Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-09

the anniversary Of Grants birthday there
were several Confederate officers, and others
who could not attend received formal lnvi-
tations from Gen. Sherman, who was at the
head of the movement to honor Grants
memory in this way. The comrades Of the
Grand Army look upon their stated gather
ings rather as social festivals than otherwise,
and it is common for them to remark that
good Johnnie" (Confederate) is better than
a bad 'Yanll" By "a bad Yank" they
mean a northerner who did not go to the
front at all.
RELIEVING THE VETERANS
The Grand Army came late into the field as
advocates of pension measures. The reason
of this was that at first the work of relief
WIS done by finding employment for needy
veterans. But as years so by and growing
disabilities begin to make labor more difficult
for those who are injured, the order quite
properly has taken up the question Of pen
sions. Pensions are certain to be granted,
and the suffrages of the veterans themselves
are Of value in determining the business and
applicability of pending measures. Perhaps
the most obnoxious pension measure yet pro-
posed originated in the committee on pen
sions of the national encampment. This was
the so called 'pauper" or dependent pen
son." and it was vetoed by the president,
The bill was then Immediately submitted to
the Grand Army posts, and it secured q very
hearty Endorsement, but the sequel proved
that while the veterans wished to applaud
the committee for a vigorous effort in
the right direction, they did not, on
second thought, approve of the measure
The bill was vetoed at the close of the
Ill
to pass it over the veto, Notwithstanding the
inspiration given its friends by the practical
Endorsement of the posts when appealed to
through Grand Army headquarters. AT the
last encanpment let St. Louis, September,
1850 the committee on pensions reported
their efforts and their experience with this
bill The committee explained that the bill
was not in all respects satisfactory, but after
several vain attempts at having it amended
it had urged its passage upon the senate COM
mittee of 1867, because 1.-THE bill would at
least have moved from the public pauper
houses Of the land 1900 veterans and pro-
vided orfully as many more dependent upon
private charities, making these people pen
sfoners instead of paupers"
When the committee came to state before
the encampment the fact Of the presidents
veto, the announcement was received by the
assembled delegates with applause, Kisses
and some Interruptions"
The report continued: "Your COMMITTEES
tbereupon, after the veto, prepared new
pension bill embodying in a degree all Of tho
general recommendations made by it, This
now makes provision for pensioning al
veterans who are now or may hereafter be-
como unable 20 earn their own livelihood.
The bill is similar IN general principle to that
vetoed, but tho Objectionable pauper clause is
omitted, making this disability, not ! de-
pendent bill"
The comrades who were delegates at st.
Louis evidently did not accept the conclusion
of the committee that tho objectionable
pGuper clause" was omitted As soon as the
reading was finished there WAS cry of NO
debate! No debated" and, although many at
tempted TO speak, tie vote was rushed
through and the report adopted The vote
was not unanimous
The monthly pension asked for in this case
was to be S12, whereas a fully disabled sol
der draws but IS ct the highest. The pau
per clause IN the vetoed bill was IS follows:
Allhonorably discharged veterans who served
three months, land who are now or who nay
hereafter be suffering from mental or physi-
cal disability, not the result OF their own
vicious habits or gross careleSSness, which in
capacitates them from the performance Of
labor in such degree as 10 render them url-
able to earn support, and who are de-
pendent upon their daily labor FOR support"
In the new bill as reported BY the commit
tee the wording is: mental or physical dis
ability, not the result OF their own vicious
habits, which totally incapacitates them for
the performance of manual labor"
There were other measures in the bill Gs
agreed upon by the committee. One granted
S12 month to widows Of veterans; another,
pensions to war prison survivors, and others,
certain increases II the present pension rates.
As soon as the new bill was published the
veterans began to critlcise the policy of send
inG back to congress q bill quite as objec
tionable as the one vetoed and which would
probably meet tie same fate. How general
this feeling was may bs seen from the fact
that az the annual encampInents OF the depart
mcnts of the Grand Army, Minnesota,
Illinois and New Hampshire alone indorsed
the bill termed by the committee the disability
bill Other departments expressed prefer
eRces for other bills, and the most popular
anu important OF these has become known
IL the Grand Army and in congress as the
PER DIEM SERVICE BILL.
This measure viii receive attention from
the veterans at Columbus. While the ma
tional encaICpment was acting, as has Eeci.
stated, upon this question OF pensions
at St. Louis. the Union Veterans union
were in annual council at Cleveland and
among the measures presented there for ap-
prevail was a service pension bill Service I
pensions have been granted TO the veterans
of past American wars, and there has been
feeling among veterans ut large and in
the grand army as well, that q general
service pension law would do away with
the vexed question in politics, bring
relief 10 needy veterans and be an econou-
ical way for the country TO discharge its OBJ
legations Massachusetts has presented Z bill
in congress for some seasons past giving
every veteran IS a month service pension
New York has advocated service pension,
but leans toward
q rated che trs- H&l} ~
cause service was Fa.SG
performed for va EsSt,