Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-03-02
LIVE WASHINGTON TOPICS.
A CAUSTIC SPEECH BY MR.. VEST
ON THE PENSIONS.
The G.. \. Il. "A Political MaChiue-Iht
Seer ttry of the Treasury Wants 'oi-
taln i'JWBrs Already vested in Vim
--Dtier Matters of Interest.

WAsHlNGToN, Feb. 29.-The dependent
pension bili being under consideration in
the Senate to-day Mr.. Vest made, from
the democratic standpoint, one of The
most powerful speeches ever heard in the
Senate He said he had heard much about
alms-hou -es and veteran soldiers. In Mis-
souri, there were no federal or confederate
soldiers in the alms-housas. the South
was covered with manned and Grip
pied soldiers, but they asked no
pensions and wouldn't take any.
None were there in the aims
houses or rbegging.forbread. Whence came
the talk Of federal soldiers in the aims
nous ., thcy were not there. lie was sick
and tired Of iusiuuatiols of ROBBERY and
preteuce aud hypocrcy in the name Of the
gallant soldiers of the Union. He would
give every disabled aud dependent solder
and the widows and orphans Of the killed
ihe last acre and the last dollar, but since
-j5 the government has paid 1888 coo, 500
IN pensions, Il liDetallty uup trtilrItd ia
the Worlt's history. The Seuat. mad just
been tul The nation owed The soldiers p
debt OF eternal gratitude for not Sc,ZlDG
the government. 'Ine Il A. Il the great
military polite Il OrEau'Z tJlou, bad thrown
the lance into the debates of Congress and
sent oils to be euacted. Tue prrsi-
dent, when he vetoed an enactment
he thought improper was tnrettenei
by the officers OF this Organization with
personal insult There wa, limit 10 hu-
man endurance. He fNe~U voted for the
pension bills because ue W,t- honestly HuN-
IOus for the country's ElOry, hectu-e he
wanted the world to Know the conted-
crates respected gallant Union sOhiirr-,
and were willing to give more than tncy
demanded. But there is Il limit end he
had reached 1t.
When the pension arrears act pa-eel in
4 1879, there were 3O,OOl applications pt-u-
| ing the next year there were no 600 ep-
| plicatious. The disbursements increased
| from SD 600 eco 10 81 600 from 2,3OO 90.
soldiers enrolled during the war Jaere
| had been l,200.0OJ disability Applications
/ for pensions. such military execution
had never beer known in the worlds his
/ tory it meant every half fed confederate
| had disabled three adVerSaries. There "al
! been no such destruction since the chill
dren of Israel marched through the wild
eruess, destroying whole nations daily.
/ He Vest had so spoken to give hi
esteemed republican friends opportunity
10 throw shining lance amon-
/ the confederate brlgddiers' and try tC
carry of the republican nomination fp
'
/ face ions and imagined the senate an aUc
tion room, with the republican nomina
| ion for sale The speaker then bumDr
Ouslv described the individual bids tor tht
| nomination made 10y Me>srs NaudersOn
| Frye, Plumb and Cullom, each of whom
had gone one step ahead Of his pr5drce5
( sOr.
In conclusion Mr. Vest said "Parts Al
/ or non partisan, nay c)uV CtiOus requl",
me t. vote against the bjli. | say h.r,
now, hope ir may die ia the other Oran-i
of COuerts', and, if not there, at the haud
of the executive. Ii tntr ne unpornt
menttry make the most Of it, Nes~rs
Teller, Plat and Plumb replied to Mr.
Vest but without voting the Senate adj
journed.
Boarding schools for Indians.
In the Senate to-day the bill to provide
for the compulsory education of Indian
children WAS passed. 1t makes it th,
duty Of the secretary of the interior
to establish an industrial boarding schoo
on every Indian reservation upon whicl
may be located an Indian tribe numberin.
500 or more adults. The secretary j. tt
cause an enumeration of the children
between and IS, at least once in every
two years, aud cause them to ne placed
in the schools and kept there nut
exceeding five years. The children are lt
be Taught reading, Wrltln9, arlthme' lc
Ge ,n-rpnSsted in agr,cnifnra1 pur.nirs tht
oe ,uHf .tock naniry and far work ant
oI.n i'. .,.ne usefnl trade the girls To be in
structcd in household work, sewing and
0'''N' ''N'
the House Considering the surplus.
r,b. jI..r-a to.d,v wont into . commit
1c,,.,.l,ll'. e'. ~, a,n.i,Ior,+i,,,, ~.
tie bHi authorizing the secretary OF 'h'
treasury % purchase bonds with the sur
MIN, Er. Mill, explained the doubts o.
,ha sao,...t,r,, nf tho treasury ns m nj. an
thorlJy, under the law ol lool' u purcua''
boud, wion the surplus beyond the perIoO
covered hy that bll Mr. Mchlniry con
tcuded the act of lsSl gave HIM ample an
thorlty, and the administration friends
snOuiu r&pltin why the surplus hhd no
been pt.I out thus stopping the lntereS
charges. Mr.. Weaver OF Iowa IN a urad'