The National tribune., 1886-08-26
THE SOLDIERS ROLL
Of the House, and How it is Protected
by Legislation.

! DOnelSOn of the House of Representatives, has
been contemplating a raid on the soldiers roll
in consequence of the absence of provision in
the legislative bill of the next fiscal year to
retain or prevent the removal of messengers on
said roll aud hence it is optional with the
| Doorkeeper to retain them or not.
| This is 4 mistake, which can readily be ascer-
| tanned by careful reference to the provisions
! in prior bills on this subject The provision
incorporated in the legislative appropriation bill
| of the second session of the 4oth Congress ex-
pTessly provides against any interference with
the soldiers roll in the absence of action by
| the House.
1t will readily be seen by reference to said
provision that the phraseology is different from
| that inserted in any preceding appropriation
bill since the organization of the soldiers roll.
| All provisions in preceding legislative appro-
priatiOn bills simply provided for the retention
of messengers on said roll during the availa-
bility and effect of said BILL In other words,
they were only carried from one bill to the
other But it will be observed that the neces-
sity of inserting provision in each succeeding
| appropriation bill has been Obyiated by q change
of the phraseolOgy in the provision of the legis
latiye bill of the 18th Congress, to wit: And
! hereafter messengers on the soldiers roll shall
not be removed except for cause reported to and
approved by the House" Heretofore it read,
mot subject to removal, exception cause" The
words And hereafter" were expressly inserted
| 10 aNOlu the necessity OF prOVlulug
| in every legislative bill on this subject. 1t will
not do to say that the usual provision for a
soldiers roll " was omitted in the legislative
bill this year.
The Committee on Appropriations considered
that the soldiers roll was amply provided for in
the preceding bill. which is the law on the sub
ject until otherwise repealed. The DoOrkeeper
we'll understands the object and purpose of the
House in inserting that clause, "And hereafter
shall not be removed 1t was put there to
provide for the future as well to guard against
a pro1tless discussion on every appropriation
bill arising on points OF order.
1t is true that one Congress cannot enact a
law of this kind that will be binding on a sub
sequent Congress, but after act receives the
approval of the President il is then law until
it is repealed by subsequent Congress. aud the
provision referred 10 in reference to the SOL
diers' roll is a law until otherwise ordained by
Congress.
The Doorkeeper of the House is an executive
officer. and it is his duty to respect and obey
the law. He is not vested with judicial power,
and hence cannot pass upon the legality or con-
stitutionality OF the provisions incorporated in
any appropriation bill, nor can he enact or re-
| peal law. The fact that it is alleged that 10
disabled soldiers on the roll are Republicans
will not justify him setting aside provision of
law.
But what are the facts in reference to the
political status of the soldiers roll2 1t will
be remembered that the soldiers roll was
organized aud inspired by Judge Holman, of
; Indiana, and incorporated in the executive,
legislative and judicial appropriation bill of
D the 44th Congress. first session. Prior to that
. time disabled soldiers were employed in differ
r ent capacities about the House under the Door
. keeper, and carried on a special list, and pro-
: yided for by special appropriations, and not
until the first session of the 4ith Congress was
il designated the soldiers roll" The political
. status of the roll is the same to-day that it
: was when organized. with this difference,
! namely, that seven of the present number were
{ appointed by Democratic Members aud seven
4 by Republican Members, and when organized
T five were appointed by Democrats and nine by
: Republicans. The roll maintained this status
D until Doorkeeper Polk employed methods of
> his own invention 10 get rid of them during his
d brief administration in the 45th Congress.
Q Clutches and empty sleeves soon vanished from
Q the doors and corridors of the Capitol, and men
Q who could not tell the difference between a
= mountain howitzer and a sewing machine were
y indicted into places held by the mutilated vet
h Grams and paraded the corridors with the airs
n Of carpet-baggers and the impudence Of desert
o erS.
It Eight earned aud one-legged soldiers were
= removed from the roll and eight able bodied
d men assigned to their places, many of whom
5 were IN their swaddling clothes when the men
whose places they were assigned to fill were
s languishing in hospitals, wounded and bleed
% ing. But this fact did not deter Mr.. Polk, as
n il was in accordance with the fitness OF things
y from his standpoint The eight soldiers re-
IT moved were Republicans, and the Republicans
k when they regsiDed power in the 47th Con-
II gress, reinsated the crippled soldiers, who came
It hobbling back to their places.
n One Of tho first acts Of the Republican eau
st Gus was to pass q resolution offered by that
IT faithful soldiers friend, Gen. Henderson, oil
is Illinois, to retain the crippled soldiers on said
m roll. After the organization Of tho 47th Con-
st gress, Col. w. p. BTOwnlow removed the eight
Is abie-bodied men and appointed in their places
b the crippled soldiers whom Mr. Polk had driven
10 from the Capitol they gave their limbs to save
m thus restoring the roll to its original status
r what the law contemplated it to be, to wit, q
rs crippled and disabled Union soldiers roll Ia
k in number. The word Union (" was inserted
lie so as 10 make the roll non partisan, because
at there were no political soldiers in the war.
d. The only qualification for place said roll
a was TO be crippled or disabled Union soldier
Is with an honorable discharge. So far as we ar,
OF able TO ascertain no disabled soldier has beer
IS discharged since the organization of the roll
until the present time, on account of politics
except by Doorkeeper Polk in the 45th Con
gress Doorkeepers Fitzhugb, Patterson. Field
of Wintersmith and DOnelsOn, have honored tn,
n soldiers roll, aud there is no reason why j
en- should not be hOnOred in the future
he 1t is not necessary to repeat that Col Brown
al low honOred il, as he had many OCCASION
ld compllmented them for faithful discharge o
n duty, and resisted every pressure and impor
if tunity coming from disappointed outs ant
ay Jealous minded ms, and handed the roll owe
ag TO his successor composed of Ia crippled ant
u disabled soldiers-fye Of whom came over L
be him FROM a Democratic Congress, and the re
be manning nine were Republicans Strenuou
efforts had been made TO induce Mr.. BrownlOy
TO make place OH the soldiers roll for a lie
publican soldier who had lost both feet in tin
war But in order to do this he would b
obliged to remove "a disabled Democratic sol
or dieT, and this he firmly refused TO do by declar
us ing that he would not discharge one cripple /
nc make place for another. Two vacancies hav
ne occurred on said roll since the 47th Congress
one Occasioned blythe resignation of Capt. Henr
y" Cliff during the first session of the 18th Congress
and the other BY the death of Gen. Stannar
I'd during the session just closed. Both were Re
publicans and both vacancies were filed b.
the appointment of Republican disabled sol
diers-to wit, Fernando Page, both legs of
appointed by DOorkeeper James Wintersmit
&C" (deceascd), on the recommendation of tn
:, Michigan delegation, aud Mr. Wilson, of Hi
81, e,I nois, who was recently appointed by Door
keeper DOnelson, on the recommendation
the Illinois delegation, to fill the vacancy oeca
ny stoned by the death OF Gen. StannaTd, of Vel
mont. This establishes the non partisan fes
AN ture of the roll as Democratic DoorkeepeI
and Democratic delegations have appointe
Republican soldiers TO fill vacancies Occasionc
=, by the death or resignation OF Republican so