The National tribune., 1886-07-15

into force the idea that in this country OF ours the
4 Executive of the Government has the right and
duty 10 decide absolutely upon every question Of
4 legislation. In that respect / think he is wrong,
but here and now do not intend TO follow out the
discussion OF that idea.
The next feature which notice Is an assumption
4 which seems 10 have been lodged in the mind Of
the Executive that private pension bill ought to
be approved by him unless the applicant Is entitled
by law 10 pension; for constantly, all along the
line Of his yetoes, he has taken occasion to say that
there Is no law authorizing such pension rs II
proposed 10 be given in the bill submitted 10 him.
4 He appears wholly obiyious to the fact that Con-
Y gress D the law-making power, and has the right
+ to confer pension upon anybody There was
no prior law authorizing the granting OF PEN
+ sion of 5000 a year TO Mrs. Grant yet the FIX
ecutivc saw fit TO approve the bill granting
that pension. There was no law authorizing
a pension Of 5000 a year 10 the widow of Gen.
Hancock; yet the President approved that bill
Why? Because the legislative department of the
Government, acting within the scope of its lurs,iic-
\ tion and doing an act which the Constitution con-
4 ferrea upon II the power 10 do, passed the bill,
I thereby submitting 10 the Executive the question
whether he would approve That act Heidi approve
IT, Yet he comes u- and all along the line of
these little pensions-these destitute widows pen
sions, these poor mems pensions-he stands behind
proposition which has no merit in IT, and Is not
justified by any construction Of the Constitution or
+ The practices of the Government. What sentiment
4 think You, operated to produce these results?
Now, Mr.. Speaker, come 10 consider briefly the
present case and undertake TO say that II there
I WAS ever case in which Congress ought TO grant
pension by special act this is ole. IL Is case which
could not be covered by general law. call the
attention Of gentlemen, upon which ever side OF the
! House they may be, TO the fact that you can make
no general law which will cover such cases as this.
i agree that the presence i'm Congress of this vast
number OF private bills indicates that our general
legislation upon the subject of pensions Is totally
defective, as had occasion 10 say in the early part
of the session; and might il it profitable, 20
out Of my way and say that there has not been
manifested that zeal there should have been upon
the part Of Congress TO correct these manifest de-
\ fleets. The presence of these private bills grows
out OF the fact that the general legislation OF Con-
gress this subject has. by lapse Of time, become
4 be amended aud improved.
But there could not be any general law which
/ would cover the case of Sarah Ann Bradley: and
therefore there never can be case IN which Con-
gress could more appropriately act than Ia this.
Gentlemen Of the House OF Representatives, I'M
I dertake 10 say that when you have examined this
case, there are not many men in this House who
viii be willing TO uphold the veto of the President
There are not many men who will be willing TO put
themselves on record refusing this woman a
pension, Ia the light OF the record which you have
made upon other claims for pension which have
been acted upon fayorably ia this House.
Thomas j. Bradley entered the army in the Spring
/ OF le6i as member of the 2ith Ohio. lie served
until the close OF 1864, having been meanwhile
transferred by consolidation 10 the 18th Ohio
which had the honor TO command, and then serv-
I ing out total enlistment of nearly four years
z lie received at the battle Of Nashville as recol-
iect, a wound which at the lime dangerous
4 but not permanently so. lie went home. lie suf-
fered more or less from that wound through the
whole Of his life, which terminated in the Fall OF
T 1852. The physicians say that the termination of
his life was TO certain extent (hard 10 be deined
attributable fairly 10 the wound which lac had
ceiyed nearly 20 years before. lie had received n
pension for that wound thus being put in the posi-
non OF having established his claim. Ills pension
was OF triiiing AMOUNT do not remember how
much. IL l. not pretended that the injury
\ permanently serious one; but the Government
Z gave him pension of, think at first = a month";
aud aerward possibly 81. cannot state accurately
/ lie had four sons--gallant young men. They all
entered the army in 1861. Two were shot dead
4 upon the battlefield: another came home with an
arm shot of and the fourth with an eye shot out
both Of these sons being totally disabled from
I inn lfrsftar
4 bradley to-day, having passed the age Of 90 and
being without dollar comes TO Congress aud asks
bhA she may DC put upon the lenslOn-roli TO re-
] ceiNe the pitlanee Of a widows pension. And the
President Of the United States takes his coat off,
gets behind bag desk, and, calling 10 his aid the
1 Pension Department Of the Government, as / am
ready TO show by the records Of that Office in
i my hands, approves aud Incorporates Nth his
message the substance OF "A veto furnished him by
4 the Department that probably rejected the claim
of Sarah A. Bradley for want Of strict legal Ru-
J thority 10 give her a pension under the general
law. On the same day that he vetoed this BILL with
the very same pen, he approved bill which put
FItz-John Porter ON the pension-list OF the Gov
crnment at nearly $500 year, while Sarah 4.
