion was made by the
chairman of the Committee on Appropriations
that there is now no provision made Tor those
/ who are in destitute circumstances that nave
been discharged from the navy. l agree with
the prcpositOn in this bill that such provision
should be made, and | must insist further that
additional provisions should be made by eStab-
fishing new homes until every honoraby dis
charged soldier and sailor who is unable to earn
a living shall have comfortable home during
the remainder of his life.
Whether you establish home in Pennsyl-
vania or not is not the important point. Penn
sylvania offers to the Government fine
building and splendid site to carry out a
purpose of this kind but if you have any hos
tilitv to PENNSYLVANIA and desire that this
home shall not be located in that State, locate
/ it wherever else you choose, and Will vote Tor
it. My object is not to establish home III
! Pennsylvania but to establish somewhere 4
home for the poor and destitute soldiers of the
| Republic II any other State will show equal
generosity put the home i'll that State. 1t Is
the duty OF this nation to see that her defend
ers are well cared for, that not a single one of
them shall inhabit poorhouse or when he dies
shall be buried among raupers.
The CHAIRMAN. Debate is exhausted. If
there be no objection, the pro f0rmd amendment
will be regarded as withdrawn.
Mr.. CANNON. ITencw the pro t9raG amend
ment. Certainly no member OF tins House IS
going to refuse now or hereafter to vote proper
appropriations too discharge the obligation which
the people OF the United States owe to the sol
diers OF the late war But in my question d
moment ago to the gentlemen from Ohio, Mr..
lIorey,) who laid down the proposition that all
soldiers suffering from wounds or disease con-
tractcd DUNG he late war should nave provision
made for them in some soldiers home III addl-
ton to the pension provided by law, my object
was to ascertain if | understood his position
properly, because without now expressing
any opinion upon that proposition, il that is
TO be DONE instead of six soldiers homes we
would have to provide several hundred.
There is another class of people not YET
spoken Of here, who after all have some
claims-pers0ns who are neither pensioners MOI
inmates of soldiers homes, butwho on account
of inability to make the technical proof re-
quired have received nothing from the Govern
Inent, although they served it faithfully and
incurred injury in the service, and many o
whom now throughout the country subsist upoI
! charity