The Cecil Whig., 1884-12-13
THE PENSION DECLINED.
GENERAL GRANT WRITES A LETTER.
The Method Which President Arthur Took
to Uphold His Views on the Porter
and AverilI BiIls-The Retire.

ana AVeriil D1Ils-lne Retire.
ment Bill Likely to Pass
There was buzz Of surprise il the
United States Senate on Monday last,
when Chairman Mitchell, of the pen
sions committee, read letter which he
had received from General Grant. In
this letter General Grant expressed the
hope that the bill would be withdrawn,
as under no circumstance could he ac-
cept a pension, even if the bill passed
both houses and received the approval of
the President. Ii had been the prevail
ing opinion that :he recommendation of
President Arthur that General Grant be
pensioned was made only after advising
with Grants immediate friends. Sena-
tor Mitchell introduced the bill promptly
at the request of many friends Of Grant,
| ass slming that he reflected the desire Of
the General himself. II is now alleged
that President Arthur made the sugges
tion on his own responsibility, for tie
reason that he could not consistently
lAS oiii ISbii N'SpSi ai N'iAhhj 'i'
account Of his attitude toward the Fitz
John Porter and Averill bills Tie bill
retiring General Averill was killed by a
pocket veto. In his message vetoing the
Porter bill President Arthur used the
following language:
| 1t will create new office upon condi.
| tion that the particular person desig-
mated shall be chosen to fill it. Such an
act, it seems to me, is either unneceS-
| sary or ineffective, or it involves an en-
croachment by the legislative branch of
| the government on the authority of the
Executive. AS the Congress ha, no
power under the Constitution to nomi.
nate or appoint any officer and caunot
lawfully impose on the President the
duty OF nominating or appointing to
office any individual of It's own selection
this bill, ii it can be fairly construed as
requiring the President to maze this
nomination and by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate the appoint
mcnt which it authorizes is in manifest
violation of the Constitution. Ii such
be not its just Interpretation it must be
regarded as a mere act of advice and
counsel, which LACKS in the very nature
of things the force of positive law and
Can serve no useful purpose on the sta
tute books.
As the Porter and Averill bills con-
tanned proposition precisely similar to
that of the Grant bill of retiracy, it is
assumed that the President believed that
his former negatives must compel him
to veto the Grant bill, if passed.
The Senate bill entitled "An act to
place Ulysses S. Grant, late General OF
the Armies OF the United States, upon
the retired list OF the army" passed tie
Senate without dissent on May 13, 1881.
1t authorizes the President to appoint
Grant a General on the retired list of the
army, with the rank and full pay OF
General of the Army. This Ssuate bill
is now in the House and, in company
with House bill of similar character,
has not been acted upon. While it is
probable that tho pension bill would
have passed, the refusal ofGsneral Grant
| to accept it caused Il feeling o! relief
and men congratulated each other and
the country that the world o aid Mt be
forced to look upon the spectacle OF al
| eH-President and great general drawing
a pension of five Thousand Il year.
A Republican Senator who is intimate
with General Grant says tha5 his refusal
of a pension is a matter of principle with
him and that tha question of his pecu
mary condition Or necessities did not
enter into it at all
General Gil ,nt," said this Sc lator,
lis entirely opposed to the reckless
manner in which the public money ha,
been shoveled out to pensioners of all
classes. lie has repeatedly expressed
his opiuon on this subject to me, and
we'll remember his words once when he
said he looked upon il as being unsol
dierly and unpatriotic for any man not
actually disabled BY army service to ac
cept pension
1t ls the opinion this evening that the
Senate bill retiring General Grant will
now pass the House and that the Gen.
erals letter OF today will greatly contri-
butte to such action. If SO President
Arthur will be placed in the very en-
barrasing position of being compelled to
admit that he was wrong or narrowly par,
tisan in vetoiEg the Porter bill and vir-
lually the Averll bill or to negative the
Grant bill also.