The National tribune., 1886-01-28

illustration of this unjust discrimination let us sup
! pose that from some Northern village two men,
neighbor left their homes at their country call TO
maintain the integrity of the Government and to
preserve il from the threatening danger of dissou-
! ton. Their circumstances were the same; each
] had an humble home, loving wife, and two or
/ three young children. The one returned to that
! home manned and crippled by the loss OF limb
but still strong and vigorous with the prospect OF
long life before him, spared to return TO his family
| to protect them and TO aid them in the battle OF
| liic-spared to cheer aud comfort that wife and
! to watch over those children and direct and
| assist in their education. The Government allows
! him S2i per month to aid him in supporting his
family and educating his children. The other never
! returns; that young wife never again looks upon
the face of her husband. He falls upon the battle
| field; and she is "A widow. and those children are
fstheress. He is hurredly buried on some un known
field, and she has not the poor consolation of water
ing with her tears the flowers that grow upon hls
grave. Single handed she must light the battle oil
life Alone and unaidcd, except by the scanty pit
tance that the Government pays her, she must feed,
clothe and educate that little family Is this just
/ Is limb more valuable than life? envy neither
the head nor the heart of any man who would deny
| to this suffering class this small increase so justly
/ due them, and for which they have so long waited.
appeal to the Members OF this side of the House
to stand by the bill as is and its early pas
sage. lhere Is not village ii tne Norm out ii's
some poor widow whose husband gave his life to
/ his country who is toiling and struggling TO keep
the wolf from the door. On the distant prarIes OF
/ the grand young Commonwealth that in part rep
resent hundreds of soldiers widows are living III
poor sod houses rude dug scantily protected
from the terrible storms that sweep those vast
plains, struggling to maintain themselves winle
they take advantage of the generous provisions OF
that law which gives them homestead itthey VII VII
live upon it. To all Of these the passage of this bill
| VIII come rs benedlcton.
| Mr.. Johnston (Ind.) }, opposing Mr.. Warmers
| amendment, and urging the passage OF the bill,
! said:
do not believe it is right proper to distinguish
between the widow Of the man who fell upon the
! battlefield and the widow of the man who got the
seeds of disease while serving his country and died
from the effects OF the disease contracted simply
because the widow Is unable TO prove that he dicu
| from disease contracted in the army.
And do not believe the principle Is right which
/ the gentlemen from Ohio Mr.. WarnerI seeks TO
ingraft in the BILL that 1t shall Hpplyoniy to those
| who married now; that If a mIn who Is en-
titled to pension marres after this bill passes his
/ widow should not be entitled 10 draw pension
under this bill
! One word more. We hear gentlemen upon this
floor counting what this is TO cost. 1T is right in
matter of this kind that we should look to but one
! thing and ask what Is right and count the cost
! afcrward II would have been well i'll 1861. when
| gentlemen fired upon the flag of their country, to
! have stopped then and counted what it would cost
to pension the manned men Of this country, instead
of stopping to count the cost now when it comes to
doing justice 10 the men who saved the life OF the
! nation.
| Mr.. Townshend (Il) offered an amendment
! providing:
| That if any invalid pensioner pensioned for a
disability contracted in the military or naval SER
vice of the United States, and III the line OF duty.
has died or shall hereafter die, leaving awidow or
minor children under sixteen years of age or both
! at the date of the death Of such penSlOner, such
widow or minor children shall be entitled in the
order of succession named TO an original pension
III their right under existing law without
being required To prove that the death Of such pen
Sloner dI!c TO his military or naval service OF
! the United States.
In the course of his remarks Mr.. Townshend
said
am not afraid 10 announce and here that
am one of those who believe in liberal appropri-
ations for the sodcrnot only the soldier of the
late war. but the soldier of every war where citi-
zens of the Republic have sustained the flag of our
country. believe in the policy OF pcnsicninS
every soldier OF every that this country has
ever been engaged in when the soldier has suffered
disability by reason of his service for the Govern
ment; and when such soldier has become old and
unable TO maintain himself, whether he incurred
the disability in war or not. feel it TO be duty
| resting upon that we should at least keep him
| from the poor house in his old age.
