The National tribune., 1884-05-08
LET JUSTICE BE poNEI
Representative Taylor, OF Ohio. on the Pension
Issue Before Consress.

Representative Taylor, OF Ohio. on the Pension
Issue Before Congress.
In the course of his speech on pension mat
ters delivered In the House on the 18th ult
Representative Joseph Z. Taylor, of the 18th
Congressional District of Ohio, took occasion
to refer very pointedly to the Injustice of the
present system of adjudicating pension claims,
and made an eloquent appeal for the liberaliz-
ing of the pension laws. Owing TO its length,
we are unable TO make room for his entire
speech, but, among other things, he said that
the time had come when every hOnOrably dis
charged ex-soldier who had arrived at a Ger
tain age, and who had served a certain time in
the army, should have pension. The hard
ships and exposure to which the soldier was
subjected during his service had served to
shorten his days; his head was whittier; his
brow more deeply furrowed; his step less firm,
and in most cases he was ten years older III ap-
pearance and in physical infirInity than he
would have been had he never entered the
service. He thought the obligations of the
Government to the soldier of the late war were
even greater than those to the soldier of the Mex
lean war, and that the country was especially
bound to pension those of her soldiers who
were without means of support and physically
lncapacltated from earning a livelihood, with
out reference to age or the cause of disability.
No man, he declared, who had worn the loyal
blue should be allowed 10 suffer from cold or
munger III the Iand winch ne fought 70 save,
and it was national disgrace that Union sol
diers should be obliged to seek relief in the
almshouse. In his own district, he said, the
soldiers had been compelled to take refuge in
the almshouse, because they had been unable
to satisfy the technical requirements of the
Pension Office as 10 the justice of their claims.
In view of the present financial prosperity of
the country and the direct benefit which
would result from the circulation of the money
paid out by the Government for pensions, the
plea that the Government cannot afford 10 do
justice to its late defenders was without force
He called special attention to the injustice OF
compelling an applicant for pension to prove
that he was physically sound at the date of en-
listment, when the Governments own records
show that he was required to submit to a seareh-
ing examination at the hands of its own sur
geons before being mustered into the service.
Upon this point he said that the law ought to
be so modified as to provide that prior sound
ness shall in all cases be presumed; it was for
the Government to prove that he was not sound
at the date of enlistment, and in all cases the
benefit of the doubt ought TO be given TO the
soldier the widow, and the orphan. He
cited numerous touching incidents which had
come to his notice since he had been Mem
Der of Congress, wherein the delays, techni-
calities, and determinations of the present pen
sion system had resulted in the grossest injuS-
tice to worthy claimants, and he appealed TO
the Members of the House to put an end to
this state Of things.