Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-06-24
LIMIT OR NO LIMIT
The Pension Question Dis
cussed in the Senate.
TWO SETS OF ESTIMATES GIVEN.

IugalIs Figures on s5. 900. 900. 900 Before
] Cheap-Death of Judge Lawrenson. the
Veteran Postofaee Employe-The Senate
Passes the Agricultural college Bill
Hoosier Editors Cheer Dudley-0n eial
Notes from the Capital.
WASHINGTON CRY, June 24-The ques-
ton of the cost of pensions was the sub
ject of lively debate in the senate yester
day. German, in a speech in opposition
to the conference report on the dependent
pen sion bill, said he had heretofore voted
for the most liberal appropriations in this
line, but he believed there must be a
limit Since 1871 there had been paid in
pensions 81, los. SD eoa-sufiicient under
proper administration 10 provide amply
and we'll for all who had served tie conn
try. The pension expenditures Tor the fis-
cal year ending June 81, 1890, were sloa,-
600 600, -SithOut counting the expenses of
the pension bureau In 1871 the expendi-
ture under existing law would be not less
than SI25. COO 0Oo in 1872, Sl3o, Oon,0 10.
Appreheuds a Bankrupt Treasury.
He had had an estimate OF the expen-
diture under the pending bill made, and il
the additions to the pension roll were to
be three-fourths of the survivors, the cost
would be sos. SIS $50 under that section OF
the bill The estimate for dependent Wild
ows was a. 95S. SIS, for minor children.
s44s 30; and for dependent parents. 3,3l2,-
90. Add these increases TO the Sl2S u1, 900
and it would be seen that in fact the treas
ury was bankrupted. German said in re
ply to question by Blair that be did not
doubt the ability of the government TO re-
plenlsh the treasury, but prudence, he
thought, would require that pension legis-
lstion should not run into such extra va
gancs as to increase the taxes of an over
bardened people
The Figures Controverted.
Davis, chairman of the pension commit
tee, denied the correctness of Germans
figures He said the amount of the in
crease TO enlisted men would be So, 400
oo0 the amount to widows, s., Us. coo. and
the total amount Gncluding pensions to
children OF surviving widows), $40, %, COO
Nothing was extravagant that was right
German, in the course of further remarks
predicted a deficit of 50, co., 600 in 1892 il
| this bill did not become a law and OF Sl0O,
| oo. 90 if il was enacted.
| Ingalls, for Pensions Unlimited.
| Ingalls, spoke of the sacred obligation of
| the government, and referred eontemptu-
ously TO frugal patriots; parsImOnious
defenders of the treasury He said he
was in favor of removing the limitation
| in the act granting arrears of pensions.
| He did not care whether IT cost 500 0o5. 00o
or 81 90 0to,0O1 He believed that every
| surviving Union soldier ought to be put
l on the pension roll for service. He be
| lieved that before the last Union pension
/ er disappeared from the rolls there would
have been no less than 5000 0p0, 90 paid
| out for pensions: and even then an entire
| ly inadequate equivalent would have been
j rendered for the services perfo rmed.
/ Indiana l. Not Complaining.
7 Vest, in the course of his remarks,
charged that the pension-roll in Indiana
had been swelled because that was a piv-
| otal state, and Turpie said in reply that he
had not heard of any charges in Indiana
| against the administration of the pension
bureau When the debate was ended the
| report was adopted-34 to 1s-the nays be
| ing Barbour, Bate, Berry, Blackburn,
| Coke, George, Gibson, Harris, kenna, Nc
Pherson, Morgan, Pasco, Payne, Pugh,
| Reagan, Vest, Vance, and Walthall.