The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-07-22
Interesting Debate I'm the House
on Mr.. Cleveland's Pen
sion Vetoes.
Evidence Going to Show that the Execu-
tive Does Not Carefully Examine
the Documents.
The Democratic Chairman Of the Pen.
sion Committee Take Issue with
the President.
Washington dispatch. !


nounced that the regular order was the vote
on the demand for the previous question on
the motion to refer to the Committee on
Invalid Pensions the message of the Presi-
dent vetoing the bill granting pension to
Sally Ann Bradley.
Amid a great deal of confusion Mr.. Bur-
rows. of Michigan, on the part of the Re-
publicans. and Mr.. Matson, of Indiana,
representing the Democrats, endeavored to
come to some arrangement to prevent the
time being FILTERED away with roll calls.
1t WIS finally agreed that the demand for
the previous question should be withdrawn
and that Mr.. Grosvenor, of Ohio, should be
allowed fifteen minutes to oppose the mo-
ton to refer. with permi' sion to some Dem
ocrat to reply, if so desired.
Mr.. Grosvenor said he desired to heap
no recrimination or condemnation upon the
President for his veto messages. They were
caused by total misapprehension on the
part - the President of his relation to the
administration of the Government. He
tAlr. Grosvenor) had read all the vetoes
coming from that prolific source of vetoes,
and he thought the trouble was the Presi-
dent understood it was his duty to examine
carefully every act of Congress, and if he,
as member of Congress, would not vote
for the BILL he gave no sort of considera-
ton or weight to the fact that the legisla-
tive branch of the government had acted
affrmativelv upon it. The President acted
upon the idea that the Executive had
right, and it was his duty to decide abso-
lutely on every question. Another idea of
the Presidents was that no private act
should be approved unless there was law
authorizing it, wholly oblivious to the fact
that Congress was the w-making power
and had right to confer pension upon
anybody.
Mr. Grosvenor then detailed the facts of
the special bill under consideration, and
commented on the fact, rs he asserted, that
the President had approved the Fitz John
Porter bill on the very day that he had We
toed the bill granting pension to Sally
Ann Bradley, the mother of four sons, two
of whom had died on the battle field, and
two of whom were in the hospital disabled.
Fitz John Porter would go on the pension
roll, while Sarah Ann Bradley would go to
the poor house, and this was the Govern
ment which undertook to say that it was
dealing generously and literally with its
soldiers. The House was paralyzed and
terrified by the veto of n single mana
proposition tyrannical, in the direction of
absolute usurpation, in the direction of turn
ing from its normal position the Congress
of the United States, and turning over the
administration of the generosity of the Gov
eminent to one man. Applause on the
Republican side.
Mr.. Matson merely remarked in reply
that he had just learned that in the Forty
seventh Congress a Republican committee
of the Senate had reported that the woman
ought not to be pensioned for the same rea-
son the President said he thought she
ought not to be pensioned. Applause on
Democratic side.
Mr.. Long Mass suggested that at that
time the woman had husband living who
was in receipt of a pension.
The bill and message were then referred
yeas, ll2; nays, Ill.
OTHER PENSIONS.
When the veto message Of the bill grant
ing n pension 10 Francis Deming was
reached the Republicans demanded and
| were accorded half an hour for debate Mr..
Boutelle, of Maine, arraigned the President
for what he characterized as his crusade
against the veterans of the country. The
| time had come. he said, when the Demo-
cratic party felt itself sufficiently firmly
seated In the saddle TO utter its defiance and
| hostility to the men who went To the front
TO save the Union.
Mr.. Brumm. Of Pennsylvania, denounced
| the Democrats as poltroons and towards,
who exonerated their President whenever
he chose TO slap them in the face and spit
upon them. The acton of the House re-
minded him of the play Of Hamlet.
| Laughter. He would substitute or the
young Prince the young courageous man
| of nerve, President Cleveland. and for the
poor old Polonius the poor miserable cow
| ards of the Democratic party. Laughter
Mr.. Hill, of Pennsylvania made an ar
| gument to show that the Democratic party
| had the credit for much OF the pension
| legislation of the country.
Mr.. Curtin. of PENNSYLVANIA, sail that
this vituperation and abuse of the Presi-
| dent was all wrong. He asserted his en-
| tire confidence in the integrity of the Presi-
dent and in his desire to do his duty.
After further debate the message was1re-
ferred without objection.
The next and last veto message uron the
| Speakers table was then laid before the
| House. 1t was message vetoing the bill
granting pension TO Joseph Romiser, and
as this case is regarded as presenting
specially strong features, the Republicans
determined TO make fight over its refer
| ence.
Mr.. McComns, of Maryland, said the
President declared that though the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions had reported
that Romiser had filed a claim for pension
which had been rejected by the Pension
| Office. there was no such case in the office.
| The President said that Romiser had never
filed a claim. If this were true the COM
mittee was indeed convicted of gross care
lessness, and doubtless the President made
the statement to illustrate the loose meth
| DDS of the committee and his own accuracy
in examining the private pension bills. If
this charge were unfounded then the Presi-
dent was convicted of still grosser care
lessness, because the report of the commit
tee had warned him that there was a case
in the office. He (NIr. McComas) held In
his hand the very bundle of pension papers
in the case of Joseph Romiser. The
packet recorded all the proceedings from
the time of the filing of the claim in 1879
until lis rejection. The records showed
that the Pension Office found that though
Romiser was seriously wounded by n mimic
la passing through his head and face, be-
cause he was not mustered in the office was
"constra ned" to reject the claim. When the
Presidents veto came to the House declar-
iGc that there were no such papers he had
teIephoned to the Pension Office and had
had no trouble in getting them. To-day
had not the President done likewise?
Why had he reproved the committee for
what proved TO be his own carelcssness?