National Republican., 1883-03-01

platt was he thought, better than the house
NbiIl or any of the others offered in its stead
but in year or two, as soon rs the pending
pension claims should have been disposed of,
there ought to be general revision Of pension
rates from the lowest TO the highest.
Mr.. Plat said IL would be great injustice
to adopt Mr.. Vests amendment.
Mr.. Harris said the majority Of the com
| mittee on pensions had reported In favor OF
postponing this bill, and in Difference to that
report he would move the indefinite postpone
ment Of tho bill.
| Mr.. Blair said there could be no question
that public sentiment favored an increase Of
| pensions to the class of soldiers provided for
in this bill The public of course could not
have that minute information which would
enable them TO judge Of the merits of bills in
detail but there was general desire that
something should be done. The bill rs it
came from the house provided for only
small class Of those who would be equally en-
titled to an increase, and. though founded in
a disposition to do justice, IL was so broad in
| its terms that II must tax the treasury very
heavily without meeting all the requirements
Of the case. The committee had kept the bill
o long time under consideration feeling that,
! if anything was TO be done on this subject,
all should be done that justice required. This
was an opportune time to do these men just
ice. especially Justice costing money because
| there was now so much money in the treasury
that the senate had just spent five or six
weeks in devising means to diminish the
revenue. After careful consideration of tho
subject the chairman of the committee on
pensions and he (Mr. Blair) had united in
| proposing n substitute for the house bill,
which they believed would DO Justice to all
classes of pensioners and which had the cor
dial approval of the pension office.
Mr., Salisbury asked Mr.. Blair how much
money would be taken out of the treasury by
the house bill aud how much by his (Mr
Blairs) substitute
Mr. Blair replied that the increased outlay
under the house bill as estimated by the COM
missioner of pensions on the basis Of the ex-
isting roll would be 81 Isl, ,56i, and under the
substitute proposed by the chairman of the
committee and himself it would he So, 10000
Ii was quito impossible for anybody TO tell
with dcfniteness that the future tax upon
the treasury would be- but he thought II safe
to say that at no time would this bill impose
n greater additional burden than six or seven,
or seven aud half millions year. The
house bill had been as vigorously opposed by
some soldiers as IL had been supported by
others, but this substitute had been examined
and approved by II committee Of the Grand
Army, aud he believed ii would give general
satisfaction to the soldiers, and put an end to
all demands for increase of pensions.
Mr.. Salisbury, arguing asainst tho in
definite postponement Of the bill, said that
when the arrears of pension bill was be-
fore the senate the then chairman of the pcn-
sions committee MIR. Ingalls, had stated that
its effect would be to take from the treasury
only from eighteen TO twenty-five million
dollars.
Mr. Ingalls, denied ever having said this.
His statement was that that amount would
be necessary to adjust the claims of those per-
sons already on the pension roll He had
stated at the TIME that no estimate could be
made of the amount necessary to pay arrears
| Ns., shn ftafsh A nla
on the pension list. Since the arrears OF pen
sions bill had passed, evey time n pension bill
had come before the senate some democrat
, had made q statement similar to Mr.. Sauls-
bury, and it was tiElc that stop should be
, put TO IL.
Mr.. salisbury disclamed any intention o.
, rejecting ON Mr.. ingalls,, but said that wa'
the impression created by the statement h,
had made.
, Mr.. ingalls,. Then it was because they
, , wanted to think SO.
Mr.. Salisbury commented on the lack o
! unity among the membera of the committe,
of pensions, and said that when that commit
tee admitted its inability to form any csti
mate of the effect of the bill on the treasury
! after twelve months consideration 1t would
= be well to adopt the motion of the senator
Y from Tennessee to postpone the bill inde
= = fnitely.
: Mr. Logan opposed the motion TO postpone
u the bill. Its postponement meant its defeat
. The men applying for an increase of pensions
were entitled to u fair hearing before the
senate of the United States, aud il the pend
ing bill was defectice.the proper thing to dc
u was not to postpone II, but to amend and pas
it. The highest pensions granted, or to b
L granted, would not compensate these soldier
for their sufierings, and the complaints some
times heard about taxing the people to pa.
pensions originated not among the people q
their homes, but with members Of congress
l. A.. A..s
called these soldiers to its defense IL pledge,
its faith that the manned and the wounde,
and the widows and the orphans should b
cared for, and that pledges should be held a
least as sacred as the promise to pay tn
national debt incurred in the same grea
struggle Addressing some of the senators Of
the other side of the chamber, he said that
the confederacy had triumphed they woul
never have allowed their wounded soldiers O
the widows or orphans Of their dead to suffc
10 want.
st Mr.. Vest said that If the confederacy ha
10 triumphed he would have voted tho las
dollar and the last acre OF land, IL necessary
Of to provide for its soldiers, and the people {
the United States to whom victory had bee
" given, had the same duty imposed upon then
Recognizing this and believing that the mt
ton that would not reward its soldiers shoul
to be blotted from the map of christendom, h'
A. as O citizen Of the United States would vot
ID for the largest public provision for the me
!. who, ON the battle field, preserved the nations
y. existence, but he had moved to strike ou
70 this equivalent disability" because he bt
lieved It would open the way for illimitabl
Of frauds
m Mr. Harris was not willing that his motto
ID to indefinitely postpone this bill should
to construed into evidence that he was oppose
to reasonable and just pensions. During IN
id six years in the senate he had voted for ever
A. pension bill that bore the ordinary semblanC
o. of fairness, but us to this bill, taken up in til
n, last hours of a congress, and in respect |
m (which no one could tell whether it woul
a ntake five, or ten, or hundred millions frol
rs the treasury, he thought it should be indet
l. nitely postponed, leaving the claims of thes
classes whose pensions it proposed to increas
Of to be passed upon at the next session OF col
II gress when the subject could be considerc
deliberately and with judgment
ID Mr.. Butler was in favor of giving $40
IL month to soldiers who had lost an arm
70 leg, but opposed TO the equivalent disabi
le ity" clause.
re Mr.. Sherman favored the increase of pei
id sions TO soldiers who had lost an arm or a Ii
" in the service, and to those suffering equ
ie disability from any actual wound received
w the service, and he would vote for tho "equi'
ID alent disability" if it could be made certai
g. in its operation, but no thought that in l
IT, present fotn IL was vague and liable to lei
of to abuses
es The motion to postpone indefinitely WI
lie lost by the following votes;
IN YEAS.
G. Barrow, German, Morgan,
In Beck, Hampton, Pugh,
naEard, Harris, Salisbury