The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-10
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| pensions had reported that Romeiser had fled a
claim for pension which had been rejected by
the Psnsion 0fiice, there was no such case IN the
Office The President said that Romeiser bad
| never hed claim. If this were true, the COM
| mittee was Indeed, convicted of gross careless
ness, and doubtless the President naae the
statement to illustrate the loose methods of the
committee and his own accuracy in examining
these private pension bills Ii this charge were
unfounded, then the President convicted of
still grosser carelessness. because the report of
| the committee had informed him that there was
| q case in the Office He Mr.. McComas
pension papers in the case of Joseph
Romeiser. The Jacket recorded all the
proceedings from the time OF the nllng OF the
claim, in 1879. to it's rejection. The recorus
showed that the Pension Office found that
though Romeiser was severely wounded by
minnie ball passing through his head and face
because he was not mustered IN, it was 'con-
strained" to reject the claim. When the Presi-
dents veto came to the House, declaring that
| there were no such papers, he had telephoned to
| the Pension Office and had had trouble In
! getting them Why had not the President done
/ ilkewlses Why had he reproved the committee
/ for what now proved TO be his own carelessness!
| The committee had been diligent-the President
had been negligent. Congress had been Just
| the PRESIDENT had denied justice to cltlzen
| whose case he had never considered. Romeiser,
| ne sald was justly entitled to a pension. Ihere
were many precedents for the bill The very
| minute men of Concord and Lexington. and Geo.
Washington, unlike President Cleveland, had
| approved it. Thomas Jefferson the father OF
! the Democratic party. had signed bill granting
| pensions to men who bad never been mustered
| into the army, and Andrew jackson had signed
similar bill Abraham Lincoln, in like case,
| had said that he would not inquire whether
| man had been mustered in, but only whether ne
| had done his duty. Applause. 1t members OF
Congress could not rise above party feeling and
| go with Washington. Jefferson, jackson ana
| Lincoln, let them go with Cleveland, and SEND
| back this poor soldier who had never received a
dollar of pay, who had the scars the bullet leIe,
and who had twenty-five years of nuralgia for
| serving his country. Every man who thought
! that the fathers of the Democratic party were
| instinct with the heroism of Concord and Lex
| ington would vote for the minute man of 1861,
| who had got bullet in his head while on his
| way to join 1.-THE boys in blue" Applause.
Mr.. Burrows, of Michigan. also vigorously
assailed the veto, and maintained that there was
no reason why the bill should be referred to a
committee. There were no facts to be ascer
| tanned, and, in such cases. it was customary to
| act upon a veto without referring it, The last
noteworthy case was the veto of President
| Arthur on the Fitz John Porter bill That veto
| had been Immediately considered by the House,
| without reference to a committee. The Presl-
| dent had vetoed the Romeiser bill because be
had not been mustered in at the time he received
| his wound. 1t was true Romeiser had not taken
| the oath to defend the Constitution, but he had
| been defending it against the domestic enemies
| of the flag. A man who in his enthusiasm and
| patriotism went to the defense of the Constitu
| ton without taking the oath to defend 1t, was
entitled to some consideration. The man who
| without taking the oath to defend the Constitu-
| tion but who did defend it, was entitled to as
much consideration as the man who took the
oath to defend the flag and then violated that
oath, and yet Romeisers pension bill was vetoed,
| and Fitz-John Porter was put upon the rolls.
| Applause on the Republican side.
| Mr.. Warner of Ohio believed this to be
meritorous case. and to be in the line of all pre-
cedents, hut he thought it ought to be referred
| to the committee.
| Mr.. Snowden, of Pennsylvania, commended
the President for his fearless course and thought
| that the other side was making blunder in try
ing to make the discussion party question.
| Mr.. Springer said he would not discuss the
| pending bill and the veto message of the Presi-
| dent thereon, except to call attention TO the fact
that 1t was first vetoed in the Pension Office in
| 1882 by Commissioner Dudley. But gentlemen
| on the other side of the chamber had taken ad-
| vantage of the discussion to attack the Presi-
/ dent and the Democratic party, and to charge
that they opposed to granting pensions
Nothing could be further from the truth. Dur
ing the entire eight years of General Grants ad-
ministration, only 542 private pensions were
| granted. During the Forty seventh Congress,
| which was Republican in both branches,
only 15l private pension bills were passed;
but during the last or Forty eighth
| Congress, which contained majority of Demo.
Gratis in this House, and when the gentleman
| from Indiana Mr. Matson] was chairman of the
committee invalid pensions there we're 552 of
such bills passed and became laws and during
| this session. since December last Congress had
| passed 665 private pension bills. of which about
1 575 had either been signed by President Ceve-
| land or had become laws without his action. He
| had vetoed about ninety private pension bills,
but thirty three more had passed and become
| laws during his administration, up to this time
| than were passed during the eight years OF
| Grants administration. General Black, Com
| missioner OF Pensions had granted over no 900
| certificates to pensioners since he had assumed
| the duties of his Office, being 10 per cent more
| than had ever before been issued by any of his
| predecessors during the same length of time
| The Treasury of the United States attested the
| effect of General Blacks increased efficiency
| in the administration of the Pension Office The
payment to pensioners during the fiscal year just
ended exceeded those of the previous fiscal year
by So, 6000 00 But, notwithstanding this in
| crease in pension payments. there has been net
reduction of expenditures during the r..st fiscal
year of over SIG, 600, 900 as compared with the
fiscal year of 1888 Excluding pensions. the re-
duction of ordinary expenditures for 1886. as
compared with 1885, amounted to $24 SEQ 0O0
This statement was made from the Treasury
Department. Mr. Springer asserted that the
Pension Office had been, previous to General
Blacks administration. in the interest of the
Republican party. During the last presidential
years the number of claims applications for
pensions considered by the examining surgeons
Maine, a contested State, there were
779 cases considered in each Congress
sional district in Massachusetts, reliably Repub-
lican where no special political efforts re-
quired, the number so considered was only 2ql in
each district; in Pennsylvania, reliably Republic
an, there were only 1872 considered in each dis.
trict; but in Ohio, where there was great con-
test, the number was Cos in each district; in In
diana the number considered was 8l2 in each
district. while IN Illinois. reliably Republican,
the number so considered was only 400 in each
district. Thus it would be seen that where there
great political contests during the last pres
idential year, the business of the Pension Office
was concentrated, to the neglect of worthy appli-
cants who happened to reside in States reliably
Republican, or hopelessly Democratic.
Mr. Matson, of Indiana, said that the attempt
at this time to PASS the bill without referring it