The National tribune., 1888-04-26
FRTDAy. April 90.


Mr. Henderson iowa arraigned the Admins
tration for its course in reference to the pur-
chase Of bonds. He said also that in examin
ing the arrears act, which passed Jan. %, 1879,
there was no Limitation in that act as to the
time when claims should be filed and consider
ed in order to come within its provision. The
only Limitation which was ever placed on the
aTrearage act is found in an appropriation bill
passed March 3, 1879. Hence, there is no law
to interfere with the allowance of arrearagcs
Of pension. except that which is found in an
appropriation bill. Accordingly he felt it his
duty to call the attention of the Administra-
ton to this fact. because il he had trouble III
buying bonds with the surplus in the Treasury
be should have equal difficulty to-day in deny
ing arrearages Of pensions. If he could not
without expression from the House go into the
markets and buy the bonds with the surplus
he has no right, this Administration has nc
right, if it is TO be logical aud consistent, to
withhold arrearages of pensions which are
claimed under the act Of Jan. %, 1879.
Mr.. Henderson appealed to the Administra-
tion to be consistent and to come up " like
little man and allow arrearages of pensions to
the boys who filed their claims within the pro-
visions of the act. The rule that the Admins
tr2tion applied for the benefit of the money
lender should have the same consideration in
behalf of the soldiers. Mr.. Henderson replied
TO Tarsneys Mich claim that the Democratic
soldiers than any previous Administration, and
produced figures to show that the Republican
PARTY and its administration stand unchal-
ienged for fidelity to the interests of the sol
Giers and he defed the Democracy to make q
comparison unfayorable to the Republicans. 1t
is true that the Democratic Administration
had been specially active in recognizing the
claims of men uuder the Mexican pension bill,
because most Of this money went South. In
some instances the pensions had been given the
men who were entitled TO them before they had
made application, and instanccd Col. Morrison,
who received his allowance of So a month, but
returned it.
Mr. Henderson yielded the remainder of his
time to Mr.. Hoyey (Ind.), who said that the
House had now been in session over four months,
with hundreds OF bills referred to the commit
tees, but both the committee and the House
seem deaf TO the call of the men " who preserved
Us a nation" Every intelligent man on the
floor now knows that from those committees
and this House legislation favorable to the ex-
soldiers could not be had this session. No bills
viii be allowed 10 be discussed before this
House that will give our soldiers even the
shadow Of justice Over 200 general bills have
been smothered, and not even laid upon the
table. until now like DesdemOna, they are
Pensions is composed Of nine Democrats and
six ReDu blicans the Committee on Public Lands
nine Democrats and FIVE Republicans, and the
Committee on Military Affairs eight Democrats
and six Republicans, so the Democrats OF those
committees have the power to report to this
House any bill referred 10 them, or they can
crush, by refusing to report, every bill offered
in favor Of the ez-soldier. The responsibility
is theirs; and ] assure them they Will be we'll
remembered hereafter by the men whose rights
they have SO unfeeIngly ignored.
If full hearing and fair vote on the sol
der bills could be had, the boys in blue next
Autumn would bury more Congressman pOliti-
cally who voted against them than ever fell on
any field Of battle. We might talk Of the
power of the veto, the power OF the President,
the power Of the crowned heads of Europe, but
he doubted if either had as much power IN di-
recting and molding legislation as the Speaker
Of this House under the parliamentary rules
which have been adopted. Gen. H0vey made
a brief and brilliant sketch of the services OF
the soldiers and pictured the misery that would
come upon this country if the separation Of the
States had been consummated. There were men,
he said. on the foeT Of the House who in the
late war stood nearly 100 days in battle in the
rattle Of muszetry and the roar Of cannon.
What amount in money would induce them to
pass again under such fiery ordeals? If this
magnificent Capitol was solid gold, the poorest
veteran would scorH the offer. Yet we have
pension laws where the Fed-tape appeHdages
employees and machinery alone not including
any pensions cost our Government over l,000,-
600 annually to dole out pittance that would
starve a dog to thousands of helpless men,
widows and orphans.
We ought 70 be ashamed of our niggardly
legislation. The noble Brutus proposed to
coin his heart aud drop his blood fo1
drachmas." but it was reserved for our S0lons
who framed our pension laws, to measure the
value Of our veterans blood by the fraction o.
one copper cent. These wise men must have
had ShylocI's famous balance to weigh theiI
brothers blood, and after they had weighed the
blood they must have examined every wound
with a strong political mscroscope before they
could figure pensions down to the fraction Of
! one copper cent!
4 The Commissioner Of Pensions, Gen. Black
was his comrade. They were at one time in the
4 same army and he always regarded him as
! gallant soldier and an upright man. He wa!
( only acting in obedience to the commands o
4 his superi0rs in Office. We are tauntiugly TOLD
/ that onr ex-soldiers should be more than thank
4 full and that no nation in the world can shoV
such z grand total of pensioners. Admitted
and why? What wars in history can compart
with our terrible Tebellion2 The men of to
4 day cannot realize, like their. gray-haireC
/ fathers that our war lasted four years with al
army Of 2300,0 900 men in the field. They hav
4 never learned that in that war more battle
& were IDugDI ana more men SIAM ana WOUNDED
than in any war recorded in the pages of re
liable history. If We had to ever duplicate on
National debt the soldiers, like the bondholders
should be fully paid. and they should, for tn
short remnant Of their shattered lives, be place,
| far above the confines of the poorhouse
/ The promises that were held out TO our vol
unteers viii rot be denied OF forgotten. A
an inducement TO join the army promise
were made by the press, by proclamations, b,
the orators Of the day, and the people. pledgin
them ali that their fathers had enjoyed befor
them. When they returned home they wer
to have land warrants Of 100 acres. Ever,
volunteer was to be pensioned for life, like hi
Revolutionary fathers and the soldiers Of tn
war Of 1872, and he was assured from th
country crOss-road bar-room to the sacred pul
Pit that if he fell in battle his family shout
become the wards Of the Nation, and that II
soldiers wife or child should suffer.
Mr.. Henderson read the order Of Gen. Scot
Of September, 1851, announcing that the troop
would be paid in Treasury notes rs good a
gold, which would be better to transmit throug
the mails TO their families at home. Instca
Of these notes being as good as gold, they dc
generated until they were not worth, on a
average, 60 cents on the dollar.
Mr. Foran (Ohio} had hoped that the pensio
appropriations might be kept out Of the line {
politics. The pension question was not one
politics but of economy. The per diem servic
bill spoken Of by the gentleman from Indian
would, as near as he could compute il, add to th
pension expenditures over 500, 900, 900 per al
mum. Adpt Gen. Drum estimates that the nun
her Of Union Soldiers Of the now Iiviy,