The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-12

had SPOKEN to them of the injury shortly after
Ct occurred, and, by his brother, that he had
written home few days after the battle. giving
an account of his injury. He also furnished evil
Aence that he had suffered from his injury since
The war but the Pension Office rejected his
claim because he could not prove by other evil
dence than his own just how his injury original
ed. Congress passed bill giving him pen
sion. and the President vetoed II. And yet,
what evidence could be more satisfactory in
moral. if not legal sense, than the letter writ
ten to his brother and his declarations TO his
oomrade made Immediately after the injury.
But my comrades, not only were these vetoes,
IN many cases. cruel, but the manner of doing it
was not kind. Let me call your attention to
Dome of the fippant things, intended to be witty,
enat the President threw into some of these
TO refuse a soldier what he asks, but we can
certainly afford to do it respectfully and kindly
Yet listen to some of the utterances of the Presi-
Gent in his veto messages, He says of one:
What ever may be said of this claimants achieve
naents during his short military career it must be
said that he accumulated good deal of disability.
That of some poor, disabled soldier! And
again:
The ingenuity developed in the constant and per.
1istent attacks upon the pubic treasury by those
claiming pensions and the increase of those already
granted Is exhibited IN bold relief by this attempt to
Soclude eyes among the results of chronic
aiarrhea
might say to those who think the boys are
we
marched by that treasury over 100000 strong
Some Of you here tonight remember the time.
General Shermans army in review swept up that
magniRcent avenue of the national Capital The
9un never shoue upon grander spectacle The
boys who had assembled in the West entered
the Confederacy at Louisville and marched with
Sherman down to the sea and up through the
Caroinas to Washington, brushed up their
faded tattered uniforms for this occasion. We
were reviewed by the President Of
@hA mi md yuA ms al
UP that great avenue and under the
shadow Of the Capitol the streets and housetops
wore covered with men and women, waving with
glad acclaim our welcome home We marched
by the treasury Of the United States, and yet
we never turned an eye in its direction. We
could have emptied its vaults that day if we had
besn 80 minded. Applause But we were not
thinking of money-that was not in single SOL
Aiep's mind He was thinking of home; his heart
was full to overlooking and many eyes with tears
rs he received that glad welcome for a work
well done, and saw the undimmed flag floating
over our Capitol emblem of the power that had
Been re.established over every foot of the ma
tioual domain. Great applause. We were
willing TO take up again the battle of life,
to care for ourselves, to enter into the
struggles and competitions of civil pursuits
1t is only now, when disease and disability have
come upon the soldier, it is only now, when fail
ing strength and reverse of fortune have brought
dim to need, that he looks to this government to
do grateful and honest part to the men who
made it possible for Grover Cleveland to be Pres
sdent of the United States. Applause. Again
the President says, in another veto:
am SO thoroughly tired of disappearing gifts of
public to individuals who, in my view, have
eight claim to the same notwithstanding apparent
congressional sanction that nterpose with feeling
Of relief. veto in where find it unnecessary
10 determine the merits OF the application
am sure. my comrades, that you all sympa-
Ahize with the President In his fatigue laughter
and applausel; that he should have been made go
tired Ia writing these vetoes Of pension bills;
but you knew also what it was to be tired
have seen some of you, after days march and
Q days fighting, digging trenches in order that
we might find cover from the enemy's guns,
when the morning dawned drop asleep
She pick In your hand That
Tas your time Of WEAKNESS. You little thought
khen, suspect that the time would come when
we would have a President who would wear
himself out vetoing private pension bills lap
plause.
Let me give you another illustration of the
hlppant way in which the President dealt with
these bills He said, in vetoing bill where the
soldier claimed to have been ruptured by being
thrown forward on his saddle:
The number of instances in which those of our
aodera who rode horses during the war were injured
by being thrown forward upon saddles indicate that
those saddles were very dangerous contrivances.
The man who wrote that never heard Phil
Sheridans bugle sound the charge have an
the President speaks of soldiers terrible COM
bat with the measles" Now, my comrades any
man who makes a joke of the measles or of the
pommel Of saddle, did not have such relation
to the war as to understand what was going on
st the front. He must have shut himself off
from sympathy aud communication with the
great army. The Presidents idea Of horseback
riding is probably connected with ambling
palfry in public park. Laughter. These few
cases will serve as illustrations of the manner of
these veto messages.
PENSION LEGISLATION.
At the last session some general pension leeis
aAtion was enacted-a bill increasing the pen
eions of those who had lost limbs I beg my
friends TO remember that this bill originated in
she Senate and passed that body first There
was also a bill passed increasing the pension of
widows from So to $12 per month Mr.
Matson claims to be the author of
that bill. but a bill was introduced
In the Forty-eighth Congress increasing
the pension of widows to $l2 per month and it
passed the Senate but failed in the House. This
was all the general legislation accomplished, but
the Senate passed general bill, the provisions
of which were briefly these: It became known
at the last session as Senate Bill 1886. 1t was
tha same bill, In substance introduced by me in
the Forty eighth Congress. It provided that any
soldier who Is Row disabled, otherwise than bv
his own gross carelessness or vicious habits, and
is dependent o. his own labor for support shall
have pension; applausel that he shall not bs
required to provo that his disability origi-
mated in the service, but IL he is now
dependent upo, his own labor for sup
port, and is so disabled that he cannot
labor the government will take care of him.
lApplause.J That is not too liberal PROPOSE
tion is 1t, my comrades2 Some one has to take
care of them. Here is soldier who twenty one
years ago, came home from the war apparently
N good health. He made no hospital record;
was always on duty, marched with his company,
went on picket when his time came. and. for.
tunately escaping wounds, cams back apparent
~ WELL But now he is old; rheumatism has seized
him. Who can doubt that those nights when he
slept under the open heavens, rain or snow
pouring down upon his bed, had something to do
with his present disability The doctors cannot
connect the cause with the effect, but common
sense does. He is disabled now. What are Won
going to do with him2 went year or two ago
70 one OF the poor in this State and found
there several soldiers of the class have a.