Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-10-24
PENsIONS!
An Important Article by Repre-
:ssantative-@. N. Morrill,

An Important, Article by Repre-
sentative n N. Morrill,
On Pcnsion 'systcms-Growth Of the PEN
SION List-Pension Otice Administers
ti0n-Spirit and Aizns 81 Parties-
- Action OF Congress. -~~--~, 49,
lFrom "TfslRepublican Party History,
Principles and Polioies."] @
Pensions sare periodical, payments Of MONEY
from tAsspublio treasury "a. Account ct aerviSes
rendeled tOsthe Government Qrito tho ippb&c,
or on 4ccbuit d losses sustained In 3uSh 5etvtSe
The United States hassn no 0iyl pension liSt
such asfere provided In other Sopntyia3, except
in few Apecial cases. Us those Of widows of its
former Presidents. Its pension roll Is almost
exclusively for service Or disabilities incurred
In the army and navy. Having but SIN II mil
itary and naval establishment end dependent
almost entirely upon the patriotismot the peo-
pie In the event OF war, the policy OF $tha Gov
eminent Is to provide liberal laws for invalid
pensions, and for widows and children who,
through the casualties Of war. have lost their
husbands and fathers. While provision has
been made for service pensions to the survivors
OF the Mexican and former wars, the principal
and dependents of the late OWL war. ~. -
At the beginning Of. the late war Ofthe rebel~
lion, as shown by the report OF the Commission
or Of Pensions, made June 80, 1861, the whole
number Of pensioners on the rolls was onlylnine
thousand seven hundred and tlfty-two. The
annual report Of the same officer for tho year
1857 shows total of four hundred and six
thou> and and seven. OF which number two
hundred and ninety four thousand four hundred
and fprty.ave were army lnvallds. and eighty
five thousand and ten widows, orphans and de-
pendent parents OF soldiers. The pension law
of July H. 1862 was the foundation OF our pres
ont system, and to this amendments have been
made from time to time. extending its benefit
cent provisions aud increasing its allowances
as rapidly as public sentiment demanded and
the condition of the treasury would permit.
Upon the Republican party devolved the re-
sponsibflity OF calling into the army and navy
millions OF citizens to encounter the dangers of
battle and the .hardships OF military service in
order to suppress formidable rebellion; and
upon that party devolved the responsibility OF
providing IN, adequate pension system, that
those, who received disabilities in the service
and their widows, and those dependent upon
them, might be properly cared for. How they
have met these responsi bilities is matter Of
history and requires no explanation or APOLOGY.
Rebellion suppressed, the Government pre-
served from destruction; tho Union restored,
provided, its brave defenders penstoned patri
otto service for the future assured-these are
the indelible Inscriptions on its; monument of
fame.
WHAT FOLLOWED REPUBLICAN. DEFEAT. -.
But IN the rush of events the past is forgot
ten, dissatisfaction grows, and desire for change
prevails The party that saved the. Nation is
defeated and the one which sOughttits destruc-
ton has control Of the Government; and now
no
of the rebellion, has the audacity to put forth
the claim that 1t is better friend to the soldier
who fought Tor the preservation 1.-THE Union
than. the party which called him}into the field
and itfurther claims that it is more liberal; I'M
its provisions andy administration concerning
pensions. To determine this question, let facts
be submitted to the American people. Under
the general pension laws of the Republican
party, invalids and widows OF soldiers in the
Mexican war stood on IN equal footing with
Union soldiers, provided they had not subse-
quently borne arms against the United States
or given aid and support to the rebellion.
The Democratic party signalized It's return to
power by perslstently demanding the passage
of a bill to pension Mexican soldiers whether
disabled or not, whether dependent or in affiu-
ence, to pension them Notwithstanding their
having borne arms II the Confederate army,
and. to pension them from the dnte Of the pass
age OF the act, without regard to the date OF
filing their claims; while Union soldiers were
only pensioned from the date the claim was filed.
This measure has become a law, and in the con-
test over it the Republicans attempted .to-in-
, corporate some more liberal concessions to the
Union soldiers, such as that Union soldiers now
sick and disabled should be pensiOned without
having to prove the army origin OF their disa.
billty; that the widows and orphans OF such
soldiers should! be provided Tor without proving
that.th fatal aisease::whieh resulted in death
no. rSr~s,, To- esop IN. 81
emit fathers and;motheEs shonld only be- required
to show that they are now dependent: upon
others for support, and not to'proves their de
pendence 1t the date OF the death of the son
But Democratic votes in Congress and Dem
ocratic vetoes from the White House defeated
all such attempts. The only concessions that
could be obtained were that Mexican wal
soldiers should not be pensioned for disai
bllities received while serving in the rebel
army.
COMMISSIONERS BLACKS CLAIMS CONSIDERED
But it is claimed that the Democratic party
has shown its; libeHality and friendlness to the
Union soldier by its Pension Office ADMINISTERS
ton, inasmuch as it has placed that bureau I'm.
der the charge of . distinguished Union soldier,
General John c.. Black, himself wounded II
battle, and~wh0 has signalized his friendship &c
his late comrades by granting more pensions
than were ever granted by any Of his Republic
an predecessors during the same length o.
time.
L would not detract q single .iota from the
military record OF this gallant officer, and 1T Il
true that a larger number of pensions. have
been granted during the past year and during
his administration than were ever before grant
ed during the same length. OF time; but 1t Is
equally true that this is owing to the liberia
Republican laws, and the admirable and eff
Gle t. organization of the Office by his predeces
sors. 1t is also owing TO the fact that more
than three hundred thousand claims were pend
ing when he took possession Of the Office
claims that, many of them had been pending
for years, and nearly all the evidence required
to complete them had been furnished. and they
were only awaiting slight .formaliues to com
plete the cases.. 81 i,
During the administration OF the office by his
predecessors large number Of cases had accu
mulated in which claimants had been gradually
obtaining evidence to complete the cases ant
which the Office had been unable to act upor
owing to the large amount of business before
it. It Is also true that his predecessor hat
rapidly disposed OF many of the cases pending
and that the Office was prepared to, and did, &C
much more promptly upon cases than ever be
fore since the close Of the war.
The present Commissioner had the benefit o
all this work done by: his predecessors and: b,
also had :the benefit OF the organization Of
division by Colonel Dudley, his immediate pre-