National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-10-03
THE LOWERING BILL.
PENSIONS FpR ALL UNION SOLDIERS AND
SAILORS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
Injustice and Insuflcleney OF the Existing
Pension Laus-IIlstory or the Universal
Pension Heasure-The Reasons Urged for
Its Passage Sentiment Of the Country
Upon IL.

fort was made to obtain the sentiment Of the
country upon one OF them That was the Low.
ering bill, which reads as follows
BE n enacted bg Me senate and house Of repre-.
scHiGiirCs Of The United Sdtcs NJ america IN cDt-
gross assembled. That ail officers soldiers, and
sailors who served in the army, navy or ma.
rinc corps of tho United States for period of
not less than sixty days between March
fourth eighteen hundred and siXty-onc, and
July first, eighteen hundred and sixly-hyc, and
who were honorably discharged lherciroin,
shall receive pension OF eight dollars per
month during the remainder OF their lives
This act shall take effect from It's passage.
The history of this universal pension bill has
never been written except in sections, but II is
interesting. When the pension office was I'M
der the administration of Commissioner Bent
ley an application for pension was made by
Il member of John A. Andrew post No. 10, q.
A. H., of Boston. The applicant had served
on board the old Monitor, which, after he left
her, was sunk of Cape IIatteras, of course
carrying down all on board. These were the
witnesses whom, under the law, 1t was ncccs-
sary for this applicant to have to prove his
case and secure his pension. II was well
known to all In the service, and to surgeons
and physicians that no man could serve IN the
poisoned atmosphere OF the Monitor without
permanent injury TO MS health, Jhe aPp,,-
without fault OF his, every personal witness
was dead, and the law refused him pension.
The post appointed committee TO- come to
Washington 10 sec about the case. The com
mittec came aud could do nothing. 1t found,
however, that there were about 10000 claims
| filed and undsposed of In the pension ONCE,
while The claimants were suffering and dying
| unheard. Knowing this the committee was
most active in securing the appropriation for
doubling the clerical force of the Office.
In this way members Of post No. 10 came TO
know great deal about pension laws, and to
ha Nt,tNo ftnl ntr
! They said that the arrearagos act was wrong
In principle. In the language Of an official OF
the department., 1T gives TO the man with q
gilt-edged hospital record an endowment and
q pension; TO the man with gilt-cdged field
record nothing" They concluded that partial
measures were unjust, and that only u uni
versal one would do right by NIL.
| A committee Of four was appointed and
Congressman Lowering, himself a veteran.
The following petition was presented to con-
| gross:
Unexpectedly represents, the undersigned,
sachusetts, Grand Army of the Republic. that
by the last report of the honorable commits
sioner OF pensions 1t appears that OF the 2O63, !.
| 39l union soldiers and sailors who enlisted
during the late war Of the rebellion, 962, SOl
| veteran Survivors living have never applied
for pensions tpage ~; that the total number OF
claims pending at the close OF the fiscal year
ending June 90 1883, was 339, 25l page 9s, table
lS), while under the present concientious and
| vigorous administration of that department the
total number disposed Of during that year was
l0i,8gl (page 81 table ,6l, showing that at that
rate II would take three years to dispose of
claims now pending that the net number OF
| new names added to the roll during that same
was but 1885, lpage y, showing that more
| than fifty years would elnpSe before all those
contemplated in this petition would be recely.
ing pensions, assuming that they then be Nv
ing the fact in all probability being the con-
trary, meanwhile increasing annually, even
| upon the above assumption, our expenditures
only in the insignificant sum Of sl,72i,256, rs
against the net annual gain OF S2O,0O0,0O0
in our surplus of revenue; that by the last
| report OF the honorable secretary of the treas
| ury the estimated surplus of revenue after all
the expenses of government and the require
ments of the sinking fund and pension claims
under the existing lawsare satisfied, will be for
ISL s89, lss 2dS; for lSS5 s5oSIi,6O5, an annual
gain, even in surplus, of the enormous sum OF
81, 900 above referred to; and that further
Il represents that nearly twenty-three years
haye passed since the beginning Of the war,
and that the boy then Of %, the young man OF
turely old from tho extraordinary drafts made
upon their vitality by the hardships. endured
in that UNPARALLELED war ut time in life when
its burdens fall heaviest upon man, and Sc
they now fight at n disadvantage in the strlg
gle for existence In the land rich beyond com
putation, and daily growing richer, to whose
| salvation by their sacrifices they SO lArg ely
contributed.
