The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-03-02
CONGRESSIONAL


WAsHIEGToN, Feb. 28-Mr Paddock adj
dressed the senate on the subject of the in
efficient postal service In the western
states. He denounced the management
Of the postofEce department for the last
three years as a ilure-probabiy a more
conspicuous failure than any other short
comings of the present administration.
The senate then resumed consideration
of the bill granting pensions to ex-soldiers
and sailors who are incapacitated from
performance Of manual labor and provid-
ing for pensions to dependent relatives Of
deceased soldiers and sailors, the ques
ton being on the adoption of Mr.. Calls
amendment, making the bill apply also to
those who served in the war with Mexico
or flor thirty days. in any Of the Indian
wars. The amendment was agreed to.
Mr.. Cullom thought the senate had bet
ter hesitate for inserting in the bill pro.
visions for Indian and other wars and
should provide it exclusively for ex-sold-
iers Of the war Of the rebellion.
Mr.. Henderson appealed to the senate
to pass the bill as it had been formulated
by the pension committee of the g. a.. r..
Mr.. Faulkner, member OF the commit
tee on pensions, said that If the bin passed
with the amendment of the senator from
Kansas for striking out the word "totally''
before the word "incapaeitated, the
annual pension list would
exceed $150,0O0,O00. IL the
bill were defeated the responsibility
would rest on those senators who had put
amendments into the bill with a certain
knowledge of its being vetoed, who had
done it with their eyes open and with the
understanding that the only consistency
but the conscious sentiment of duty, even
although an election was coming on this
year, would require the same to be done
now as was done last session with a like
bill.
Mr.. Plumb asked Mr.. Faulkner wheth-
Ell he believed the president would veto.
the bill.
The presiding officer, Mr.. Ingalls,, here
interfered and said that it had been.
always held to be a breach of order to re-
fer in debate to the action OF the execu-
tive.
Mr.. Plumb expressed his regret that
the chair had not thus thought when the
senator from West Virginia was speaking.
Mr.. Plumb said he proposed to discuss
the question on its merits, not considering
what the president might think about it.
The president was, in regard to the bill
In its present stage, a private citizen, no
more no less.
Mr.. Teller protested against the senate
of the United States being threatened
with an executive veto. 1t seemed TX him
to be a great depreciation to the senate for
a senator to stand and say that he pro-
posed to be governed in his vote by what
the executive thought, or felt, or wanted.
Mr.. Blackburn said there was but one
political organization in the country today
which was in perfect marching order
ready to take the field with knapsaca
packed ard afff things ready. 1t was not
the democratic party flushed with vic
tory. 1t had lost something of It's
real action and Of the appreciation
Of the necessity for it. 1t was not the re-
publican party crushed by its long ex
pected and well earned defeats. Its dis
sntegration had made il anything except
an efficient organization today. It was
the Grand Army of the Republic which
represented the only efficiently organized
political society on the continent today.
The senator from Nebraska who so ably
championed the bill, had told the senate
and country that the bill was the demand
of the q. "a. r.. and had protested sub
stantially against any material amend
ment of il, because that organization aad
formulated not its position to an Ameri
can congress but its demand on the Amer
lean congress for legislation on which Gas
his colleague had said) it was itself to be
the beneficiary. !.
After further debate the bill Went over
without action and the senate proceeded
to executive business and soon adjourned.