Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1883-11-08
EQUALIZATION.
A Determined Effort to be Made this
Winter to Pass the Bill.
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same bounties as were paid to
| those joining later on. The oppo
nents of such a measure, and those
| members who take little interest
in it by reason of their soldier con
stituents having already received
more bounty, including State and
local bounty, than they would be
! entitled to under any equalization
| bill, have to he silenced or won
over. With this end in view claim
agents have been at work for some
| time past among ex-officers and
soldiers, and hope to have small
deluge of petitions and memorials
ready to pour upon Congress be-
fore the Christmas holidays. These
petitions call not only for the
| equalization of bounties, but also
for the pensioning of prisoners of
war, whether disabled or not, and
for the payment to commissioned
officers of full pay and allowances
| for any time that Intervened be-
tween the date of enrolment and
the date of muster into the service
of the United States, the latter
| date having governed all pay
ments hitherto made.
A LOG-ROLLrNG DODGE.
It is evident that claim agents
have an eye to the possibility of
attaining their ends by that cun-i
ming ombinGtion of forces CONF
monty called log-Iolling, The
Western States would be most
largely benefited by the equali-
| cation of bounties, because they
| did not pay any state or local
bounty, and Western men have
introduced almost all the bills on
this subject that have been pre-
sented to Congress. But the pen~
sioning of prisoners of war, and
the payment of several million dol
lars to ex- officers are subjects in
which nearly three -fourths of the
States have common interest.
The bestowal of pensions upon
soldiers who endured the horrors
of Andersonyille and other South"
ern prison pens would at least
have the negative merit of di-
minlshing the percentage of frau
dulent cases by adding the names
of thousands of deserving men to
the pension lists, but no such plea
can be made in favor of the indis-
criminate allowance of pay to of
ficeTs before they were mustered
into the service of the United
States.
HISTORY OF FORMER ATTEMPTS TO
EQCALIzE BoUNTIEs.
The following is a brief history
of attempts heretofore made to
equalize bouDties, to which are
added official estimates of the cost
of equalization and statement
showing the amounts already paid
out of the Treasury under existing
Jaws:
The question of equalizing boun-
ties was raised about eighteen
years ago. Mr.. Niblack, of In
diana. appears to have taken the
first practical step by Introducing
resolution in the House af Rep
|gesentatiyes during the first ses>-
sion Of the ThirtyAninth Congress.
Senator Wilson followed with
bill for the same purpose, which
was reported favorably by the
Senate Military Committee. Then
General Shenck, from the House
Military Committee, reported a
similar bill, which was passed by a
vote of 139 to %. Passing the
Senate it was tackled on to the
Sundry Civil bill by the House.
Finally, a committee of confer
ence adjusted the matter by amen
ding the House proposition so as
to give a bounty of 500 each to
soldiers who had served rot less
than three years and 800 each to
those who had served not 'ess
than two years This was estima-
ted to be about one-half Of the
amount required to equalize bonn-
ties, as is known as additional
bounty under the act of July
%, 1886" It has cost the United
States S6S, 100000, of which not
less than S. ,000,0 has gone into
the pockets of claim agents. The
time for prosecuting claims under
this act expired on June Both,
1881.
OTHER BOUNTY BILLS.
In 1870 the House without il!'is
ion, passed bill to equalize bonn
ties, bat the Senate took no action
upon it because the provisions Of
the act of July IS, 1866, had not
been fully carried out. In 1871,
! by majority of 133, the House
passed another bounty bill, which
met with considerable opposition
in the Senate, but WAS finally
passed on March 3, 1876, by the
casting vote of Vlce-Fre>ideDt