The Republican., 1890-06-28
MIR. McComas on Pensions.

sentatives on the general pension
bill Mr.. McComas spoke as follows;
Mr.. Speaker, although all that was
desired by me has not been obtained,
although the service pension, for
which 1 voted, and for which the Re-
pubIicans of the House voted, has
not been agreed to by the Senate,
yet under the lead and guidance and
by the devoted labors of the wisest
truest, noblest and best friend the
soldier has had in Congress on either
side in eight years. the gentleman
from Kansas Mr.. Morrill,, to whom
they owe a debt they can never pay,
such as they owe no other man in
the House or Senate applause on the
Republican sidel, we have gotten
good bill.
Mr.. Yoder.-Mr. Speaker, if the
gentleman from Maryland will allow
me, desire to state that after serv-
ing for four years with the gentle
man from Kansas Mr.. Morrill, on
the Committee on Invalid Pensions,
4 most heartily indOrse every word
he has said. The soldiers never had
a more sincere, earnest, hard. work.
ing friend in the world than the
present chairman of the committee,
Major Morrill,.
Mr.. McComas.-We have here
measure that the people of this coun-
try who care for the helpless soldiers,
widows. and orphans, want, because
1t gives immediate relief. The SOL
diers who grow older while we de-
bate, the widows who grow more
needy, will prefer it to hypocritical
promises, deceitful pledges, and dis
appointing platforms. By it we will
begin at once to take two hundred
thousand men who served our coun-
try away from the edge of distress
and poverty and give them pension.
10y ~ WO Will SuCCOI tuOuSduuS vi
soldiers who were getting from one
to two dollars a month pension, and
we will have their pensions increas.
ed to Sc a month. We give to them
all the help that comes from S35 ,000,-
600 paid out annually. and not sim
plv an empty utterance of platform
and deceit of party. Under this bill
proper care will be taken of one hum
dred thousand widows of the soldiers
who helped to save the Government,
and under this bill you will begin at
once to take ten thousand men out of
the alms-houses of the country,
where they have been allowed to go
carrying an honorable discharge in a
ragged coat-pocket, standing dis
grace 10 my country and your coun-
try.
This is good measure of help, Mr..
Speaker, not all that l wanted, not
all other men wanted, not all that
some Democrats cheaply profess to
want here and then vote against.
YCu gentlemen on that side of the
Chamber talk and we vote you de.
claim and we act; and we now give
this large part of the revenue of the
nation rather than debate and delay.
You do nothing and we do some-
thing. and we do it cheerfully and
gratefully, The Republican party
acts up fully to its platform, and all
the good work that has been done
for our soldiers has been done by the
Republican party. has been done in
spite of the continuous opposition of
that side Of House. Loud applause
on the Republican side.
Also in a speech before the House
on Monday Mr.. McComas. address
sing the Democratic side. said:
You in your talk for years have
promised pension legislation and
have given none. We. after provid-
ing an appropriation for all the pen
sions that can be adjudicated at the
Pension Office, have passed a general
bill that will lift 100000 widows from
penurv and want. which will take
200. 900 soldiers from distress, some of
them from the aims. houses of the
bill which has already
passed both Houses of Congress, has
gone to the President for his sigma
ture, and will soon afford great,
much-needed, but by you long delay.
ed relief to the soldiers of this coun-
try and those dependent upon them.
Mr., ayers.-Thegentleman knows
just as we'll as he knows anything
that the deficiency in the matter of
pensions, of which he complains, is
not to be attributed to the failure
upon the part of this House in the last
Congress to appropriate all sums of
money which were estimated and
asked for by the Commissioner of
Pensions, The records and proceed
ings of Congress show the statement
which 1 make to be true.