The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-04-15
TIE 49Tp CONGRESS.
An EpitOme of the Proceedings of the
Past Week.

There was little of interest in Congress last
week. A great deal OF time was occupied in
making speeches Oh the silver question. the
Army bill, and various other measures. The
subject of pensions did not come definitely
before either House, aside from private bills.
RINGING SPEECH.
In the House, on private pension bill, Mr..
Conger Iowa) made a most eloquent appeal for
justice in full measure to the defenders of the
country. lie said:
In 1S6l, when the first guns of treason were
trained on Fort Sumter, and traitorous hands tore
down the Old flag from above her walls, the loyal
people, remembering their highest obligation of
citizenship, with marvellous alacrity rushed to her
defense and the wall of distress sent forth by the
great Abraham Lincoln was heard across the con-
tinent, and from Maine, Iowa. California, and all
the States between came tro0ping sad, thoughtful,
brave, determined men. Seventy-five thousand,
three hundred thousand six hundred thousand, a
million and more, with sword and gun rallied
around the flag followed it through four years OF
bloody war, fought for it 1000 battehelds.
until over 100000 of the flower OF the youth and
manhood of this country sacrificed, and re-
turned it at last with mot e star bcdimmed or
stripe erased, to float again union of States,
recemented with loyal blood, rebaptizcd with lib
erty light, forever one, forever free"
This is the duty of faithful citizenship, promptly,
grandy heroically performed. The corresponding
obligation due from the Government thus protected
and saved is to summon all the material resources
at its command to compensate and reward its
savors.
Full compensation, adequate reward, can never
be made. The value of individual life, sight, or
limb can not be measured by auSht that Govern
ment can command or contribute. The citizens
chief consolation must be in the supreme conscious
ness of having performed immeasurable service to
humanity and freedom, and Il trust in God and the
future for reward. But the Government can make
partial recompense by reasonably pensioning the
disabled and crippled survivors among her defend
ers, and the widows and orphans of those who laid
down their lives.
The alacrity with which our citizens responded
Lao,
world; nothing like it had history recorded. The
farmer left his piow aiclI, the smith his forge
GblaZc, the machinist his lathe still turning, the
merchant his wares unsheved. the Judge his court
In term, the lawyer his brief unified, the doctor his
patient incurred the parson his sermon unpreached,
the student his book half read; the father tore him
self from wife and child, to mother and sister the
son gave parting kiss, and all rushed noby TO the
rescue. This was because they loved freedom and
its flag, had faith in the future of the Republic and
knew that those who should administer their Gov
eminent would deal justly with them or their dear
ones who might survive them.
The Government has acknowledged this Obliga-
ton and has dealt out pensions with seeming lib
erality-it has been said with more generosity than
the soldiers of any other Government III the world
has received. All, but such soldiers went
to battle. The brayest men of their race met in
deadly encounter. There equal valor upon
desperate in all the annals Of the worlds
W hen such foes met in shock of battle the thunder
OF the contest echoed around the world 4 COM
parison of the losses in some of the most sanEuinary
battles Of the Old World will but demonstrate the
bravery and hcroism required in many Of our own.
At Waterloothe loss only IL per cent. of those
engaged but at Shiloh the loss more than 30
per cent; ut Wagram, per cent. at Wurzburg, 81
per cent; ut Zurich per cent; at Racour, 29 per
cent; at Families, 6 per cent; at Lisny, 81 per
cent; at Contreras, 10 per cent; at Lodi III per
cent; at faimy, per cent; ut MGrengO, - per
cent; mt Austertz q per cent; at Magenta 8 per
cent; at Sollerino, per cent; at Koni2Gratz per
cent; ut Wirth, IL per cent; ut SpecEydII 10 per
cent; ut Mars le Tour, - per cent al GEaveotte,
Il cent; at Sedan, IS per cent; while at Perryve,
Murfreesborough. Gettysburg. Mission Ridge,
Chickamauga. the Wilderness and Spottsylvania.
the loss often exceeded 10 per cent othose engaged
and the average was over 30 per cent.
No such soldicry ever marched to battle, and
hence no such heroes ever returned with victorious
laurels to lay al the feet of their Government and
ask pension so well and so thoroughly earned.
