Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-01

The president having finally ruled it was
not in order to read the action of the house
from the Record, as Mr.. Garland had pro
posed, Mr.. Garland appealed from the
decision.
After the question had been debated on
for some time, Mr.. Ingalls, offered a reso-
luton declaring it to be the opinion OF the
senate that the conference be full and free
and instructing the senate cCnferrees if
they found any Hesitation was placed by
the house on the action OF its committee
to retire and report that fact to the senate
for its consideration.
Mr.. Sherman at first objected to the
resolution, but withdrew his objection
later, and the resolution was agreed to
without division.
Mr.. Garland then withdrew his appeal
and the senate resumed consideration of
the bill to give increased pensions to one
armed and one-legged soldiers.
The pending question was on the motion
of Mr.. Vest to strike out the words, ''or
shall have suffered disability equal there
to-"
Mr.. Mitchell said that when the bill
passed the house the statement was made
that it would involve the increased ex-
penditure of $1,500,00O, but it had been
ascertained that it would require $4,000
COO to carry out the provisions of the bill.
Mr.. Voorhees, declared IN favor of the
bill, and called attention to some figures
showing that in 1870 the number of SOL
diers who had suffered amputation was
less than $4,000, and one-half those were
now dead and buried. The vital statistics
on this subject were appalling. They
showed beyond question an average dura-
ton of life by those losing leg or an
arm was fifteen years.
Mr.. Van Wyck said it was the desire of
the senate to defeat the bill. There was
one real thing that increasing the pension
should be given those suffering special
disabilities. There was no class more in
need or deserving of such recognition than
the class proposed to be struck out by Mr..
Vest.
Mr.. Platt said it would be great injus-
tice to adopt Mr.. Vests amendment.
Mr.. Harris said the ma iority of the com
mittee on pensions had reported in favor
of postponing this bill, and in Difference
to that report ne would move the indefinite
postponement of the bill.
Mr.. Salisbury supported the motion.
Mr.. Van Wyck said that when the nation
called these soldiers to its defense, it
pledged its faith that the MANNED and
wounded, the widows and orphans, should
be cared for, and that the pledge should be
held at least as sacred as the
promise to pay the national debt, incurred
in the same great struggle. Addressing
some of the senators on the other side of
the chamber, he said that if the confed-
eracy had conquered, they would never
have forgotten their soldiers, widows or or
phans, or allowed them to suffer want. Its
postponement meant its defeat. The men
applying for increase of pensions were en-
titled to fair hearing before the senate OF
the United States, and if the pending bill
was defective, the proper thing was not to
postpone, but to amend and pass it. The
highest pensions granted, or to be granted,
would not compensate these soldiers
for their sufferings, and the complaints
sometimes heard about the taxation of the
people to pay pensions originated, not
among the people at their homes. but with
members of congress.
Mr.. Vest said if the confederacy had tri-
umphed he would have voted its last dol
lar and last acre of land, if necessary, to
provide, for its soldiers andsthe people of
the United States, to whom the victory was
given, had such a duty imposed upon
them. Recognizing this, and believing
that the nation that would not reward its
soldiers should be blotted from the map of
Christendom, he, as a citizen of the
United States, would vote for the largest
public pensions for the men who on the
battle field had preserved the nations ex-
istence, but he had moved to strike out
this equivalent disability" because he
believed it would open the way for
illimitable frauds.
Mr.. Harris was not willing his motion
to indefinitely postpone the bill be CON
strued into evidence that he opposed
reasonable and just pensions. During
his six years IN the senate he vote