Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-01
After a Warm Discussion, the
Senate Passes the
DEPENDENT PENSION BILL.
Plumb'S Amendment. for the Pay
ment of Arrears Rejected.
GRANTS POSITION ON PENSIONS

limitation as to arrears OF penslons-maklng
pensions on account of wounds or injuries
or disease commence from the death or dis
charge of the soldier.
Mr. Berry inquired of Mr.. Plumb whether
any estimate had been made of the cost of
removing the limitation on arrears of PEN
sions.
Mr. Plumb replied that the Commissioner
of Pensions had stated some weeks since
that the cost would be about S47S, 600, 600,
and that the Chairman of the House Com
mittee on Pensions had estimated it at
$500 900. 900. 1t would be somewhere about
these figures.
Mr.. FRYE regretted that the amendment
was before the Senate; not that it placed
him in position where he had to vote for it
or against ii, but because he should regard
its adoption as terrible menace to the SOL
diers of the country.
THE PACE is TOO RAPID.
He had held for a long while (and he mad
undertaken to show it in addresses to bodies
of soldiers in his own State) that there was
q pace too rapid altogether, for their well
fare and Tor their good. There was dam
ger of overlapping in the matter of pensions
When Mr.. Cleveland commenced to veto
pension bills the Democratic party ratified
what he did; and not only the Democratic
party, but many Of the b"siness men in the
Republican party, toe. HI said the Senators
who were pressing the amendment were i'm
periling the truest interests OF the soldiers,
and were creating prejudices against pen
sions. II the amendment were adopted and
the bill enacted into law, the soldiers who
looked forward to a service pension bill
would look in vain. He dared not vote for
proposition that he believed would be ab-
solutely destructive to the best interests of
the soldiers, and be should be compelled to
vote 'no" on the amendment.
PREVENT FUTURE WARS.
Mr.. Hawley expressed his personal obli-
cation to Mr.. FRYE for telling the serious
truth in the matter. He did NOT believe
that the American soldiers asked for the
amendment. He would stake his political
standing on the assertion that out of any 500
old soldiers there would be found majority
against it. Headlong extravaganza would
bring men into power who would stint and
squeeze and deny the soldier. There was
limit in the matter of pension legislation. He
appealed to every old soldier to be reasona-
bic and Just The American nation had
certainly not been stingy. Pension ex-
penditures for the next wear would amount
to nearly S13O, 600 No nation in the
world had ever appropriated for its soldiers
sum that could be compared to that. He
begged the old soldiers to remember that the
objection to getting into another war would
be, not the cost of CARRYING it on, but the
consequences of it; and he also asked them
to remember that those enormous sums Of
money come out CT the pockets very largely
of people as poor as themselves.
GRANTS POSITION ON PENSIONS.
IL 5zAa 6 n n
the occasion of his last visit to the Capitol.
With his characteristic modesty he kept
out of the chamber and sat in one of the |
cloak rooms, where almost every Senator |
visited HIM. He sat with the accustomed |
cigar, and talked freely on every question |
introduced. He said that on his way to the |
Capitol a clergyman came to him asking |
him to sign a memorial asking that every |
man who had ever been a pris- |
oner of war should be pensioned. |
He had told the clergyman that he ought to |
be in better business: that there were all |
kinds of prisonels-some who let themselves |
be captured easily; some who had a stomach |
ache or a sore toe, when battle was in the |
air, and who were caught by squad of !
rebel cavalry, and some who were caught |
ahead of the skirmish line. Some of them |
had good rest and were all the better for
being prisoners
NOTHING FOR ABLE-BoDIED MEN.
fI will tell you," said General Grant, |
"what would do if l were President. l |
would sign any reasonable bill to relieve the |
distress OF an honest old soldier, or of his |
widow or children; but 1 would not vote 81 |
to the able-bodied men,"
"That last expression" said Mr. Hawley, |
''sank into my memory. | live up to that. |
That is my platform. The theory of PEN
sion is that it takes care of a man who is to- |
day sufferer by reason OF his being in !
the army. Ii we are going to spend $780, !
000, 900 it would be better to divide it pro |
rata and not throw it awav at random. Aim |
as sharply as you can at actual necessities, |
and take care of the old soldiers; but do not |
be stampeded by claim agents. Do exactly
what you think is generous and right. The |
country will sustain you in it.
After further discussion Mr. Plumb's
amendment was re ejected, as follows:
PLUMB's AMENDMENT DEFEATED.
Yeas-ATlison. Ingalls,, Manderson. Mitchell,
Plumb, Quay, Sherman, Turpe, Voorhees-9
Nays-Alen, Barbour. Bate. Berry, Black |
burn, Blair, Call, Chandler, Cockren, Coke |
Colquitt, Davis, Dawes, Edmunds, Evarts, Far |
well, Faulkner Frye, George. Gibson, Har-
ris. Hawley, Hurst Higgins, Hoars tArkan-
Pherson, Moody, Morgan, Morrill,, Pasco, |
PAYNE Pettigrew, Platt, Pugh, Reagan, |
SAWYER. kDOOner. Stewart SI0CkDrlQCe. Teller. 1
Vest, Walthall, Washburn-46.
Mr.. Call offered an amendment to Include
those who served IN Indian wars prior to |
1870. Reiected-yeas, 20; nays, %.
Mr.. Vest offered an amendment providing |
that the money necessary to meet the ap- |
preparation under this bill shall be raised |
by an income tax of 8 per cent on incomes |
between s., 900 and $1,000, ~ per cent be-
tween 5000 and $4,000 and 10 per cent |
over 100000. Laid On the table-yeas, %; |
nays, IL "a strict party vote).
THE BILL PASSES.
Mr.. Plumb offered an amendment to nav /
a pension OF IS a month to all who served 90 !
days in the late war who are 62 years of age, |
or as they attain that age.
Mr.. Plumb's amendment was rejected |
Yeas, 19; NAYS, 80, as follows:
Yeas-Allison, Cullom. Dawes. Evarts, Frye,
Hoar Ingalls,, Jones. of Nevada; Manderson, |
Mitchell, Moody Pettigrew. Plumb. Quay |
Sherman, Squire, rurpie, Voorhees,, Wilson, of |
Nays = Allen. Bate. Berry. Blackburn,
Blair, Call, Casey, Chandler, CockreIl, Coke, |
George, Gibson Harris. HawIey Hearst, Hig- |
gins Kenna, Mcmillan. Micherson, Morgan, |
Morrill,, Pasco, Payne, Pierce, Reagan Sawyer. |
Spooner. Stewart Stockbridge, Teller Vest, |
Walthall, Washburn, Wilson (Marylandl-Sa.
The bill was then passed-yeas, AZ; nays,
II, as follows:
Yeas Allen, Allison, Blair, Call. Casey,
Chandler, Davis, Dawes, Edmunds, Faulkner,
Frye, George Gibson, Hawley, Hearst, Hig-
gins. Hoar, Ingalls, Jones, of Nevada; Nc
Pnerson, Manderson. Mitchell, Moody Morrill,
Paddock, Payne, Pettigrew, Pierce, Platt'
Plumb, Sawyer, Sherman, Spooner, Squire,
hees, Walthall, Washburn, Wilson, Of Iowa
"A
Nays-Bate. Berry. Blackburn, Cockrel, Col
uuitt Daniel, Harris, Jones, of Arkansas. |
bnch Reenan Vest Wilson. Of Maryland-l2'