Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-02-26

Mr. Henderson said that the commission
er's letter had not only been telegraphed over
the country, but had been telegraphed with
$4,000, 900 lies in its stomach. When he
tHenderson) had examined the letter he had
seer that it contained on its face q repetition
of $50, ,000, 900 and he wrote to the com.
missioner calling attention TO the fact. Two
days afterw Yards he had received letters from
the commissioner affirming the correctness of
his first figures. A day or two later the COM
missioner had appeared before the committee
and had changed front three times until every
member of the committee agreed that the
point he (Henderson) had taken was correct.
Then the commissioner had yielded and
written supplementary, a tail TO the first
great battering ram, TO fix up the blunder he
had previously refused to acknowledge The
effect OF the first letter had ac,e, like magic
and carried terror to certain committee
rooms about the capital. Whether il would
be finally successful in intimidating any COM
mittee from meeting the patriotic require
ments of the hour remained to be seen. He
didn't believe it would, but the truth was
finally developed that S222, 900, 900 would be
the expenditure arising from the limitation
repeal.
Mr.. Randall inquired what the gentleman
thought it would cost.
Mr.. Henderson replied that he didn't be-
lieve it would cost over $50 600, 900. He
then passed on to the discussion of the ad-
ministration of the pension bureau, and
quoted from Commissioner Blacks report in
which he condemned the political methods in
which the bureau had been administered bv
his predecessor. Mr.. Henderson defended
ex-Commssioner Dudley, and while he com.
mended the expressed desire of Commits sioner
Blach to make his bureau non-partisan, re-
gretted that he had fallen several degrees
lower than any other department or bureau
chief appointed under this administration
MIR. Henderson went into the ANALYSIS of the
negative vote on the bill to increase the PEN
sions of soldiers widows. The total vote in
the negative. he said. was &c; the totes re-
publican nays were none; total democratic
nays, &c; total macs from the south, GA total
vote from the north, 2 The vote of the
gentleman from New York (Hewitt) did not
disturb him much for the gentleman was
not standing authority on any great question.
He (Henderson) was little troubled about
his friend from Wisconsin Bragg who had
cast the other northern "no." Still the gen.
tleman could not go far as northern authority
for the reason that man who would vote
against the widow and at the same time make
his leading effort in this Congress to restore
TO his enormous pay and position Fitz John
Porter was not high authority anywhere.
This was significant vote and great lesson
was to be learned from it. In the late cam
psign in the north the republican party had
been charged with being the party that waved
an ensanguined garment. The man that
would ever again make charge after that
sample vote would close his eyes to the
truth.
Mr.. Tillman of South Carolina interrupted,
saying, considering that the Confederate
States pay about one-third of the taxes to the
federal government for pensions and do not
get back three cents; considering also that
from the foundation of the government to
the present time S8 month was considered
sufficient for widows can the gentleman com
plain that the Southern members are trying
to restrain necessarily large expenditures for
pensions within the rules that prevailed
heretofore.
Mr.. Henderson, never was more CRATE
full for an interruption. | arraign no gentle
man on this floor for his vote, but | say this
in reply to the gentleman, that there is no
section of this countay that before God is un-
der deeper and more profound obligations to
pay every dollar of its share of that debt than
the Southern States. Was it dap of pleas
ure for US when our flags were unfurled and
we marched southwark; was it something we
prayed for and desired when we turned our
backs on home and faced towards death For
one fought for the South as well as for the
North, and that my friend did not do; laid
down my life at his feet as much as did to
keep the roof over my own head, and now
that we can all meet here together, men who
stood in serried columns against each other
for four years, | think those who cast that
negative vote are under as profound moral
and legal obligation as we are to pay that
debt.
MIR. Randall desired to leave the arena of
politics for a moment to assume the ground
of history and truth. He was unwilling the
sun should go down without expressing his
recollection on this question. He had had
much experience on the appropriation COM
mittee and this was the first time he had ever
seen partisan politics and sectionaism thrust
into debate on the pension appropriation
bill. He should, perhaps, have remained
silent, notwithstanding, except whether in
tended or not, there might go abroad the
statement that the democratic party and men,
particularly the southern element of that
party, had in any way shown any opposition
whatever to the payment of pensions. On
the contrary his experience na1 SHOWN tDat
the southern element had developed won
derful disposition to pension Union soldiers
or widows of the Union soldiers. He placed
his experience against the impression carried
by the speech of the gentleman from Iowa,
that there was on the democratic side any
hostility to the payment of what was justly
due those who were disabled in the war for
the Union.
The discussion was continued by Me.srs.
Reed, Hiscock of New York and others,
and drifted into the old groove as to whether
the democratic party was sincere in its pro-
fessions of economy or whether it had not
made inadequate appropriations for the pur-
pose of being able to go before the country
with favorable showing of expenditures.
Pending action, the committee rose.
The debate throughout the day was
marked by much interest and some excite
ment. though good nature was preserved al
all times. The chairman had much difficulty
in keeping the committee in order, but sue
ceeded well in his hard task, though at tim es
the confusion was so great that the voice of
the speaker was drowned in the applause and
laughter.
Adjourned.