The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-03-15

, that of the $500, 900 soldiers of the Unior
army more than one half had applied
for pensions. Such speeches as thosC
of the Senators from Missouri and Ken
lucky were intended to catch the Con-
federate vote, and they would catch it.
They were centre shots, striking the
bull's-eye every time and ringing the
bell He wanted the Senators on the
Democratic side of the Chamber to un.
derstand that their disguise for opposing
pension bills was so exceedingly thin
that nobody was deceived by it. 1t was
not question of the cost. The South
did not love the Union army. Neither
did the Democratic party.
In 1886 there was in Atlantta great
historical occasion, when a statue to the
memory of an honored Senator was to
be unveiled, a man whom he Qngalls)
honored and respected, and on that &C.
casion the ex President of the Confed-
erAcy was invited TO be present. Men
hocked to the city as they 90 banquet
as waves come when navies are strand
ed, and the city was decorated with the
Confederate emblems to make Confed
crate holiday. Mr.. Ingalls, quoted from
the speech of Mr.. Grady at the unvelling
OF the Hill statue at Atlanta, in which
jefferson Davis was spoken of as one
! hA- hnira nrntrraI Ia
deathless love, and as one vino, though
an outcast from the privileges of this
great government, is the uncrowned
king of our people He did not propose
to rehearse the reply of Mr. Davis except
to quote one sentence in which he re-
ferred to Senator Hill as having mashed
the injurious Yankee, (meaning, he sup.
posed. their friend now in Florence. y
He spoke of the same orator, Mr.. Grady,
having gone to New York and NewEng
land soon afterward. and made speeches
there, pouring out his 'treacle, cold
cream and honey and maple strip all
over the North. When, he asked, was
that orator sincere? When did he speak
the sentiments, the feelings and the
conscience of the Southern people? Was
it when he delivered that speech in At
lanta on the LIST of May, 1886. or was it
when he spilled oil and wine over all the
American people in the North2
Coming back to the opposition of
Southern Senators to pension bills, he
said he did not blame them for it. He
often wondered how he would have
acted if the relations had been reversed,
and if the Federal Government had been
overthrow. He did not believe he
would have felt comforted in voting
pensions to Confederate soldiers. He
believed he should have been a conspir-
ator against the Confederacy to the end
of his days. But he should have regard
ed as the climax of etfrontery, as the
very apex and summit of hardihood and
audacity The would not say of pusllan
unity and dIshonor), if, after he had &C
copied pardon and had had disabilities
removed, and had taken the oath of al
legianCe to the successful Southern Con
federacy, he had denounced (day after
day the efforts which those Confeder-
ates made to reward their own soldiers,
and if he haggled about the price which
the conquoring country had seen fit to
bestow on the men by whose arms it had
conquered. He did not think that the
North was at all deluded by the preten-
sions of Senators on the other side. 1t
was little singular that in all the years
which had elapsed since the war, there
never has come from one of the States
that had been in the rebellion (so far as
he knew Union soldier as representa-
tive IN either branch of Congress elected
by Democratic votes. The Democratic
party in those States never had blunder-
ed at sending to Congress or electing as
the Confederate army in some capacity.
That had been the supreme test. When
he looked over the rolls of the Senate
and of the House and reflected how few
of those who hsd served in the Union
army were found in the councils of the
nation, he was not surprised at witness
ing such demonstrations as were wit
messed when pension bills were up for
action. Criticising the statement of Mr..
Vest that, of the 1888, 900 900 paid out
for pensions, 1890, 900, 900 had been con-
tributed by the South, he declared that
such statement was 'glittering gen.
erality.' He doubted whether the South
had actually contributed 100000, in
stead of 5000 100000. But even if the
South had paid $500, OOO,OOO it was very
lucky that it did not have to pay the
whole of the pensions. Instead of com
planning and grumbling that it had paid
$500 900, 900, it ought to be thankful that
it did not have to foot the entire bill, as
France had to do after the Franco. Prus,
sian war. And yet here, said he we have
the jaiIers and murderers of Anderson
vile, Belle Island and Libby Prison, sit.
ting under the flag which they attempt.
ed to pull down, Iegislating for the
country which they endeavored to de
stroy, and trying to pinch and belittle
and minimize the amounts to be paid to
the mutilated and disabled survivors of
the army Of the Union.
The Senator from Missouri has asked,
in burst of indignant Impotence. here
all this voting of pensions was going to
end He had gone thus far, he said but
he should go no further. l will tell the
Senator, said Mr.. Ingalls,, and every SEN
ator on that side of the chamber(wheth
er they like it or not what we intend to
do. will tell the Senator from Mis-
souri, and the rest OF his associates Just
where this thing is going to stop. 1t is
going to stop when the arrears of pen.
sions are paid; when the limitation is
removed and every soldier on the rolls,
or who gets on the rolls, is paid from
the day of his disability, or lin case of a
SURVIVOR from the date of The soldiers
death; and when every surviving soldier
of the Union army is put upon the rolls
for service only. That is when 1t is go
ing to stop, Applause in the galleries
And if you do not like it m axe the most
OF it.
Mr. Ingalls, repudiated and denied the
assertion of Mr.. Vest that the National
Encampment of the G.. A, Rat st. LOUIS