Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-27
AT THE NATIONS CAPITAL
PENSIONS FOR MEXICAN VETE-
RAMS FULLY DISCUSSED.

/ A Proposed Amendment to the CODsti-
tuition PrOIOnging the Presidential
Term to Six Years--Secretary FoIger
IndOrses Mr.. Hewitts Bnl-The Re-
publican Presidential SquabbIe in
/ Fun Sway
WASHINGTON. May 26.-In the Senate
to-day, Mr.. Sewell presented a joint feso-
luton of the Legislature of New Jersey,
urging the passage of the pending bill
to promote the efficiency of the revenue
marine service.
Mr. Blair presented a resolution of the
General Conference of the Methodist Episco-
! pal Church, now sitting at Philadelphia,
I favOrlng the passage by Congress Of the edu-
/ catiOnal bill recently passed by the Senate.
Mr. ingalls, reported from the Committee
I on judiciary a substitute for the Joint resolu
! tiOu introduced by Mr.. jackson proposing an
amendment to the constitution of the United
states in relation to the terms of Office of the
/ President and Vice President. The amend
! ment provided for in the substitute is as fol-
| lows:
ARTICLE p The Executive power shall be
| vested in the President of the United States
/ Of America. The President and Vice Presi-
dem hereafter elected shall hold their office
1 for the term of SIX years, but the President
| shall not be re eligible, shall the Vice
I President be eligible to the Office of President
/ II he shall have exercised the same in case of
a vacancy therein.
! Committee the bill heretofore passed by the
| Senate extending until December 81, 1884. the
/ duration OF the Court OF Alabama Claims, with
| a recommendation that the Senate non
! concur IN the House amendment extending
! the time one year longer.
Mr.. Hoar moved that the bill be taken up at
once. land that the Senate concur in the amend
! ment. He said that the court had decided
! l,4O6 cases in year and a half, and there
/ We're 4,055 cases yet to be tried, and these
I could not be decided bv December 1884
] 4 a oh Mr ord 1lad rI,o
| yeas and nays on Mr.. Hale's motion. which
resulted IN % yeas, 10 nays, so the Senate con-
/ CURED in the amendment OF the House eX-
1885.
! Mr.. Plumb from the Committee on Public
! Lands reported favorably the bill to forfeit
/ the unearned lands grants of the Atlantic and
/ Pacific Railroad and restore the same to set
/ tlement.
/ The Utah bill came up as the regular order
/ and Mr.. Hoar proceeded TO speak in advo-
! cacy of the bill. After speaking for some
| time ne yielded, to enable the Mexican pen
/ sOns bill to be taken up. The principal
| changes made by the Senate Pensions Com
/ mittee in the bill as 1t came from the House
/ of Representatives are: First. in striking out
| the clause that limits widows pensions to
/ cases OF widows who were married before the
! soldiers discharge from the army, and per-
/ mitting the payment of pensions TO all MeXi-
can soldiers and widows who have not re
married; and, second, limiting the benefits of
| the act to persons who are dependent in
/ eAASaA
sistauce from others for support.
4 MIR. Mitchell, Chairman OF the Committee
/ on Pensions, explained the effect of the
| amendments, and said that every soldier
| should be pensiOned for service without re-
\ gard to disabilities. The application of the
| rule to surviving soldiers of the late war
1 would involve the country in an expenditure
| Of $l00,000,000 annually. His opinion as that
| every man owed military duty to his country
| The estimated number OF Mexican soldiers
| now surviving was 5000, and the bill gave
| pension to all who had served even dav He
| thought that those who did not need pension
! ought not to ask for 1t.
Mr.. Blair. aluding to the epithet of Kclause
which had been applied to some of the Senate
| amendments, said that he did not look upon
| pov, ,9rty as disgracefal and repelled the idea
| lie h. I'd heard it advanced that it was deg
radiation or mark of pauperism in a man who
| had serN ed his country to take pension from
| the DeopleS of that country. He did not think
| il wise, however, to establish a precedent
| that man should receive pension
| for service whether disabled or not ,
! The eXpendit ure which such policy would
! entail for the next fifty years would be enor-
NOUS He had the Clerk read bill prepared
| by himself providing for the pensiOning for
| service alone of all soldiers and sailors, such
pension not to begin~ however, till period of
| twenty wears after tfelr discharge, and to be
| in addition to the regular pension for disabili
| ty. If anv. The idea Of this bill was that if a
/ soldier needed help at time when, by reason
| of age, he was not able to work so efficiently
| as when younger, a service pension might
make life easier for him.
Mr. Logan moved to strike out that part of
| the amendment which, as he understood it,
refused a man pension unless he acknoWl-
edged himself to be pauper.
