Telegram-herald., 1890-07-29
10 PENSION THE SLAVES.
Capt Bslknap NH Give the Propssit.es
Its Qaietas


Washington Correspondents sunday News
MAsHiS0roS, July s8---C2ll. Belkusp.
OF Grand Rapids, has been chosen tl.e
fool-k aIer for 0oe Of the most ridio0loas
p.eees q lex station wnlch was ever
proposed 10 Congress. tie has heen
designated by the Committee on lnvahd
PENSIONS % alssect ara denolsnee that
absurd measure proposed BY Repre-
Sensitive Connel, Nnlc1 proposes IA
pas e. ali eN-s.aKes a bonus from SlV3 -
100 cash, and pension 81 sla pcT
month Tea TIE rest ~ their lives. al is
the feasefio go abSsfsss4 ~ tae whole
peus.oa business. Ihe uniQneness et
tue proposition warrants tAe bl.l beieg
gwen IA fuI;
Bs i enacted by the senate and
House Of Representatives OF the United
states OF America IA Congress as
semuicd, that all persons rels @sea froM
involuntary seIsltooe, comlnoaiy
called slaves, ln pursuance ol zoe pro-
ClaulSlOns ~ eX-lGesleeni AlTails.n
Lincoln, dated respectively. September
-, lSO2, and January D, 1888, snail he,
and hereby ARE, made pensioners uPoa
sae bounty III lbe iD.tod States, 4na
also such person mlaN hs charged ~
laws ot o0usangulntY M h tae masa-
teaance and support oi I eeamea wuo
are unable 10y reason 81 axe OF disease
10 MAINTAIN themselves
See. >. That any person who may
have been held as a slave OF luNolun-
tSry servant who SHAH al the date OF
tne passage of thus act have reached
tue age Of 70 years, saall be entitled 10
and receive the SUM OF 5000 from the
treasury Of the United States, hereby
authorized 70 be paid out OF any moneys
not otherwise Appropriated, and TO the
sum OF SIS per month during the resi-
due OF their natural lives. This pro-
VISION shSll apply 10 male
and female freedmen alike; and
all persons SO released from ser
tude WHO shall lie less than 20 YEAR, Cf
age and Of the age Of 60years or on.
stall be entitled 10 and receive the sum
Of $500 and also Sl2 per month until
they shall reach the age OF 20 years,
when they shall be entitled 10 ana re-
ceive the greater sum herelnbeiore
stated as a monthly payment: and all
persons released from serYitude, a. be-
fore stated. who shall be less than GO
years old and of the aye OF 90 years or
over, shall be entitled 10 and receive the
sum OF 500 and also IS per month, until
60 years old. when they shall receive
Sl2; and all persons released from ser
vItude, a. before stated, who shall be
less than 80 years OF age, shall be en-
titled 10 receive 81 per month until 80
years old, when they shall receive s.;
all moneys herein authorized 10 be paid
shall be dispensed from the general
funds Of the treasury not otherwise ap-
propriated.
Sec. 3. That relations or others who
may be charged with the support OF
aged or lnfirm persons released from
involuntary servitude in manner afore-
said shall be entitled 10 and receive the
monthly pension awarded 10 such aged
or intirm persons, in whole or IN part,
upon showing, TO the satisfaction OF the
Secretary of the Interior, that suck
support Is afforded II a humane and
becoming manner, the amount Of such
payment beng under the control and
direction of the Secretary aforesaid.
Sec. 4. That the Secretary OF the
Interior shall have power toprepare all
needful rules and regulations for tAe
carrying into effect Of the provisions OF
this act, according TO the true intent
| and meaning thereof, and TO designate
proper officers or agents through whom
freedmen and other persons may make
application for payment and receiv.
moneys authorized to be paid by the
provisions of this act.
Capt. Belknap has been designated
| by the pension committee to report ad-
yersely on the absurd proposition, and
| tins report is sure of being an interest
| ing political document owing TO the
| facts the congressman has already dc
veloped. He is satisfied that there Is n
shrewd Democratic scheme behind the
| bill, the design being to throw ridlculo
on the whole pension legislation Of the
present Congress. In tracing the mat
ter back he has received information
| that the bill was prepared in a Demo
! cratic newspaper Office by party OF
| political manipulators who sought to
make campaign capital out OF II. They
| took a roundabout course 10 reach
Representative Connell, the Repubi-
| can who introduced the bill. Ii was
easy for the schcmers to get colorcd
constituent OF Connell 10 request HIM
TO introduce the bill, and be did Il
without examination. Capt. Belknap
expects 10 run down the exact news
paper Office and editorial hand which
framed the blll for political purposes.
The present Congress has been so
Lavish with pensions, the dependent
pension bill alone giving about SOC, ,000,-
600 annually, that the Domoctats ere
making a point on pension cxuaya-
gance. 1t viii be a strong argument IN
many localities, particularly IN toe
south, and the Republican position
could be shown 10 be not only extrava-
CANT, bat preposterOusly so by exhibit
ng the slave pension b1l which Conneli
has proposed. 1t would take another
so. 600 600 TO pension the ex-siaye. Not
tnat any one would believe such bll
could pass, but II would serve to show
20 what a ridiculous extreme the Re-
publIcans had gone IN dealing with the
wards of the war.
This IS Capt. Belknap's view OF the
bill, and hIs report viii fully bring ont
the political iniquitv by which the
scheme was hatchcd ia Democratic
newspaper Office, and then fOlsted on a
Republican Congressman in order &
provide a club for attacking the lavish.
ness Of pension laws and Republican
extrsvagance generally. {. J. T.