The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-07-10

Concord and Lexington and George
Washington, unlike President Cleve,
land, had approved it. Thomas JET
ieIson, the father of the Democratic
party, had signed a bill granting &
pension to men who had never beer
mustered into the army, and Andrew
Jackson had signed a similar bill
Abraham Lincoln, in a like case, had
said that he would not inquire
whether a man had been mustered in
but only whether he had done his
duty. Applause. If members oil
Congress could mt rise above party
feeling and go with Washington,
Jackson, Jefferson aud Lincoln, lei
them go with Cleveland, aud send
back this poor soldier, who had never
received dollar of pay, who had the
scar the bullet left, and who had
twenty-five years OF neuralgia for
serving his country. Every man who
thought that the fathers of the Demo.
cratic party were instinct with the
heIoism OF Concord and Lexington
would vote for the minute man Of
1851, who had got bullet in his head
when on his way to join "the boys in
b'ue." Applause
Mr.. Burrows Mich 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 ascertsined
and in euch cases it was customary
to act upon a veto without referring it..
The last noteworthy case was the veto
of Pre- sident Arthur on the Fitz John
Porter bill. That veto had been i'm
mediately consi cred by the House
without reference to a committee. The
President had vetoed the Romeiser bill
because he had not been mustered in
st the time he received his wound. 1t
was true Romeiser had not taken the
ca h to d. fend the Const tuition, but
he had been defending the constitUr
ton against the domestic enemies of
the flag. A man, who, in his enthusi
asm and patriotism, went 10 the de.
tense of the constitution without
taking the oath to defend it was en-
titled to some consideration. The
man who, without taking the oath to
defend the constitution, but did de-
fend it, was entitled to as much con-
sideration as the man who took the
oath to defend the flag and violated
that oath, and yet Joseph Romeiser's
pension bill was vetoed and Fitz John
Porter was put on the rolls. App ause
on the Republican side
Mr.. Warner TO- believed this to be
q meritorious case and to be in the
line of all pre- cedents, but he thought
it ought to be referred to the COM
mi tee.
Mr.. Sno WIDEN Pa commended the
President for his fearless course and
thought that the other side was max
ing blunder in trying to make the
discussion party question.
Mr.. Springer said he would not dis
cuss the pending bill and the veto
ms sage OF the President thereon, ex.
cept to call attention to the fact that it
was fret vetoed in the Pension Office
in 1882 by Commissioner Dudley. But
gentlemen on the other side of the
chamber had taken advantage of the
discussion to attack the President and
the Democratic party, and to charge
that they were opposed to granting
pensions. Nothing could be luther
from the truth. During the entire
eight years of Grants administration
only 542 private pensions were grant
ed. During the Forty seventh Con-
gress, which was Republican in
both branches, only ISL private
pension bills were passed. But
during the last, or Forty-eiRhth
the Congress, which contained ma
jority of Democrats in this House, aud
when the gentleman from Indiana
(Mr. Mstson) was chairman Of the
Committee on Invalid Pensions there
were 552 of such bills passed and be-
came laws, and during this Congress
since December 1st last, this Congress
had passed 665 private pension bills,
of which about 575 had either been
signed by President Cleveland or had
become laws without his action. He
had vetoed about ninety private PEN
sion bills. But thirty three more had
passed and become laws during his
administration up 10 this time than
were passed during the eight years
of Grants administration. Gen. Black,
Commissioner of Pensions, had
granted over 10000 certificates since
be bad ss:umed the duties of his
Office, being ten per cent more than
had ever before been issued by
any OF his predecessors during the
same length of time. The Treas
ury of the United States attested
the effect of Gen. Blacks increased
efficiency in the administration of the
Pension Office. The payments to
pensioners during the fiscal year Just
ended exceeded those of the previous
fiscal year by $8,600,00O. But not.
withstanding this increase in pension
payments thers had been net reduc-
ton of expenditures during the past
fiscal year of over $l6,000,000 as com.
pared with the fiscal year OF 1885.
Excluding PENSIONS the reduction of
ordinary expenditures for 1886 as
compared with 1885 amounted TO S24,-
100000. This statement was made
from the Treasury Department.
Mr.. Springer asserted that the PEN
sion Ofics had been, previous to Gen.
Blacks administration, run in the in
,erest OF the Republican party. Dur
ing the last President al year, the
numbers OF claims of applicants for
pensions considered by the examining
surgeons in certain States was very
significant. In Maine, a contested
State, there were 779 cases conaidere d
in each Congressional district. la
Massachusetts,, reliably Republican,
where no special political efforts were
required, the number so considered
was only POI in each district. In
Pennsylvania, reliably Rpu blicsn,
there were only 992 considered in each
district, but in Ohio, where there was
a great contest, tina number was 6O5in
each district. In Indiana the number
considered was S2l in each district,
while in Illinois, reliably Republican,
the number so considered was only
AGO in each district. Tnus it would
be seen that where there were
great political contests during
the last Presidential year, the busnes S
OF the Pens on Office was concentrated,
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