The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-10-26
Sound Views
4 PLEA FOR THOSE WHO HAVE
NOTHING.
General Warmers Speech on the In.
crease Pension Bill.

General Warmers Speech on the In.
crease Pension Bill.
The following is General, Warmers |
speech in Congress last summer
againt the bill increasing the pen
sions of Soldiers who have lsst q
limb, from $2G, $50, and $3.50 to
$50, $36 and $40 per month.
The speech is sound in principle,
and fair and logical in argument. 1t
contains theplain, honest, sentiments
OF a soldier who have the courage to
speak the truth. There is no dem
agogery in it. Read it, and see if
you do not fully agree with him.
Mr.. WARNER, of Ohio. Mr..
Speaker, l know the position tn
which a memberT0f this House pla-
ces himself when he rises to oppose
q measure of this kind; and l should
not do so if l did not think good
reasons exist why the bill should
not pass.
Certainly no class of soldiers are
entitled to higher honors or greater
consideration than those who lost
limbs in battle, save those who lost
their lives on battleficlds. But the
loss of limbs was not the only Sc
we're injuries which were sustained.
Often an injury to some vital organ
or part compels man to 60 through
life under greater difficulty than
would the loss of an arm below the
elbow, or even the loss of Il leg.
Mauy soldier who is now drawing
but 81 month for an injury to some
vital organ-rerhaps diseased or
injured lung-suffers more severely
and goes through life under greater
difficulty than man who has lost
limb; and his life, too, is more like
ly to be shortened.
Again, there are thousands and
tens of thousands not on the PEN
sion-roll at all, and who can scarce
ly keep out of the poor-housc, who,
though their disabilities are not so
marked or so apparent, are suffering
perhaps quite as severely as those
who have lost limbs.
But. Mr.. Speaker, have another
reason for voting against this bill,
which | shall do reluctantly but
from a sense of duty. That reason
is this: | take as 4 fair standard for
/ the equivalent of total disability the
average earnings Of laboring men
who toll all day from morning to
night. If we give to one totally dis
abled for performing manual labor
for his support the full earnings of
another man who must toll through
the day. it seems to me we give the
full measure Of compensation which
there is any right to demand.
If, however, in addition to the loss
of limb, which is counted total dis
ability (although it really is not to-
tal disability, the one disabled is
put to an expense or cost for mcdi-
cal or surgical attendance, an allow
ance should be made for that; and
it his disability is such that he can
not minister to or help himself, then
he should be entitled to the proceeds
of the labor of two men. That /
think is the true standard, and the
one that should guide us in these
matters
l have never heard any good rea-
son why we should 90 above that
standard There are now twenty
millions of men in this country who
must labor to maintain themselves
snd to support and educate their
families. Their average earnings
are not $50 month. They can not
earn that working all day on the
average; and besides they have to
take all the chances of being thrown
out of employment and of loss of
time from sickness and other causes
while the pensioner draws quarterly
with regularity his full pension. And
it should not be forgotten that thess
same men who toll for less than $50
per month on the average have in
the end these pensions to pay.
Mr. Eyarts, a former Secretary of
State, tersely gave as the cause of
the greater burdens sustained by
countries in Europe that every peas
ant there had to carry soldier on
his back. Now, | do not think we
are in danger of coming to that con-
dition of things here. l hope not,
at any rate. But when you give to
one who has lost limb the earnings
of another man for his relief you
make, us things 90, reasonable pro-
vision. You afford reasonable CON-
pensatiOn.
Besides, Mr.. Speaker, a considera-
BILE part Of these men, if not a ma
.ority OF them, are either in Govern
ment employ or otherwise occupied
at regular and full salaries. So that
their disability is not that kind Of
total disability suffered by many
other men whose wounds were not
, of 4 nature to cause the loss of a
limb. There are many wounded SOL
diers in Government employ, and /
am glad of it, drawing The same sal