Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-03-13

WASHINGTON, March IL, 80.

Correspondence From the Capitol.
WASHINGTON, March IL, go.
Two hundred general appropriation
pension bills have already been referred
to the House Pension Committee and
2,04s special bills, the general bills en-
bracing all conceivable forms of pension
legislation. The larger number of old
soldiers and requiring great eXpendi-
ture of money, is the service pension bill.
There are several bills introduced per-
tanning to this one subject, the most lib
eral one of which proposes to place all
old soldiers on the pension roll at mini
mum of $S per month pension, with the
addition of one cent sent per month for
each days service over 800 days; this
pension is to be paid to all old soldiers,
regardless as TO whether they are now
receiving pensions or not. The friends
of this bill estimate that it would cost
$40, 900 per annum. There are
other service pension bills which place
only those soldiers on the roll who are
receiving IS per month, which would
materially reduce the cost. The most
moderate of these bills would probably
cost from $4,000, 900 to 100000, 900 per
year.
A great deal of the time of the COM
mittee has been consumed by the friends
of these different measures desiring hear
ings in behalf of their propositions.
The friends of the service pension have
occupied some five or six meetings of
the committee, to the total exclusion of
all other business. The manned and
disabled soldiers, the deaf soldiers, and
several other classes have also been
heard by the committee. The COM
mittee have been unremitting in their
endeavors to obtain statistics as to the
number of living soldiers and the death
rate since the close of the war Totheir
great surprise, they find that the death
rate had been much less than has been
generally supposed. Tables soon to be
completed will show that the deaths in
Grand Army ranks last year were only
5000 out of 100000, and among pension
ers they were about the same. There is
a unanimous sentiment in the committee
in favor of liberal legislation for soldiers,
but all are agreed that it will be simply
impossible to pass all of the proposed
measures at this session of Congress,
and they are carefully investigating the
whole subject to- determine which is the
most meritorious and the most practic-
able. A Democratic member of the
committee has seriously suggested that
as these pension bills call for so many
millions, the Government issue bonds tC
the extent of half billion of dollar
and apply the proceeds to paying pen
sions. There is no doubt but that thu
| committee is in quandary over tn,
| pension bills, especially when it is un
derstood that regular appropriations bill
will leave no surplus, and that some pro
vision will have to be made if pension
bills are to be passed which appropriat,
millions.
~
Among those who profess to know, i
| is generally believed that the committe,
on ways and means in its efforts to re
adjust tariff taxation in accordance will
the pledges given by the Republican
party has encountered unforeseen diff
entities. The original program of the
Republican leaders, and, as consequence
that of the ways and means committee
was to abolish the internal revenue tax
on whiskey fused in the arts and manu-
| factories" also the tobacco yielding $50
900, 900 and to put sugar on the free list
But to many Western Republicans the
/ tobacco tax seems just, as being tax up.
on luxury, such as is embraced under
all fiscal systems. The free .whiskey
scheme having been previously aban-
doned, nothing in the program was left
to abolish but the sugar duties, sur
render of which would mean loss to
the revenues of 100000. To COM
pensate our sugar producers for their
loss of protection, they were to receive
from the Treasury a direct bounty, but
to the sugar-beet raisers of California OF
the sorghum producers of Kansas this
plan is unsatisfactory.
The situation is embarrassing, for free
whiskey will antagonize the moral
masses of the country, free tobacco will
arouse hostility in the West and free
sugar will be opposed in California and
] Kansas These are the dilemmas anC