The National tribune., 1883-03-08
NOT TIE $40 BILL.
An Amended Act Passed. How it All
Came About.

After a long and disjointed debate, the Sen
ate late on Wednesday evening, the 2Sth ult
adopted Senator Platt's amendment to the
Forty-Dollar bill. and the measure having been
sent back TO the House, that body concurred III
the amendment, thus finally disposing of the
measure.
The original bill, III 1I10,) as it passed the
/ House at the first session OF the Forty-seyenth
Congress and was reported to the Senate, read
as follows:
Be Il enacted &c. That from and after the passage
of this act all persons on the pensOnroll, and all
persons hereafter granted a pension, who while i'll
the military naval service of the United States,
and i'll the line of duty shall have lost one arm, one
hand, one leg, or one foot or shall have suffered
disability equal thereto shall be entitled to pension
OF $40 per month.
| The Pension Committee of the Senate, to
! whom it was promptly referred, failed to make
any report prior 10 the close of the first session,
and during the second session such difference
of opinion was developed among the Republican
members of the committee that it was not until
the 26th of January that the Senate was ap-
priScd of its action. On that day four reports
were submitted. The four Democratic mem
bcrS united in an adverse report, and the five
Republican members divided into three groups,
! Messrs. Van Wyck (Ncb) and ChilcOtt (Colol
reporting in favor of the original bill; Messrs.
| Blair IN. H. and Mitchell Pa submitting n
new bill, and Mr.. Platt Conn., also reporting a
substitute. 1t is the latterS amendment which
has been adopted, and the full text is as fol-
| lows:
Be it enacted DC. That from and after the passage
of this act all persons the pensionroll, and all
persons hereafter granted pension, who while in
the military naval service o: the United States,
and in the line of duty. shall have lost hand
one foot or been totally permanently disabled in
the same, otherwise disabled as to render their
incapacity to perform manUat labor equivalent to
the loss of hand foot, shall receive pension
of twcnty dollars per month; that all persons
now the pension-roll, and all persons hereafter
granted pension, who in like manner shall have
lost either an arm at or above the elbow or leg at
| or above the knee, or shall have been otherwise
disabled as to be nCapGcitacd from performing any
manual labor, bat not much as to require regular
personal aid and attendance, shall receive pension
of thirty dollars per month: Prorided, That nothing
contained IN this act shall be construed to repeal
section 1899 of the Revised Statutes of the United
States To change the rate of eighteen dollars per
| month therein mentioned to he proportionately
divided for any degree of disability established for
which section 4695 makes no provision
The debate III the Senate on Wednesday Of
last week, which resulted finally in the adop-
! tion of the Platt amendment. was, rs we have
! intimated, protracted and diSiointed.
| The first vote taken was on a motion made
| by Senator Harris Dem. Tenn to indefinitely
| postpone the consideration of the bill. This
was promptly voted down-yeas 10, nays 81
! the following Democrats voting in the negative:
MeSsrs Brown, Ca Butler, Is. c. Cockrell,
/
| hees, (Ind.)
