Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-09-18

enteen appropriation bills to pass, which
will take nearly all the time, and they al
ways have the right OF way, in preference TO
everything else. So that there is no chance
for this bill, with l20 bills before it, ever to
become a law. Ii it was intended by the
gentleman, or by his committee, that any
such bill should become a law, why was it
not put on its passage on suspension day, as
Warmers bill was. or whv was 1t not made
part of Warmers bill? 1t was put on the
calendar for mere effect. Gen. Robinson
saws that Gen. Warner casts his vote in this
way to deceive the people. Ii this had not
been SO the bill would have been reported
earlier. Why was not it reported in Janu-
ary? He quotes Mr.. Hewitt. Mr.. Hew-
tits bill, with an accompanying report OF
fifteen or sixteen pages, was passed to the
House in February. Bu; Gen. Warner did
not make his report in February nor IN
March, and never until the 2lst Of April
was it brought before the House.
But | am reminded that / must hasten.
The gentleman demands OF me one answer.
He demands of me an explanation, and l
am glad to give it. | say, gentlemen, and |
can prove i'll have got the proof on the
table-he need not ask me questions think
ing l cannot answer them-I have got this
soldier business at the ends of nv fingers-I
can prove, l say, that what l said about him
is true. But he says that / would not have
said of him in the House what is printed in
my speech. l would have said it there just
as quickly as here; and if | could have got
the time on that day l would have said Sc
verer things about him than / have said or
than have published in my speech. /
would have told about Irene Baker. She
was not a Brigadier-General. She was an
idiotic girl, whose father had died in the
service of his country. But l wanted to be
courteous because of his absence; and yet
my effort to be courteous has failed to be
appreciated.
But he introduced bill I will say what
the gentleman knows to be true-that that
bill was as far as he would CO. He had the
floor and the privilege of introducing bill
on the 21st of April; he could have gone
further, but he would not 20 any further for
the reason he has stated here to-day.
hold in my hand the bill introduced by
Gen. Warner. There are three sections Of
it-only three sections. This is the bill:
wARNER's BILL.
H. R. 6535. Report No. 1871
Mr. A. ]. Warner, from the Select Com
mittee on the payment of pensions, bounty,
and back pay, reported the following bill in
lieu of sundry bills:
To regulate the granting of pensions in GER
tain cases.
Be it enacted BY the Senate and House of
Representatives. of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That
every person specified in the several classes
enumerated in the pension laws of the
United States, who served in the field in the
military or naval service, in any war in
which the United States has been engaged,
for a period of three months or more, and
has an honorable discharge, and is not re-
ceiving pension, or greater pension than
that provided for herein, but who, by reason
of any wound, injury, or disease which there
is probable oaase to believe originated in
said service in line of dirty, and not the re-
sgH of his ozvn misconduct or bad habits,
or other knoz0y casse occurring since sgch
service, is now disabled, in whole or in part,
for procuring his subsistence by manual
labor, shall, sfon making due froof of the
facts, under such regulations as may be
prescribed BY the PROPER authority, not in
consistent with the provisions of this act, be
United States, and be entitled to receive a
pension, during the continuance of such dis
ability, at rate proportionate to the DEGREES
thereof; the true physical condition of the
claimant to be ascertained and certified as
provided by law upon examination by a
competent board of surgeons duly appointed;
such pension to commence at the date of
filing the application therefor. And any
person zvh0 has filed, or may hereafter file
an APPLICATION for a pension under the act
of SfHLy fourteenth, eighteen hundred and
sf.ty-fSUo and acts amendafory thereto, or
EHder any act enfitlisg him to arrears,
may, BY a declaration over his ozvn signa-
tire, attested before any officer daly author
ized to administer oaths for general PR
poses, elect to prosecute his said claim Rndey
this act, (Which election shall be final; and
tn s9cE case his PENSION, IF allo1ved, shall
begin from the date of fling saeh deelara-
tios of election.
SEC. g. That in considering the claims
of dependent parents the fact and cause of
death, and the fact that the soldier left no
widow or minor children, having been shown
as required by law, it shall be necessary only
to show by competent and sufficient evil
dence that such parent or parents are syikh-
ont other present nseass of support than
their own manual labor, or the contributions
of others not legally bound for their support.
SEC. 8. That in all applications under
the general pension laws, including this act,
where it appears by record evidence that the
applicant was regularly enlisted and mus
tered into the service, and served for period
of three months or more, that fact shall be
sufficient prima facie evidence that he was
then in good health and free from the dis
ease or cause of disability for which he
claims pension; but such evidence shall be
subject to rebuttal by record or other posi-
tive evidence of the prior existence of such
disease or cause of disability: Provided,
That no agent, attorney, or other person
shall demand or receive any fee for his
services in any pension claim arising under
this act until the payment of the pension,
nor exceeding ten dollars in amount.
Passed the House of Representatives
April 81, 1884.
This is the wonderful bill reported by
Gen. Warner, which he explained in his re-
markable report of three lines, and it is the
only bill that he ever reported from his COM
mittee. The report of three lines is the only
report that he ever made from that commit
tee. Every bill coming from committee is
accompanied by report which is supposed
to explain the object necessity and reasons
for the passage of the bill, and every men,
Der is furnished with copy of each report.
Of course Gen. Warmers report of three
lines threw great deal of light on bill of
this character. 1t would have been more
respectful to the Union soldiers if he had
made no report at all.
Mr.. Morrill, expresses the opinion that the
Warner bill would embrace the Confederate
soldiers as well as the Union soldiers, be-
cause it uses the words, sin any war in which
the United States has been engaged for
period of three months or more"
The moment this bill had passed the
House it was discovered that Gen. Warner
had succeeded, in the brief period of thirty
minutes, during which this bill was consid-
cred, in practicing great fraud on the
Union soldiers, and there came up from one
end of the land to the other, from the people,
and from the Grand Army Of the Republic,
one universal protest against the passage of
this bill by the Senate.
hold in my hand copy of the National
Tribune, a paper that advocates with great
ability the interests of the Union soldier.
Gen. Warner may say that one of the
editors is pension agent. l understand
that Geo. E. Lemon, one of the editors, is
pension agent, but there has never been a
whisper against him; and he enjoys the con-
fdence of all the departments of the govern
ment, and to him the government has turned