Wherefore your petitioners pray your hon.
ornble bodies TO pass the laws necessary Il
grant the sum oil IS month to every union
soldier and sailor who served sixty days oI
more in the late war of the rebellion, and who
under the existing laws, are not entitled t.
that sum or greater"
The committee came to Washington and ap.
peared before the house committee ON invalid
pensions. They were at first received as II
their proposition was something of Joke OF
an exhibition OF gall" but after they ex.
planned their objections TO existing pension
n Ian atl Hal 800 .FVaK
posed, the pensions committee became inter
cStcd, and asked them to see what the vet
Grams throughout the country thought of 1t.
They had already the Endorsement of seventy
seven q, A. H. posts of Massachusetts. They
Immediately sent their petition, with u circu'
lar letter, to the 1000 q. A. X. posts in the
country, and the next time they went before
the committee, presented the ratification of
know what the country thought OF II, A petit
ton to be signed by citizens aud soldiers not
members of the q. A. X. was sent out. Within
u fortnight they presented II with -, 900 sigma.
lures The number of the signatures to that
petition now Is about 800, 900, and they are still
coming. The petition Of post No. 10 has been
ratified by ISL Grand Army posts, and they
are still coming.
The petition sent out for citizens signatures
contains five reasons why the bin should pass,
and they ably define the position of tho de,
Tenders and supporters Of the bill.
"Because II Is timely The enormous inCreas-
average age 90 years. OF the soidierrequircs ii.
Delay means simply waiting for death to save
the nation money.
Because it is lust For those who saved the
country We should do all We can not grudg-
insly, but eagerly. It Is discreditablc TO n
great nation for those who saved 1t to be thus
placed In the attitude of petitioners
"Becausc Il is right: The defenders of the
country have been the defenders OF It's financial
honor, by insisting upon the payment, accord
ingto the letter and spirit Of the contract, of
the money loaned IT. Now pay their debt in
| painfully We never can.
Because 1t is economical A series of par.
tial measures will cost more in the end than n
universal zone now An army of clerks, cX-
| nminers and surgeons would be dispensed with,
| u costly bureau Of the government simplifed.
BECAUSE II will benefit, not injure The couIl-
try " viii put into circulation vast aCCulnu-
mutation In the treasury, avert financial
crisis, stimulate all forms of blsinCss, set AT rest
forever agitation upon this subject furnish the
world proof that republics are not ungratehl,
and all by wayof doing, justice 20 those who
made this surplus possible and this country Il
refuge 10 the oppressed of ali nations. 'H'''' "
For some reason the bill was received with
disiavor at the headquarters Of the Grand
Army, Mr l'eath who was thcnGommandcr-
inchief, sent out AN urgent appeal To the posts
throughout the country TO protest against IT,
He secured the protests of 6Ist lorty-eight of
the i,OOOposts, Claim aud pension agents are
TO man opposed TO u, for II leaves little
profit for the middlelnan, UuCharitaDlc
people have suggested that there is too close u
connection between the Grand Army of the
Republic headquarters and the pension agents
Several statesmen have been thrown OF
their feet by touching this question In the
wrong way. senator ingalls, suggested that
this universal pension bill came too soon, and
reminded the petitioners that such q measure
was not passed for revolutionary soldiers uutil
thirty years after the war closed, and the sol
dicrs OF 1872 waited about ~ long, and the
| Mexican war veterans were waiting yet. AS
one of the veterans said Senator Ingalls, has
not yet got done wiping the blood from his
nose on account of the reply he received, that
| II this republic was so ungratcful to its former
| defenders II well behOOyed veterans of the
civil war To hestr themselves while they were
still sufficiently numerous TO make themselves
| heard and felt"
Congressman Ranney, of Boston, represents
| the district IN which Post No, u is situated
When the soldiers pamo TO him for support Of