The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1884-09-09


they were In service, which sometimes be-
comes impossible. Other claims are rejected
because they fall to prove The existeice oi
disease or disability NJ the time OF dischaig :
So that IL Is only waiver of legal preslimp-
tion, and these are not service pensions at
all.
The Speaker pro TEN. The gentleman s
Mr.. ] d. Taylor. ! ask leave to extendm
| remarks.
The Speaker pro tenn The chair hears no
/ objection.
Not one sentence which appears IN
that printed speech--not one single sen
tence-is contained in what he uttered
on the floor of the House, except, posi-
bly,, the one or two sentences which |
have not got. That is the whole truth.
But now, before going any further,
| let me refer to Mr.. Matson. / did not
claim that Mr.. Matsnn was O member
of my committee. claimed no such
thing. / referred 10 him as chairman
OF the Committee ON Invalid Pensions,
and he Is chairman Of that committee.
Mr., Taylor was claiming that no at
teniion had been given to bills In rela-
ton to pensions, .and-that but one was
reported from my committee. Does
the Record sustain him IN that? hold
In my hands the bills that were report.
ed. One Of them was reported and pass.
ed the House. Another was reported
and incorporated In the pension appro-
prlatlon bill, and Is now a law. That
relates merely TO the fees OF cain
agents.
Another was reported May 9TH. and
Is now on the House calendar, and con.
tains all the valuable features Of the
Senate amendments to the Mexican
pension bill. This bill was reported on
the Ith day Of May, by Mr., 0reenleaf,
under the instructions of the commit
tee. This bill was prepared after this
report of the interview between the
commissioner and the committee.
say that spent hours
with the Commissioner of Pm
sions, day after day for weeks, and the
committee worked days over these
bills. We a la'ly concluded the work,
and have copy of the bills. as finally
agreed upon, with me, containing the
suggestions of the Commissioner OF
Pensions, and amendments proposed
by him. ss
The bill that passed was submitted,
also, 10 leading members on the Rep
ublican side Of the House, as well as to
leading Democrats, and was approved
by them.
] We had also before us a Committee
OF the Grand Army of the Republic,
| who recommended various changes In
the Laws, several of which are included
In the sections of the bills reported
from my committee, and they advised
| 81 ~ = L., \
been introduced into the House. The
recommendations OF this committee
were included in the report of our con-
ference with the Commissioner and
will read some OF the things they ad-
vised against. They said:
We desire TO give whatever weight we
may have as body, or as individuals, IN
favor Of such measures as we deem Just:
which may now or hereafter be before YOU.
condemn certain propositions which are
| now ON your files, ostensihly In the interest
4 OF old soldiers or sailors. bct which seem to
us TO be inconsiderate. impolitic and oalcu.
standing ofthe savi0rs OF the nation.
We are unqualifiedly opposed to the prop
osltion to distribute land warrants TO tho
veterans without regard to whether they oc-
We are also opposed to the proposition to
i pay TO the soldier or sailor to-day the differ
ence In the value OF the greenback when we
Ice and The value OF gold on the same aate.
We are also opposed TO the bill or bills pro-
viding Tor pensions az the present time 70 all
SURVIVORS ofthe war regardless of whether
they were wounded or became disabled In
/ the service or are needy.
/ The first section of the bill which
passed the House, under suspension Of
the rules, before referred 10, relates to
the rules OF evidence, apd without TAX
i ing away the right OF anyone to arrears
grants pensions to those who have be-
come disab'e ed In pens'onabIe degree
since the war, If the disability Is attrib
utable to the service.
/ Section second changes the law Ia re.
spect to dependent parents so as to al
low pension In cases where the par
ents are now dependent, without being
required to prove that they were de
pendent at the time Of the soldiers
death.
| Section three does away with the
necessity of proving prior soundness to
J substantiate claim. II soldier was
received by the government and kept
three months he is presumed, under
this bill, to be sound This section also
limits the fees to Chin agents under
this bill to ten dollars.
The other bill reported to tha House,
provides, first; That all widows oil
soldiers snd sailors who are now re-
celving, or are entitled to receive 50 q
month, shall be entitled to receive Sla
, per month. and that minor children
now entitled To receive So per month