Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-22
RUSH OF PENSION BILLS.
EXCEPTIONS TAKEN TO THE
PRESIDENTS STRUCTURES.

MIR. Beck Suggests that the Committee
Report ON Such Measures be Read I'm
at Least One Case out of Ten-De-
Tense of the Republicans.
WASHINGTON, May 21-The Senate to-
day proceeded to consideration OF favor
ahly reported pension bills standing on
the calendar. After the passage Of
number or such bills Mr.. Beck suggested
that once in awhile-once in ten times or
so,-it might be well to have a com
mittee report bearing on the case read,
just to show that somebody had looked
at the cases. The expression ''read the
third time and passed" gave very little
information. We had had two or three
vetoes and several suggestions that no.
body knew anything about. What was
being done? He Beck certainly did not
know, and he did not believe any member
Of the Senate did.
Mr.. BLAIR replied that there was a fun
and careful printed report on the file OF
each Senator showing the facts Of each
case. The facts had been there month,
and Senators who wanted Information
had only TO read il.
ALL EXAMINED BY THE COMMITTEE.
Mr.. Allison remarked that the eases
had all been examined by the Pension
Committee and reported by that commit
tee.
Mr.. Sawyer remarked that the bill i'm
mediately under consideration had been
reported by him. 1T was Just bill, he
said, though he could not give the details
without reference 10 the report. He had
not reported to the Senate a single case
that he had NOT believed to be just.
Mr.. Beck mentioned the bill that had
been vetoed because it gave the pension to
the wrong man.
Mr.. Blair said the only effect OF passing
that bill would have been that nobody
would get a pension, and the bill would
have to be re-introduced with tue right
name.
PENSION OFFICE REFLECTIONS.
Nr. Hawley, referring to the Presidents
statement that the Pension Office had re-
jected large mum Der OF cases for which
Congress had passed these bills, admitted
that the statement was true. 1t was re-
memDered, he said, that 10000 cases
were granted in the Pension Office
every year. and large number
rejected. The Commissioner of Pensions
was Obliged to go according to positive
law which could not reach all equitable
GASES. 1t must be seen therefore that he
was obliged TO reject many cases in which
the Commissioner himself, and everybody
about him and every impartial person
could see that the applicant was honestly
entitled to pension. 1t was simply an
illustration of the elementary principle
OF Blackstone that there should he some
where court OF eGuity-for "equity sup
! plies that wherein the law by reason Of
its universally is deficient"
MANY REFLECTIONS NATURAL.
n. faas ~
year to examine, was It unreasonable 10
expect that 1000 or 1000 cases should
come before Congress as a reviewing
court OF equity? But the President has
suggested that if the present law were
not sufficient to afford relief under
all equities of the case Congress
should amend the law. Well, every
lawyer knew that the more you amended
or extended the law the more likalv it was
that there would be exceptional cases
that the law could not reach. There would
therefore always be "A considerable num-
Der OF cases that would come before Con-
gress. 1t was not Impossible to suppose
that there might be 1000 cases a wear
coming there-cases that every man would
say we're perfectly honest and just cases.
THE SOLDIERS.
That was a small number in compari-
son with a million and a quarter soldiers
now living, and many hundreds OF thOu-
sands who died leaving widows. There
were many points OF the Presidents veto,
Mr.. Hawlev added, that could be readily
answered II the press had taken the
trouble to answer them. The press had
given out the idea that we passed
pension bills by wholesale, and
that the Pension Office could have
settled everything if it had wanted to. IL
was not so, and such statements did great
Injustice TO the Senate. Mr.. Hawley
hoped that some formal explanation of
the matter would be made by either the
House or the Senate. After an exchange
Of compliments between Mr.. Blair and
Mr.. Riddleberger the Senate at $40
O'Clock went into executive session, and
at $3.50 O'Clock adjourned until Monday.