Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-22

Yesterday after a long debate. But few
members opposed the measure, but many
devoted their energies to attacking each
other. Cleveland's policy also afforded a
fLvorite subject for discussion.
WASHINGTON, March 21.-Pension mat
tiers occupied the attention of the lower
House of Congress to-day. Mr.. Cheadle, of
Indiana, spoke at length in favor of a SER
vice pension law. He explained the pro-
visions of bill authorizing service pen
sion for life to every veteran over so years
of age who served 60 days and was honora-
bly discharged. Under the general law all
invalid pensioners who receive less than s.
q month, and all who receive no pension,
will be benefciaries under it.
At the conclusion of Mr. Cheadle's speech
Mr. Clement, of Georgia, said that, after
listening to the speeches of gentlemen on the
other side, he was inclined to wonder why
Commissioner Tanner had been requested to
resign. The gentleman from Kansas (Mr
Peters) had justified the action of Tanner
in putting upon the pension rolls those who
had rendered good service before they had
left the army without permission. The gen.
tleman had also justified Commissioner
Tanner in increasing the 81 rate and in re-
rating pensions Then why had Tanner
been asked to resign?
A DEMOCRATIC CHARGE.
Mr.. Bynum, of Indiana, charged the Re-
publican party with being false to its prom
ises TO the country in the matter of pensions.
The Democratic Representatives from In
diana came here as friends of the soldier,
and so far as it lay in their power the Re
publicans must meet the service pension
question and no longer dodge it, and go
home and deceive the soldiers. The Indi-
ana Democrats were ready to vote on the
service pension bill. The Democrats were
determined that the Republicans should
carry out their pledges to the soldiers. The
Democrats were ready.
Mr.. Buchanan, OF New Jersey, suggested
that this was the first time the Democrats
had been ready in five years. Mr. Cutcheon,
of Michigan, inquired whether the Demo
Gratis while in control OF the House had
passed a service bill. Mr. Bynum replied
that they had not, but that they had not
gone home and asked for votes under false
pretenses.
Mr. Spinola, Of New York, said the Re-
publicans would have to face the music.
The Democrats intended to make them do
so. They intended to draw the line of battle
on the service pension bill. The Democrats
did not intend that the Republicans should
mask themselves as the special friends of
the veterans. The Democratic party had
forced the pension rolls from SOS, 600. 600 up
TO S100, ,000, 600; and yet the Republicans
went on the stump and told the people that
they were the friends of the men who saved
the Union.
TANNER AN ISSUE
The battlefield of the last election had
been in Indiana and his old friend and
comrade, Corporal Tanner, had marched
out like gallant veteran and advocated
thr platf3rm OF his party. The pledges Cor.
po4dI Tanner had made had been made at
the suggestion of President Harrison. After
the pledges had been made and Indiana had
been carried ior the Republicans Corporal
Tanner had started out to fulfill those
pledges.
Here was a gallant soldier who had left
both his legs on the battlefield. He had
been rewarded by the Republican party for
political services, and yet he had been
obliged to resign his office. Otherwise his
head would have been thrown into the
basket. Why? Because he had done what
at the suggestion of President Harrison, he
had promised to do. That was the way the
Republican party rewarded the veterans,
the House the necessity of thoroughly in
vestigating the workings of the Pension
Bureau. He had this morning an insulting
letter from an emplove in the Pension
Office named George Baber, charging him
with lack of information on the subject of
Mr.. Bussey's rulings. Ii this man had not
been absolutely destitute of personal honor,
he would not have written letter marked
confidential in order to insult him
(Enloe).
THE MISSISSIPPI HUMoRIST.
Mr.. Allen, of Mississippi, said that he did
Lot behttle the services of the Federal SOL |
diers. To do so would be to belittle his own.
He had been one of the men whom they had |
had to overcome, and that had been a Hercu- |
lean task. Laughter He did not take |
pride in the TACT that he had to be overcome. |
but he did take pride in the fact that it took |
an immense force to overcome him. Laugh |
ter. When he remembered that |
there had been but 6OO, 900 enlist |
ments in the Confederate army; when he |
remembered that the South had no |
navy, no Treasury; no stores and when he |
was told that it had bad cause. the idea |
had occurred to him that had the South had |
clean field, fair shake, and a good cause,
it would have been a mighty bad buzz-saw
to monkey with. Laughter.
when tue country came 10 counting
hundreds of millions for the payment of
pensions, 1t was weighing the money not on
the apothecary's scale, but upon the Fair
banks improved platform car scale.
Laughter He did not know where this
thing was going TO stop. He had a high
regard for the Government. He was mighty
sorry he had tried to break it up, but ii |
gentlemen were going TO carry pension
legislation to its legitimate conclusion,
Congress had better stop and have an ac-
counting. 1t looked to him as if the country
would have to let the Grand Army take the
Government. [Laughter.l
FOR LIBERAL PENSIONS.
Mr.. Breckenridge, OF Kentucky, ex-
pressed himself in favor of liberal pension
system, but opposed to the abuse of that
system and opposed to making the Pension
Bureau a great political machine. Mr..
Morrow, of California, stated that the
trouble with Commissioner Tanner was that
when he came into office he found abuses
existing in the machinery OF the bureau
The fault with Mr.. Tanner was that he did
not obey the recommendations of the Secre-
tary OF the Interior.
Mr.. Grosvenor, of Ohio, said that the mi
nority had suddenly become wonderfully
patriotic, and if 1t could only destroy the
unpatriotic record it had always made, it
would be wonderfully benefited The gen.
tleman from New York (Mr. Spinola) had
said that the Democratic party had run up
the appropriations for pension from S2S, ,O0O,-
600 to 500, 100000. There was not dollar
of that money that had been appropriated
under any general pension bill ever passed
by the Democratic party or ever signed by
Democratic President, except that lncreas-
ing the pension Of widows. With this ex-
eeption, every dollar of appropriation was
due TO the patriotism of the Republican
party and its love of the soldier.