The next vote was on an amendment offered
! by Mr. Vest Mo- to strike out the equivalent
| disabilities clause from the original bill. This
! amendment was defeated-ycaS 90 nays 81
MesSrs. Slater or and Voorhees, Qnd.) voting
/ with the Republicans in the negative
The next amendment on which a vote was
taken was that offered by Mr.. Blair IN. H. to
insert after the word duty in the original bill
the following:
Shall have lost hand or q foot shall he entitled
TO pension of S24 per month; all persons who in
like manner shall have suffered amputation at or
above the elbow or knee, at the rate of $50 per
month; and all who shall Unlike manner have sut-
fered amputation al the hip-jont AT the shoulder
Joint or who shall have lost one hand and foot,
or shall be totally disabled in hand and one
foot shall be otherwise disabled to be in
capacltated for the performance of any manual
labor, but not 50 much as to require the regular
personal aid and attendance of another person, at
the rate of so per month and all persons who in
like manner shall have contracted disability
equal or equivalent to any of the foregoing speci-
fled disabilities shall bc entitled TO receive pen
sion per month of tie amount hereby granted TO
such disability; and IN case OF aulputatIon below
joint, but with STich effect as to produce disability
equal TO that produced by anputation at above
| the Joint pension shall be paid a. for the disability
actually resulting from such aIputation; and all
persons wiTo III Ike manner shall have lost the
sight of one eye shall receive pension at the rate
of SD per manth; and in in which the injury
to the eye mani!eStly affects iniuriously the
sight of the other eye, or in which the other eye
S3ii nave been partially disabled IN the service
and line of duty aforesaid, he shall be entitled to
equitable increase in his pension. not TO exceed
when the less of sight is less than total blindness
III the whole amount SO per month; and all those
who while III the military or naval service of the
United States in the line of duty by injury received
disease contracted. shall have totally lost the
hearing of both ears, shall be entitled TO receive
pension of so per month and for any loss of hear
ing less than total deafness they shall receive
equitable portion thereof
SEC . That instead of the rate OF SlS per month
provided III section 1893 of Revised Statutes the rate
OF -2i permonth may be propOronately divided for
any degree oGisablity biishci for which neither
the preceding section of this act section 4G95 of
the Revised Statutes make provision: Pforided
That nothing il TINS act shall be construed to
duce any pension authorized by law;
shall any pcnsioDcr be entitled to increase under
this section until an examination shall show an in
q ise in his actual disability, except where the
oN ence on file shows the disability to be perna-
rent in degree emitting 10 the rate of pension
then received. when the character Of the disa-
blilty would not vary IN a lesser degree
SEC. 3 That applicant for pension whose claim
shall be granted hereafter shall receive arrears
any allowance of pension FOR time prior TO the pas
sage of this Sct greater than lie would be entitled to
receive by virtue Of existing laws; bus from and
after the passage of this act his pension shall be
computed in accordance Herewith if his disability
be such as is included ia it, provisions.
SIC. !. No claim agent or attorney shall be en-
p:Oycd in the prosecution of claims for increase of
pension under this act, bat the Commissioner of
Pensions shall make such payments without charge
to the pan5iuncr.
This amendment, il was stated by Mr.. Blair
lll4 received b.le COFUlal liluDfSenCnC OF TIE
Commissioner Of Pensions and the pension
committee of the Grand Army. Past Com
Jnander Merrill and Surgeon General Ames
having urged its adoption in person. but it was,
nevertheless. defeated by vote of Il yeas to
81 nays, as follows:
yeas-AIlisona ua..) BIair,* CN H. Dawes
'i.s..l Frye Me- Hale Me- Harrison a(Ind.D
Hell Goo.,) Ifoar.@ (NiassJ Laphaln,@ N. W
MeDilI,s Ia Miller Cali Miller q. W
Mitchell, Pa Plnmb,@ Kan;:l Rollins Vt.)
Van Wycls,# lNcb.,) Window, (Ninn)
Nays Barrow lGa.,) BccIlf Ky Browns
(Ga.,) Calf tI'a..) Cameron (Wis.D Cockrcli,f
(Noj Coke ! Tex Congcr,& mich Davis" an
payis.f (W Va Edmunds,@ vt Garland, 7 ark
CCGrgcf lhlis--) Grocmef lId.) Hampton,f -.
c. Harris ffcm.) IIanley,@ (R. - Ingalls,
Gsan.l Jac!;son.t Tenn, onas+ Ia McNIiIlan,*
fNis.l Maxcy.f Tex MoTgani (AIa.) PeIdlcton,+
o. Plat Conn., Pugh Ala Sawyer, wis
ScwcL# q. J,( Nest,f (AIo.,) Voorhees, (Ind.,)
NalkCr,f Ark
sKepubiicais, democrats.
The vote, it should be stated was not true
test Of the sentiment of the Senate, since a
number of the ScnatOrs-as, for instance, Sen
atoIs Voorhees, and Ingai!s-yotcd in the mega
tive on the ground that if the original bill was
amended in any respect it would necessitate
sending it bacl, to the House, and it might be
impossible to secure any action by that body at
such late hour in the session.
The amendment having failed to carry, Mr.
Mitchell Pa cndcavorcd To secure the incor-
rorJtion Of its provisions concerning the
increase of pensions for impairment of eye