1t for this that introduced into this
House ut the last session bill pensioning all the
! surviving soldiers OF the Mexican war, because
! believed that the time had ccmc when we should
! follow the precedents which had been established
| III reference 10 the soldiers OF the Revolutionary
war and the war of 1872. And. sir, when believe
that sufficient time has elapsed since the late war
shall be ready TO put upon the pension-roll every
man who defended the flag of his country in that
! war
| In my judgment no better can be made of the
| surplus money i'll the Treasury than to distribute
! it among the people through the hands OF our
army and navy pensioners. The money you put
into the pocket OF the pcnsioner Is not boarded 1t
| goes into circulation in every neighboThood and
helps TO increase the internal prosperity of the
country.
Mr.. Cutcheon (NIch) very strongly advo-
Gated the passage of the bill without amend
ment. He said:
do not envy the men who can stand up here and
oppose increasing the pensions of widows from S.
| to sl2 month | do not know what estimate gen.
estimate such gentlemen can place on the value of
the life of The husband TO his wife, who will meas
ure 1t at s! year and are opposed TO increasing it
! to the pittance of Sl44 year.
moments
time have desire refer to the the dis
tinguished gentleman from Texas Mr.. Reaganl.
That gentleman in his language has seen fit 10 inn
pugn the motives, TO mpugn the integrity of every
gentleman on this floor, the one side or the other
of this House, who votes TO increase the pensions
for soldiers of the late for their widows
/ orphans. For one, do not acknowledge the right
and never will concede the propriety of the gen
! teman from Texas or any other gentlemen on this
! floor impugning my motives when vote pensions
for the widows of the men who fell in the crash and
carnage of battle for the orphan children they
/ left behind them. The gentleman can look at the
subjec: perhaps more inpartiaIly than can;
never had an opportunity of looking at it from the
outside as he has. Laughter and applause.
! do not come here, Mr. Chairman, to represent
the Ninth Congressional District of the State of
| Michigan TO be lecured by the gentleman from
Texas on that subject any other. SO far as have
the privilege Of seat this floor iii integrity
as representative of the people of Michigan pro-
| pose to vote Tor pensions whenever my conscience
or my judgment deems II proper to vote for them
without asking his permission the permission of
any other gentleman of this House.
|
! ayes 10S, noes 10 Mr.. Warmers amendment
was also rejected-ayes 105, noes 126.
Mr.. Miiiken (Ne.) and Mr.. Holmes Iowa)
| spoke in favor of Mr.. Brownies amendment
repeating the arrears limitation. They urged
! its passage now part Of this bill.
Mr.. Hanback, (kan.) said:
live in State where there are over 100000 SOL
! dicrs, white and black, from every State in this
| Union. 1 know men, hundreds and thousands of
them who were too proud in the earlier days to ask
! for pension. know men who never knew of the
arrears Of pensions act or of the limitation. They
lived out upon the far prairies, bravey trying TO
fight ont the great battle of life they had bravcly
! fought to glorious conclusion under the flag of
their country the battle for the preservation of that
! country's life. They had means of knowing
these things, and they rested upon what they sup
! posed was their right at any time in the future.
| am in favor of the bill as proposed by the COM
mittee; am also III favor OF the amendment of the
gentleman from Indiana Mr.. Brownel. One reason
why am i'll favor of il is because the party belong
10 said what am about TO read This is what the
Republican party said at its last National Conven-
ton. want to know whether the delegates there
meant it not, and want to know whether that
sentiment is to be voiced here by the representa-
tves of that party to-day not:
The grateful thanks of the American people arc
due to ue Union soldiers and sailors of the late war
! and the Republican party stands pledged TO suit
able pensions for all who disabled and for the
widows and orphans of those who died in the war
The Republican party also pledges itself to the re-
peal of the limitation contained i'll the arrcars act OF
1873 so that all invalid soldiers shall share alike
and their pensions begin with the date of disability
and not with the date of application
In the name and in behalf OF the soldiers of this
country who did their duty when their country WINS