Bradley the mother 81 four sonsgaliaut. patriotic
sons-two Of whom died upon the battlefield. whose
souls went up to God from the smoke Of battle and
whose lives went out in the crash Of arms and the
roar Of deadly STRIFE and two Of whom are to-day
dependent upon the charity Of the country. help
lessly disabled by the WAY. goes 10 the poorhouse
Tremendous applause on the Republican side
And this Is the Government which undertakes TO
say Iat IL d generous aud liberal 10 IT. soldiers
This Is tho system that hear called liberal aud
generous. This II the system Of justice 10 the pTi-
waite soldier. This Is the way this Democratic
House discharges il duty on the one hand toward
ftlz-John Porter. and toward poor starving sally
4 Ann Bradiey-te mother Of four gallant soldiers
4 two Of whom on the other side and two are
lingering here crippled-on the other hand.
have not drawn a fancy sketch ! refer TO the
unanimous report Of the Committee on Invalid
| Pensions Of this House. and want some gentle
man who will vote 10 uphold this veto Of the Presi-
dent 10 tell me what new light he has upon this
case. What more do you know about Sally Ann
Bradley than YOU did when you made unanimous
report IA favor Of granting her the allowance of
this miserable little pensionP
Mr. Boutelle, Of Maine, arragned the Presi-
dent for what be characterized as his crusade
against tho veterans Of the country. He re-
garded the policy Of the President AS an open,
clear, unmistakable announcement. that the
4 Democratic party was opposed to recognizing
the services and sacrifices Of men who gave their
lives or health in order that the great Nation
might be preserved. The time had come when
the Democratic party felt itself sufficiently
firmly seated in the saddle 10 utter its defiance
and hostility 10 the men vi went TO the front
to save the Union in its hour Of peril He
thought he could see the muse Of history look
ing at the grand procession Of the Chief Magis-
trates, and he could imagine the expression of
inefiablc disgust which would pass over the
features Of the Goddess Of American Liberty
when she should look upon the panel upon
which was depicted the present Chief Magis-
trate sitting in his shirt sleeves with his collar
unbuttOned, perspiring over the yetoes Of pal
try pension bills Of heroes Of the war APP
plause.i lie then proceeded 10 read from the
Record 10 show that all legislation favorable TO
the soldier had emanatcd from the Republican
party. and had becn passed by Republican votes
against the Representatives Of the solid South
and against the almost solid vote of the Demo
cratic party.
Mr.. Bramm, Of Pennsylvania, characterized
the President as the great representative OF alb
solute power, and said the Democratic party Of
the House, the party which was opposed TO
Capitalization, stood by him. aud said TO the
President, " not my will, but thine be done
lie continued 10 berate the Democrats which
he did in such an energetic manner as 10 call
forth rounds Of applause and laughter from
both sides Of the House. lie denounced them
polirOous aud towards, who exoneTated
their President whenever he chose 10 sian
them IN the face and spit upon them.
Mr.. Hin, Of Ohio, made an argument TO show
that the Democratic party had the credit for
much Of the pension legislation Of the country
Mr.. Curtin, of Pennsylvania bespoke for the
President decent respect and decent speech He
did pot know what the pending bill was about.
It's merits had not been presented. but the
House had resolved itself into political meet
ing
THE CASE or JOSEPH RoHTsER
isan interesting QUO lie was a "minute-man -
severely wounded in the line Of duty before he
had been mustered into the service The
Presidents veto message is as follows:
TO NE House Of Representatives.: