Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-03-31

hlOnS, but was opposed 10 granting pension
| to the widow of IA man who died, not in the
military service, but in the field of political
| and civil life Until the cases Of the 500, 900
applicants for pensions pending before the
observation-disclosures of private soldiers-are
| considered, he could not vote for a bill to
pension an officer whose record was as much
| that of a statesman and politician ms soldier,
Hatch Of Missouri said there were widows
of other brave and gallant officers who re-
ceived pension of only $50 IA month; and he
saw no reason why the widows of Gems. Lo-
gan and Blair should be taken out of that
class and their pensions raised to $1,000 a
year, when the average income of the people
| of Missouri, who would pay portion of it,
was less than one half that sum
Matson of Indiana said that the passage of
these bills meant the immediate establishment
of an aristocracic class in this country. If
these should become laws it would not be one
year until all the widows of general officers
would ask to be pensonod at the same sum
Therefore, he was opposed to them, because
he knew that the pensions would not go round
at that sum- At the rate of 81 900 year to
the widows of general officers the money
would not go round, limitess as it was sup
posed TO be by some gentlemen. What reason
was there for giving these good women more
than the widows of Candy, and Meade, and
Phil Kearney, and Stannard! The gentle
men who voted for these bills voted in direct
violation Of the principle of equal rights
to all.
Cochran of New York said that the OPP
ponents of the two pending measures had
conceded generously and fairly the distin-
guished services of Generals Logan and
Blair But one objection had been urged,
and that was that legislation of this charac-
ter war legislation in favor of class. If
there were foundation for this objection he
conceded that it would be decisive of the
fate of these measures. But it seemed to him to
be a fallacv that was ef-evident. 1t was said
that this legislation was in favor of a class
when it was avowedly based upon the illus
trious services of individuals. Glass legisla-
ton was devised for a set of individuals
based on some reason extraneous from their
own merits; but legislation which recognized
individual services was legislation directly
opposed to that which was usually denomin-
ated class legislation. When the ilustrious
services of these two men had been conceded,
when the character of the deeds they wrought
had been confessed, the argument was sup
piled which imposed upon the house the duty
of providing for those whom they left help
less.
1t has been said also that the widows and
orphans of private soldiers were not properly
provided for. If that were true it was an
argument for increasing their pensions, but
it was no argument against the enactment Of
measures of this character. When gentlemen
reflected upon the peculiar character of the
services rendered by the leaders of the Union
army during the late rebellion, they were
confronted by historical record that was
not presented by the pages of the worlds
history which were devoted to recording the
experiences of other nations. That was not
a conflict to repel invasion. 1t was not II
battle cry calling men to arms to resist the
invasion of a foreign foe, but
brethren were called to arms against
brethren. 1t was civil strife where
the men who went into the field not only
perilled their lives and health, but pledged
upon the result of the contest their whole fu-
ture prospects. Suppose those who followed
the Confederate flag had triumphed. Who
could tell what would have been the fate of
general officers of the Union9 Who could
tell how passion, famed by years of re-
sistance might have doomed them to outlaw
ry, to exclusion from all political privileges.
Oates of Alabama inquired what warrant
the gentleman had for that statement.
Cochran replied that he was only assuming
a hypothetical case-placing before the house
what might be the outcome of any civil
strife. He was far from saying that gentle
men who sat here and who had borne arms
in the Confederate service, or that the Colfed-
eracy itself, would ever actually have done
what he had portrayed as the possible result
of any civil war. He had merely been re-
ferring to the risk which every soldier took.
If congress established n rule that the
widows of men like Logan and Blair were
not to be considered the wards of the nation
it would discourage the display of patriotic
devotion if an occasion should again arise
when the country needed brave soldiers,
skillful officers and undoubted patriots. Zap
planse