Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-08-12
Mr.. Hill on the Pension Record.


During the discussion in the House
last week on the Presidents vetoes of
pension bills. Hon. W. D. Hill said
Mr. Speaker, 1 never supposed any
body would blame the President be.
cause the veto power was put into the
Constitution; power which we all
know has been exercised by every
Republican President who ever occu-
pied that chair. ,a-.a
AS to the merits of these vetoes,
when they come before the House in q
proper shape after investigation by
the Committee on Invalid Pensions
the House will be in better condi-
ton to judge whether we should sus-
tain or override the vetoes. iy
And / desire to say word or two
in reply to remarks made on the other
side Of the House as to the friendliness
of the Democratic or Republican party
to our soldiers.
The gentleman from Illinois (Mr
Cannon) the other day stated these
vetoes ment no more pension legisla-
ton would be allowed during this ad-
ministration. d How he could make
that statement in the face of the facts
| do not know, but ! will say this,
however, that il one.half Of the
pledges of the Republican party had
been redeemed when that party was in
power no pension legislation would be
needed under this administration or
any other. FApplause] .,.'
The claim has also been made on
the other side of the House that when
the arrearage act of 1878 was passed
and the widows increase pension bill
during this Congress was passed, q
large number Of Democrats voted
against those bills while nearly all the
Republicans voted for them, 1t strikes
me as remarkably strange the Repub-
lican members of this House never
could get an opportunity to vote for
the arrearage or the widows pension
act until they got tin a Democratic
House. Why did they not introduce
an arrearage act when they had the
power? They were in continuous con-
troll of the Government in every de-
partment of it from the close of the
war down to election Of the Forty
fourth Congress, and yet not one of
them ever thought of an arrearge act
until the Democrats got q majority in
this House, when that act was reported
by constituent of mine, General Rice,
as chairman of the Committee on PEN
sions, and was passed by q Democratic
House So. too, in the Forty Seventh
Congress, when my distinguished
friend from Indiana mr. Browne was
chairman of the Committee on invalid
pensions they did not introduce a bill,
or a. least report one. to increase the
pension of soldiers widows from $S
to Slipper. month. That bill wasin-
troduced by the present Democratic
chairman Of the Committee on Invalid
Pensions (Mr. Matson)in the Forty
eighth and Forty-ninth Congress, and
through his influence and energy it
has become 10 law at the present
session. 0
Let us see what has been the ad-
ministration Of the Pension Bureau
under Democratic and Republican
rule. I hold in my hand q table
which is official, and which shows the
number of claims allowed in the fiscal
year ending June, 30, 1882, 37,895;
number OF claims allowed in the fiscal
year ending June 30th, 1883, 6l,704'
number of claims allowed in the fiscal
year ending June 3Oth, 1884, $3.50.
That was when the Department was
under the administration ola Rspub-
lican 9 Commissioner. 4st
The number Of CLAIMS allowed in
| the fiscal year ending June 80, 1886,
| first year Of General Blacks admins.
ltration, sl,422.
Number of pension certificates
Issued from March II, 1884, to March