Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-10-16
Party Records on Pension Leg
islation.
By Hon. BYRON NJ. CUTCHEoN.
Special to the Herald )

the pension legislation of the 51st Con
gress.
The 4sth. 49th and 50th Congresses
during which the House of Represents
tives was in the control of the Demo
cratic party, was almost entirely barrier
of any legislation in the interests of th'
soldiers of the war for the Union, except
the passage of a limited number of prI
vate pension bills.
Ii is true that. in the 49th Congress
an act was passed to pension the sol
diers of the Mexican war, which act
contained provision which repealed SC
much of of the Revised Statutes as pro
hibited pensions to persons who had
borne arms against the United States in
the war of the Rebellion. This ACT
conferred uniform life pension upon
all soldiers who had served in the Mexi-
can war for period of sixty days, or
who had served en- route to Mexico, or
on the coast or boarders thereof.
An attempt to incorporate with this
bill an amendment, applying the same
or like provisions to soldiers of the war
for The preservation of the Union, was
defeated by Democratic votes.
A law was also enacted. during the
49th Congress, to increase the pensions
of widows from eight to twelve dollars
month. This act was passed by a
vote of 1913 yeas TO &C nays the sc
votes in the negative being all De7no-
cratic. while of the 11S Republicans
voting upon the passage of the act,
every one voted for the bill.
In the 49th Congress, also, the So
called dependent Pension" bill passed
both Houses of Congress. 1t was passed
in the House of Representatives, under
suspension of the rules, January Il,
1887, by vote of 1870 for. to IS against
Upon this vote. sc Democrats voted for
the bill, and rs voted against it. while
ever Republican-l14 in number-was
recorded in favor of the bill. It's need
less to say that if the passage of that
bill had depended upon Democratic
votes alone, it would have been defeated.
On the 18th of February, 1877, Presi'
dent Cleveland returned this act to the
House with his veto. Upon the ques-
ton of passing it over his veto, the vote
stood yeas, IT'S; nays, 125, as follows:
Democrats voting for bill 81
: " against bill a125
Republicans :" for bill 1873
:" "against bill 0
1t will be noted that more than three
quarters of the Democrats voted against
the bill. while every Republican voted
for it.
As, under the Constitution. it requires
two-thirds vote to pass any law ever
the veto of the President, this bill was
defeated by Democratic votes. OF the
Democratic voting, a majority Of SSUoted
against TINT bill.
The 50th Congress makes even a
more meagre showing of pension legis-
lation under Democratic control. Early
in the Congress, the Senate passed a
dependent pension bill. similar to that
vetoed by President Cleveland, but IN
the House it slept the sleep of death up
on the calendar, where it could never
be reached, except by an order from
the Committee on Rules adopted by the
House, and although the House, ut all
times. with the aid of Republican votes,
would haYe been ready to adopt such an
order, the Democratic Committee on
Rules never permitted them to have an
opportunity to vote on it.
The Arrears of Pension repeal was
also reported from the Committee on
invalid pensions but, like the Dependent
Pension bill, twas matter of formality
only, for the Committee on Rules never
permitted it to be considered.
And so the first session of the 50th
Congress passed away without any gen
eral pension legislation whatever.
And the second session of the 50th
Congress produced but one pension bll
of a general character in form, and that
affected bit tWenty persons. This was q
bill to increase those who had lost bott
hands or feet from $72 to 500 pei
month. This bill was introduced by
Ex-Governor Long (Rep.), of Massa
chuetts, and upon his motion was taker
up and passed, without division.
Not only was the Dependent Pension
Bill vetoed in the 49tb Congress, which
would have given pension to tens o
thousands of meritorious soldiers of th,
Union, but through the 49th and soil
Congresses vetoes of private pension
kills x.-a,.a Y,,o&tarS nNf oY,lx- IS xx-ooi-l1,