National Republican., 1885-02-11
IN SENATE AND HOUSE.
Discussion Regarding Pcnsiouers-A Motion
to Correct the journal Account Of Mon.

to Correct the journal Account Of Mon.
days Scene.
Air. Coekrcll asked the senate to take up now
tho house bills on the senate calendar that
have been fayorably reported by senate COM
mttees. There were forty.cight such bills, he
said, and Il would be great relief to have
them disposed Of llo thought they could be
disposed Of in a couple Of hours.
objection was made, and considerable con.
fusion for few moments cnsuod, owing to
the conflicting desires Of senators with regard
to the bills which should first be considered.
Mr.. Blair wished the anti.foreign contract
labor bill taken up, Mr.. Dolph the bill repeal
ing the prc-umption and timber culture laws,
while Messrs wilson and Plumb preferred
that the senate should resume consideration
Of the bill to quiet the tito Of the settlers on
the Des Moncs river lands, which was un-
Finally, calls for the Regular order"
brought the aforementioned measure before
the senate
At o'clock the reading ofthe report on that
bill was suspended, and the chair having laid
before the senate the unfinished business Uhe
nuti-siyor coinage bilD, Senator Morrill,, no.
tiCing that Senator Sherman (whO has the
floor for n epocch upon this noasure) was alb
sent, moved that It's further consideration be
post stpOncd until to-day, which was agreed TO-
Upon motion of Mr.. Allison, the consldcra-
tion Of tho pension appropriation bill wasoon. .
tinued, and the senate committees amend
ments were ooncurred in.
Mr. lugalls said he understood that the sen.
ate, by It's action last Monday, had resolved
that there should be no more general legisln-
tion upon general appropriation bills. He
asked the senator from Iowa (N1r. Allison),
chairman OF the committee on appropriations
whether he considered the action Of Monday
as binding upon the committee.
Mr., Allison. | certainly regard the action OF
the senate FputllTluW Tho gumtulltpp on an
populations as we'll ms the senate to observe
the rule, and while ! cannot speak, Of course,
for every member Of the commitee-ior my.
self | believe the committee TO be instructed
to report these bills without legislation.
Mr.. ingalls,. And that there Is to be no sur.
render In committees Of conference2
Mr.. Allison. 1 regard the instructions or
Monday as requiring the committees of con-
ference on the part of the senate not to report
legislation here without instruction,
Mr.. Ingalls,. Aud that the committee are TO
adhere TO the Instructions even If the hppro-
priatiou bills should fnil2
Mr.. Allison. Well Mr. President, they would
probably In that event take the advice Of the
senate. | certainly would not undertake to
force an extra session of congress with refer.
once TO au appropriation bill without taking
the advice OF the senate. But ] repeat that
should not as a member Of a conference COM
mi,tee feel that | was permitted to agree to
legislation upon appropriation bills without
further order Of the senate.
Mr. ingalls, said there appeared to have boen
some discrimination exercised by the commit
tee on appropriations In their report upon this
bill. ono clause pointed out by Mr.. Ingalls,
was admitted by Mr. Allison to bo Of that
character, but he INF Alllson), for one, had
not been willing to recommend II to be stricken
out. II was the clause providing that the pre-
| sumption of soundness ut the time of enlist
ment should now operate In the case OF nppli-
| Cants for pensions
Mr. Allison did not regard the clause as a
change of existing law.
] 4 10 at,a .F. II.
law, but not a change of the existing practice
| of the pension office. OF course, after tho
/ government had examined Il man, declared
| him sound, and accepted his services, itseemod
| unjust that II should now claim that he wns
not sound on enlistment. II would Bcem that
| the government ought to be estopped from
such claim. Mr.. Ingalls, had been Informed
at the pension office that the law was praoti-
| cally Interpreted that way, but that discre.
tion should bopermitted to the pension commits
| slouer to cover special and exceptional cases.
II seemed to Mr.. Ingalls,, however, that the
clause IN question was general legislation.
MesSrs. jackson, Dawes, Sherman, Voorhees,,
| Frye Cameron OF Wisconsin, Harrison Miller
| of California and Hawley carried on u lengthy
! discussion relative 10 the scope and effect OF
the decision Of the senate, as given on Monday,
relative to the exclusion Of measures of gen
| eral legislation from the regular annual nppro
| prlallon bills and also In regard to the merits
| OF the particular feature In this bill TO which
| Mr.. Ingalls, had specially alluded.
