Los Angeles herald., 1890-06-24
Senate Proceedings.

WASHINGTON, June 23.-ln the senate
today Ingalls, offered resolution (agreed
toy instructing the committee On priv
ileges and elections to inquire as to the
date when, under the law and pre-
cedents, the salaries of senators from
Montana, Washington and North and
South Dakota began.
The senate resumed consideration of
the agricultural college aid bill.
Morrill, offered substitute for the
various amendments pending Saturday,
as to the division Of the funds between
colored and white schools.
The conference report on the depen-
dent pension bill was taken up and Berry
spoke against it.
The practical effect of it would be,
Berry said, to put 80 per cent. of the
union soldiers on the pension roll, and
no northern senator or representa-
tive dared stand up in opposition to the
pension bill. The northern Dem
ocrats and northern Republicans
contended with each other as
to which will go the farthest
to satisfy these demands. If any south
ern senator or representative dared
oppose the pension bill, he was told on
one side that he would injure the party,
and on the other he was denounced as a
traitor who had no right to announce
any opinion on the subject of pensions.
German also opposed the conference
report. He said the expenditure under
the bill aggregated $7S, ,673 1854, and this
added to $115, 900, 900 under the existing
law, would leave the treasury bankrupt
in 1891.
Davis, chairman of the committee.
said Berry had been consistent oppo-
nent of pension legislation for the bene-
fit of union soldiers, and what he said
today was on direct line with what he
said on other occasions. Davis denied
the correctness of Gorman's figures, and
said the expenditures under the bill
would be about forty million dollars.
He denied that the bill was a service
pension bill, and asserted that it was a
disability bill pure and simple.
German said if the bill became a law
there would be deficit of 500, 900 900
in 1892, and even if it did not become a
law there would be a deficit of $40, ,OOO,-
600. He called attention to what Re-
publican leader (Mr. Blaine), ''the
greatest leader that party had in his
day and generation had said as to the
extravaganza of appropriations and un-
thoughtful and unwise legislation in the
matter of revenue. He complimented
Davis for the courage with which he had
stemmed the tide of demagogues and
claim agents and prevented the report
ing of bill that would have cost $780,
100000 year.
Ingalls, advocated the conference re-
sacred as that under which the soldiers
were paid. And yet the senate was
asked to postpone it; to higgle and hag-
gle about it. For himself, he was in
favor of removal of the limitation in the
act, granting arrears pensions. He did
not care whether it cost $100,000,000 or
billion dollars.
Vest spoke of the monstrous abuses
that had grown up under the pension
system, and declared the belief that the
pending bill was being pressed for per-
sonal and political motives. He as
serted that the pension list was unduly
swollen in Indiana, because it was a
pivotal state and its vote necessary to
elect president. And he prophesied
that the people of the United States
would revolt against the pension system
and its abuses.
Turpie said he had not heard of any
charity in Indiana in the administration
of the pension bureau, and he was not
prepared to say that political bias had
anything to do with the granting or re-
fusing of pensions.
Hale expressed the hope that the sol
diers would not get the idea from what
had been said today that the senate was
favorable to the payment OF arrears pen
sions or to the equalization of bounties
or the payment of the difference between
paper money and gold. He thought al
together too much was said about what
the nation owed the soldiers. The
prominent feeling in his state was
that the needy soldier should not
suffer, but that nothing should
be wasted on man who
did not need a pension for support. The
true soldier did not want money wasted.
They want their suffering comrades
aided, and they want the glory of having
fought for their country without respect
to money considerations.
Finally the discussion closed and a
vote was taken. The conference report
was agreed TO- yeas "a, nays 18.
A conference was ordered on the forti-
fication bill, and Dawes, Plumb and
German were appointed conferees on
the part of the senate.
After executive session the senate ad-
journed.