The National tribune., 1884-11-27
RALLY ON THE MEXICAN PENSION BILL.

Mexican Pension Bill with Amendments"
has brought us from all over the country
host of letters entreating us to advocate with
similar earnestness other plans which are
very dear to the writer's hearts. Thus we
are begged to start energetic movements in
favor of Equalization of Pay and Bounties,
of War, Repeal of the Arrears Act, Land
Warrants, etc. We are quite heartily
in favor of most, if not all of these, and IN
the proper time viii fight vigorously for
them. We shall not do so now, because we
believe in the wisdom of asking for but one
thing at time, and insisting upon that one
thing until it is given. The bane of pension
movements in the past has been the lack OF
unity of effort among soldiers as to what
they wanted. If there had been substan-
tial agreement years ago as to what was due
those who have been disabled in the defense
of their country, and that agreement had
been insisted upon by the great body OF ex-
soldiers, the condition of all would be very
much better than it is now. The diverse and
frequently conflicting demands became such
an evil that the Grand Army had to take
measures to produce agreement and har-
mony, and out of this has come the Mexican
Da,e;o,, D;I1 o,,I Amendments
When soldiers will not agree among them
selves as to what they want, they must ex-
pect that Congress will not be in hurry to
grant that which at best seems to be the
desire of only faction, and not concurred
in by perhaps an equally large faction. Be-
sides this it gives grand opportunity to
those who are opposed to giving any relief
whatever to soldiers to SOW dissension, and
make effective opposition.
Now it were almost criminal to waste In
pulling different ways time that is SO init
nitely precious to our needy comrades. They
want relief of some kind, and rant 1t at once.
A very inferior plan which viii give that
relief aow is better than the best plan which
promises it some time in the future.
While the Mexican Pension Bill is not ali
that anybody wants, it is the best, and In
fact the only thing that can be had nop.
We must either take it or nothing. The
coming session of Congress is the short one.
1t will begin on the first Monday in Decem-
Der, and end at noon on the 4th of March.
In all it will be but - weeks long, and out
of this must come important subtractions.
The holiday recess will be two weeks, and
in fact there viii be but little done IN De-
cember, as the members will be mostly
engaged in getting settled, renewing ac-
uuaintances, and in making arrangements
for the new Administration. Reassembling
after New Years, with less than eight weeks
of life for the Forty -eighth Congress, there
will be tremendous rush of business. The
calendars of both Houses are already so
loaded down that it viii require enormous
pressure to force in any new business what
ever. Nothing that involves so much dis
cussion and amendment as new pension
legislation will have any earthly show.
On the other hand, the Mexican Pension
Bill has already passed the Senate. 1t
passed the House once before the amend
ments were added to it, and in its present
shape it has received the approval Of the
Pension Committee of the House, and was
so far on its passage at the adjournment
last July that the adjournment was all that
prevented its going through. 1t stands now
in the best possible place on the calendar
for immediate taking up and passage. If
voice to urge its passage as 1t IS, it viii be
taken up at once and made law. But if it
is amended, modified or changed in any way,
it will have TO 90 back to the Senate for
consideration, and then there viii be but
little hope that it will be got through during
this session. Another year will have to
elapse before anything else can be done for
the relief of our comrades, and the delay
viii be grievous robbery of them.
Comrades who are anxious for the passage
of other measures must remember that the
passage of the Mexican Pension Bill does
not ipjure their chances Of success in the
least, but rather paves the way for the same.
If we can get it through this session we can
get something else through the next, and 80
on. If we do not get the Mexican Bill
through this Congress, it win make it much
harder to get anything through the next,
for it will encourage our enemies to fight
against us stronger than ever.
Let us then adjure all comrades, With all
the earnestness that we can give to the Ian
guage, to put everything else in allegiance,
and concentrate their energies upon this
one object. If they want to bring relief to
homes in every community in the Nation,
if they want to take thousands of disabled
veterans from the poor-houses and surround
them again with their families, if they want
to help at once the widows. orphans and