The soldiers of tie late war have richly merted all
the pensions that are can be paid them. The
pension Is not q gratuty. as has been often said
eran has paid right royalty for it, with the blood
poured out at Manassas with the good right
left at Nashville. with the shattered leg cut off at
Chickamauga, with eyes shot out at Stone River
and the lifelong darkness that remains with the
broken health, shattered constitution, and Tester
ing wounds that have made him a constant sufferer
and shortened his life by years. The widows and
phans have paid 10 600 times its value in the lives
of husband and father who went down in the blood
and carnage of dreadful war. and who now sleep in
unknown graves in shady forest Southern
plain, or quietly rest under the hallowed mounds
i'll those charming cities Of the dead-our National
We have paid off since 1862 nearly 81 600 OGG, 900
of bonds and more than g coo O1 GO of interest on
bonds. These are startling figures indeed, abso-
lutely bewildering. Why not call halt here?
Make no more calculations of interest and pay no
more. Oh you say our bondSand coupons out;
we cannot repudiate these; that would be ma
tional crime. All, gentlemen, the bond of the
Republic Is ont for these other debts due to these
pensioners; it is written with their blood. sealed
with their life. and sanctltied with orphans and
with widows tears.
The one obligation is just as sacred as the other
and TO repudiate either would be public disgrace.
n national crime, matter how startling the
amounts. Yet who of you that are startled at
the vast amount of our pension-roll to cry halt
In this direction ever raise your voice to suggest
halt III tl,e other? Not one Why? will tell you
why. Because the bond written III ink Is held by
capital and wealth, and the written in blood Is
held by labor and poverty. desire TO insert here
Il table showing the amount of money paid by the
Government for pensions and for interest on the
public debt.
From this it may be seen that the average yearly
payment of interest to the bondhoder since 1862
period of a years. is SCI 10000; average yearly
S3l 100000; excess paid yearly to
bondholders S61,00OG 600 There has also been paid
OF the principal OF the pbc debt $500 05i as; add
amount of interest paid s. 2)5 0l9, 49, and we have
total paid bondhoders, &5,l0i,07S,86i; total paid
pensioners, S165. 092 $40; paid bondholders
over pensioners 81 ;}SS ySl ,22i.
These amounts are enormous almost incompre-
hGnsible yet they should not be startling to the man
who fairly contempates the priceless heritage |
gained by these expenditures, namely, Union |
Government increased in wealth more |
han threeioid, and with IL world wide credit an |
preciated to degree above and beyond all other |
governments in the world.
Men Of the North bcscech you by the promise
you made to the 100000 boys of 1916 by the
memory of the half million dead, whose spirits are
now towering i'll faithful vigis the destinies of
his Republic by their widows tears and orphans
cries. by the empty sleeves the sghtless eyes the
crippled and wounded forms ali this land; |
md, men of the South, cnreat you by the deliver
lnce which they wrought for you, by the grand |
possibilities opened up for you in the new ciyiIiza- |
ion guaranteed by their sacrifices and their success
i bescech you all, from East, from West. from |
North, from South by the glory of your common |
country, preserved by their valor, by the events |
which the old flag to float to-day over this
marble Capitol an honest emblem of liberty and |
inon-l 1nipiore you every one to deal fairly and
generous y with the men who wrought for yoi this
glory, who saved for you this flag.
OF INTEREST TO SOLDIERS.
Mr.. Steele Ind.) introduced bill (H r.
GIL providing for the sale of public lands to
discharged soldiers under certain
conditions.
Mr.. Sawyer IN. " introduced a hill grant
ng condemned cannon and cannon-balls to
Post No. 343, of the Grand Army Of the Re-
public, of the city of New York.
PENSIONS FOR LOSS OF LINES.
Mr.. Seweil IN. j., from the Senate Commit
zee on Pensions, reported bill to amend the
pension laws by increasing the pensions of SOL
tiers and sailors who have lost an arm or leg in
he service, The bill increases the pension for
he loss of an arm OF foot from 524 to $50 q
month. and in the class above the elbow from
$50 to $50, and loss at a shoulder-joint or hip
ONT from $3.50 TO SIS.
THE SILVER QUESTION.
The House virtually settled the silver ques-