Mr.. Williams differed with Mr.. Mitchell as
to the wisdom of the principle on which the
| bin was based as 1t came from the House. 1t
was customary for European nations to keep
an enormous standing army at great eX-
Oensc and of America to have a small stand
ing army, but with a militia reserve of
10000, 600 of fighting men. European policy
also used the soldier up and then turned him
out to starye. 1t should be the pride Of
America that Its policy was different. A
pension. however, should be a recognition OF
personal distinction, not badge of
mendicancy. The words "pOor house" and
"'pauper'' were the most unwelcome words
tnat an American ear could hear. Mr.. Will
liams reviewed some Of the incidents Of the
NJ, ,Xican war; eulogized the soldiers, charac-
tel lied the war as one OF great glory, not
fou ght for plumber, and the army as the only
one that in similar circumstances did not
desClate the conquered territory.
M. ingalls,, while not deprecatlng the mer-
Its Of the Mexican veterans, could not agree
with MIR. Williams as to the business of the
Mexican war. A more indefensible war Of
spOliatlOn and robbery, he said, had never
been waged against a defenseless neighbor.
IL had been the result of the desire of a pO-
litical party to extend the limits of slavery,
and aggrandiZe the, ,sayehOlding power. Mr.
/ ingalls, was not at all alarmed at the principle
of giving , pension for service. He cited the
action Of Congress with regard to all our for
precedent has been set of pensioning. after
the lapse of a certain time, for service alone
and without regard to disability, and he
favored that principle. He would favor the
pepsioning of the soldiers OF the late war
after the expiration of similar time. The
precedent being in favor of this bill the only
question was whether the proper time had
arrived. He thought it had.
Mr.. Logan then spoke IN favor of his
/ motion. He did not believe that the estimates
were correct that fixed the number of MeXi-
can veterans now living at 36, 600. He thought
that the estimate must have been made large
in order to defeat the bill.
There could not be more than Il. 900 now liv-
ing. That was the estimate that was sup
| ported by the best evidence. If economy and
| not merit was to be the order Of the day, the
| senators had better wait till there was only
| one or two of the Mexican veterans living.
| There would be considerable money saved by
| that course. If pension was to be given be-
cause it was right it should be given now.
! Mr.. Maxey supported Mr.. LOgan's amend
! ment He referred to the longevity of our
| Mexican soldiers, Notwithstanding the de-
| strnctive effect of that war on their health.
| ''Our Mexican veterans are the most astOnish-
| ing men that have lived since the days Of
| Methusaleh.0
| After further debate the matter went over
| till the conclusion of the morning business to-
| morrow, Mr.. Cameron, of Wisconsin, saying
4 however, that he would insist on proceeding
! with the calendar at that hour.
| Mr.. Brown offered the following amend
| ment to the Utah bill:
| ''That voluntary sexual intercourse of a
| married person with one of opposite sex not
| husband or wife of such married person, shall
| be the cause and only cause of absolute di
| vorce from bond OF marriage in the District
| of Columbia or in the Territories of the United
states and any other places subject to the eX-
| clusive jurisdiction of the United States, but
! the courts may in proper cases, at common
| law, grant divorces from bed and board in
| said District, Territories or other places sub
ject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United
| States" The Senate then adjourned.
IN THE HOUSE.
| In tho House To -dav on motion Of Tr as,-
! ham, of Texas the Senate amendments were
| cOncurred in to the bill amending certain Sec
| tiOns OF the act creating a northern judicial
Grams a resolution was adopted authorizing
the Committee on Military Affairs to examine
! into the working and management of the ma
| tiOnal soldiers homes, to sit during the ses-
sions of the House, and to send for persons
! and papers.
On motion of Mr.. Dibren, of Tennessee. the
| Senate amendments to the agricultural appro-
| priatiOn bill were non-concurred in.
| After the introduction of number of bills
under the call Of States, Mr.. Turner, of GeOr-
| gia called up the Ohio contested election case
| of Wallace vs.. Mckinley.
| The majority report unseats Mr.. Mckinley
| and declares Mr.. Wallace to be entitled to the
| seat, while the minority resolution confirms
| the right of the sitting member.
| Speeches were delivered by Mr.. Turner, Of
| Georgia, and Mr.. Adams, of New York, in
| support of the contestants case, and by
| Messrs Hepburn, of Iowa, Robertson of
| Kentucky, and Z. B. Taylor, of Ohio, in sup
| port of that of the contestee. The speeches
| were all well received, and though entering
! too much into detail to be Of any special in
| terest, were an able presentation of the respec-
tive sides of the question.
| Mr.. Robertson is the only Democratic men, =
| Der of the Committee on Elections who signed
| the minority report. and he appealed to his
side of the House not to vote to unseat Mr..
| M.IT sr,1a To. ya.~ how TO rrnfa