The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-06-26
The Issue Made.

In the Senate, On Monday last, after many
days of protracted discussion, a vote was at
last reached on the two amendments to the
Mexican pension bill proposed with view
to insuripg the passage. at the present ses-
sion, of some of the more important meas
ures proposed in the interest Of the ex-sol-
diers and sailors of the late war. The first
amendment embraced the ingalls, bill to
grant arrears of pensions to all pensioners
and claimants whose claims should be on
file by the LIST Of October, 1884, and on this
the vote stood twenty-six yeas to thirty
nine nays. the Democratic Senators, with
the single exception of Mr.. VOORHEES,. OF
Indiana, who was paired in favor of the
amendment, voting solidly in the negative,
together with the following Republicans:
Aldricl, of Rhode Island; Edmunds. of Yer
mont; General Hawley, of Connecticut;
Morrill, of Vermont; Riddleberger, of Vir-
ginia; Sewell, Of New Jersey, and John
sherman, of Ohio. These seven Republi-
cans, three of whom-Sherman, Hawley and
Edmunds-were candidates for the Presi-
Dental nomination at Chicago on the Re
publican platform, which contained plank
expressly declaring in favor of arrears,
disregarding the sentiment of their party,
and in some cases the instructions of their
State Legislatures, as well as the appeals of
more than one million veterans of the war,
deserted to the Democrats and betrayed
their trust For this they must sooner or
later answer at the bar of public opinion.
The second amendment embraced the
( features of the CnlIom bill, the intent of
which is: 1st, to pension all disabled and
/ dependent soldiers and sailors who served
three months and were honorably discharged,
without requiring proof of origin of disa-
bility in the service; ID, TO increase the
pensions Of widows from S. to SD per month /;
Sd, to continue pension to the widow and
orphans of pensioner, without requiring
proof that the latter's death was due TO his
service; 4ih, to increase the pensions Of de-
pendent parents from S to So per month
and require them simply to show that they
are without other means of support than
their own manual labor or contributions
from persons not legally bound for their
support; and, finally, to abolish the require
ment, under existing law, of evidence as to
soundness at enlistment, in the absence OF
an adverse record.
Upon vote being taken on this amend
ment, there were ayes 81, nays 81. The
negative vote was entirely Democratic, the
seven Republican Senators above mentioned
not ventuTing TO withhold their support
from the measure Whether the Mexican
pension bill, thus amended, will become q
law this session it is impossible at this
writing to foretell, but the action of the
Senate has certainly disclosed who are an6
who are not the friends of the soldier in tina
body That the arrears amendment wa
not adopted is due not to the failure of thu
Republican members as body to supper
it, but to the solid opposition Of the Demo
cratic members, REINFORCED by the votes 0
seven deserters who VIGOROUSLY opposed
the nomination of Blaine and Logan, ant
have now repudiated the Republican plat
form itself