Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-15
Especial Telegram to the GlobeI


been enlarged from time to time was illus
trated yesterday by the bills brought for
ward by the house conmittee on pensions,
bounty, and back pay, and some of the
methods resorted to by the well organized
corps CT pension claim agents in Wash
ington were exposed by Gen. Bragg, of
Wisconsin. The committee proposed to
legislate in favor of certain classes of
pensions, SO as to increase the amount re-
ceiyed by them, and enlarge the number of
those entitled to pensions, but when pressed
for statement of the additional amount of
money that would be drawn from the
treasury or the probable number of pen
sioners that would be added to the rolls,
were unable to give any satisfactory in
formation. twas apparent that they had
not carefully Investigated the most i'm
portant questions involved in the proposed
legislation, and their chairman intimated
that he cared very little how much money
would be taken out of the public purse,
provided the persons to be affected we're
equitably entitled to additional pensions.
One of these bills, under cover of an
apparently just amendment to the
statute so as to allow pension claimants to
make declaration ibefore justices of the
peace or notaries public, opens wide the
door for additional claims upon the gov
ernment, and legalizes many claims that
have been barred by informality. This
bill was vigorously attacked but was not
clearly understood, and was passed by
recorded vote, because many of the mem
bers were unwilling to go upon the record,
as voting against the soldier element.
Another of the bills passed increases the
pension to be paid to pensioners whose
sight or hearing was lost or impaired in
the army or naval service. It provides,
that for the loss of one eye the pension
shall be $12 per month, and in case
the other eye is seriously afflicted
an equitable increase of pension shall be
paid. The whole not to exceed $50 per
month, and all those who have lost the
sight of one eye, the other having been
previously lost, shall be entitled to pen
sion of $50 The act of March, 1873, pro-
vides that persons who had lost the hear
ing of both ears shall be entitled to pen
sion of S13. This bill increases pensions
in such cases to $25. and provides that for
any loss of hearing less than total deaf
ness in one or both ears. the person shall
receive an equitable portion of the
full pension allow41 for total
will be fruitful source of profit to the
pension claim agents, because it will be so
easy to get up claim of that character
and so difficult to protect the government
against fraudulent claims that the hearing
was positively lost while in the service.
Gen. Rosecrans, of California, introduc-
ed bill to remove the statutory bar which
excludes the pension claims of state mill
tia and non enlisted persons who received
wounds or injury in battle with rebels or
Indians while temporarily rendering SER
vice. The statute limits the time for the
successful prosecutions of these claims
to July 4, 1874, and the
committee endorsed Gen. Rosecrans'
proposition to let in all such claimants as
have been barred.
usual earnestness, and it was defeated.
Gen. Rosecrans 1ntimated that he would
bring the question forward in another
form, when an opportunity occurs. Cali
fornia, Oregon and some of the Western
border states are specially interested in it.
It was noticeable in the discussion yester-
day that some congressman of both politi
cal parties had learned that public senti-
ment demands that more care shall be
taken in legislating in regard to pension
erS.
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE.
The national Republican committee,
which meets here next Wednesday, will
attract the attention of politicians in all
parts of the country. The subcommittee
appointed to consider the question of ap
portionment of delegates at the next ma
tional Republican convention will meet on
Monday. This committee is composed of
five members: John A. Martin, of Kansas;
Chauncey I. Filley, of Missouri; Thomas
G. PIatt, of New York; John M. Forbes, of
Massachusetts, and William E. Chandler,
of New Hampshire. AS yet but three of
these gentlemen are known to have pre-
pared plans, namely, Chandler, Forbes and
Martin. Chandler's plans have been al
ready published, but it is understood
that he has changed his mind on the sub
ject and will propose the following:
A representation Of four delegates at
large for each state. Two for each con-
gressional dIstrict Three additional at
large for every Republican senator, and
three additional at large for every Rspub-
lican representative in the then existing
congress. This would make total Of
1,400 delegates in the. convention as
sembled.
Forbes plan reduces the number of dele
gates TO about 500. His plan is to have
two at large for each state. one for
each congressional district, one additional
at large for each Republican senator, and
one additional at large for each Republi-
can representative.
Martins plan would give 858 delegates
in all, two delegates at large foy each
state, one delegate for each congressional
district, and to each state one delegate for
every $4,000 Republican votes cast for
president in 1880. Martins idea is that