Mr.. ingalls, moved to strike out as general
legislation, the clause requiring that the pre-
sumption of soundness shall operate, but that
| such presumption may be rebutted.
| Mr.. sherman hoped 1t would not be stricken
out 1t would be physically impossible fol
many deserving soldiers to prove, after twenty
years have elapsed. that they were sound wher
they enlisted.
Mr.. voorhees, strongly opposed the striking
temptible spectacle, he said, had never beer
presented than had been presented by thu
| United States government when II said 10
soldier, after its own examination and accept
ance OF him, and afler he had served, anC
suffered exposure resulting iu long con
tinued and wasting diseases, or had beer
MANNED and crippled in the service OF hi
country that he must now anirmativelN
prove his soundness at the time of enlistment
A shocking instance, Mr. Voorhees, said, haC
lately come under his observation, During
the late canvass little man had come to hin
with papers from the pension Office showini
that his pension application had been re
jccted because he was not sound at the tim
OF enlistment. He had served three year
and half in tho army ON the lapel O
his coat something looking like silyo
dollar. on inquiry Mr. Voorhees, found tn
object to be n silver medal, on which was In
scribed: Presented by the United States O
America to Michael Torpey for distinguished
and conspicuous gallantry at Edgeheld juno
lion, Tenn. Aug 22 1868" This man, Grip
pied and warped with inhammatoTy rheumn
tism contracted from lying on the ground
bore u medal dearor TO him than ever hal
been the cross of the Legion of Honor to n sol
der Of Napoleon. That man, when engage
in difficult and dangerous task, exposed 10
heavy fire, when ordered by his commandln
officer to retire or he would DO killed, had re
piled: what are We here for, II not TO SUI
coed or take our chances of DEATH" Yet thG
soldier had in his pocket letter from tn
pension office. notifying him that he was nC
sound Mt the time OF his enlistment, and tina
he could have no pension.
After further discussion upon this topic,
Mr.. ingalls, explained that he had made III
pending motion for the purpose of raising tn
: point regarding the senate rule. His own cot
vlctlon was that the provision as 1t came irol
the house was sound, and that the senate ougf
TO agree TO II.
tThis would necessarily require the defeat
Mr.. lngallss own notion.
Subsequently Mr. lngalls's motion was vote
down; yeas IL, nays 4i-Mr. Ingalls, himse
voting in the negative.
The bill was then passed substantially as
came from the senate committee; all the legi
- lRtive measures found on the bill as II can
from the house relating to the compensation
4. pension attorneys, &o,, being struck out-tl
senate having already passed special bl
containing those provisions.
on motion OF Mr., Dolph, the senate resume
consideration Of the house bill to repeal Il
Z pre-emption and timber-Culture laws bu
, without decision, adjourned at p. m,
. The house met AT II o'clock, in contlnuan,
of saturdays session, and Immediately we
uto committee of tho whole on the pOstoilil
appropriation bill At ll:55 the house a
. journed, and at II o'clock tho session Of Tue
= day began.
After tho reading OF the journal Mr.. Kell,
rose and moved that that document
amended in that portion of 1t which hi
reference to the scene which occurred on Mo
day between Mr. White, of Kentucky, and Il
deputy sergeant.at-arms. The Journal stat,
that when the deputy procured the mace al
/. proceeded toward Mr. White that gontlemI
took his seat II should state that he "hi
taken his seat This he thought was due
:, tho gentleman from Kentucky.
i Mr. Reagan moved to lay Mr.. Kelley mott,
on the table. Agreed to--yeas 1865, nays o.
Mr. Keifer th0n moved that committee
five members be appointed by the speaker
|. examine aud report ON the question Of fl,
with relation to the proceedings of Monday.
MIR Reed said that he was an eye witness
the proceedings of Monday, and he did n
o believe that the journal was correct,
Mr.. Hammond belived that the resoluti,
should be adopted, without regard TO who "
I right as to a matter Of fact
4 Mr. Kpllev said itWnEdlie to the honor OF (