The National tribune., 1892-10-20
AN ARGUMENT OF NO VALUE.

make an impressive point of the fact that
Cleveland signed many more private pen
sion bills than Harrison has.
Those who are drumming on this string
are relying on general ignorance of the
record. This shows that there were 2,042
private pension bills passed during Cleve-
lands Administration, of which he signed
1918 and disapproved 524.
Since Harrison has been President the
51st Congress passed 1890 pension bills, of
which 1,377 were approved by him, nine
became laws without approval, and four
were unsigned at the time of adjournment.
The first session of the SD Congress passed
133 pension bills, all of which were signed
By President Harrison. None vetoed.
This makes $40 pension bills signed by
President Harrison to 1918 by President
Cleveland.
This statement requires further explana-
ton.
In the first place. the greatness of the
number of the bills presented to Cleveland
was directly caused, as he repeatedly ad-
mitted, by the gross imperfections and
iDjustices of the pension laws as they then
existed.
But he vetoed the bill intended to remedy
those imperiections By this veto he in
effect vetoed hundreds of thousands of PEN
sion bills, for at least half million claim
ants have received=the beneft-0r are in
shape to do so-of the measure signed by
Harrison
Therefore strict justice requires that
Clerelands number Of vetoes should be in
creased by fully 100000, and that Harrison
be credited with that many signatures.
In the second place, while, as the record
shows, the 51st Congress was willing TO con-
slider and pass meritorious private pension
bills, the SD Congress was Indignantly hos
tile to all legislation of this class. It was
practically impossible to get bills OF this
kind considered at all in the House Of Rep
resentatives. This is notorious fact. The
House Committee on Invalid Pensions
composed of such Democrats as A. n. Mar
tin, of Indiana; L. f. Mckinney, of New
Hampshire: r. w. Fyan, Of Missouri; Geo.
Van Horn, of New York II. w. Snow, of
Illinois; Geo. F. Kribbs, of Pennsylvania;
A. J. Pearson, of Ohio; w. II. Harries, of
Minnesota Z. F. Mcdonald, of New jersey;
Walter II. Butter, of Iowa; and such Re-
publicans as Jas. P. Flick, of Iowa; A. A.
Taylor, of Tennessee; n. NJ. Curtis, of New
York; John L. Jolley, of South Dakota, and
John b. Robinson, of Pennsylvania
worked very hard to prepare and pass meri-
torious pension bills, but they struggled in
vain against majority determinedly OPP
posed to the passage Of such measures. The
most effective method of opposition by sol
dier- hating members was to absent them
selves from the Friday night sessions, which
were devoted to the consideration and pas
sage of private pension bills. Nothing could
change them in this. The Republican
members denounced them in scathing terms,
! and the Democratic members who were favor
able TO the veterans demonstrated earnestly
with them, but all in vain. There was
| always beggarly attendance at the Friday
evening sessions, and as soon as private
pension bill was reported, Cobb, of Alabama,
or Kilgore, of Texas would raise the point
of No quorum" and the session would fiz-
zle out.
A sample of this occurred on the evening
of April g. when Mr.. Martin, the Democratic
Chairman of the Invalid Pensions Committee
reported the case of Margaret Christian
with recommendation from the Committee
that it be passed, and said:
Here is this old mother, 80 years OF age living in
! poverty in which she cannot help herself the
mother of boy who lost his life after two years
and more than four onts honorable service-whc
lost his life by gansho. wound
The tactics Of the majority were go out.
rageous that Hon. John C. Crosby, Demo
cratic Representative from Massachusetts,
said Indignantly:
1t seems to me that this pension claim, being {
claim for the relief Of q mother more than 30 year.
of age, ought not to be treated as laughing matter
by this House. II seems to me that question o
this importance ought 10 receive the serious con
sideraton OF every gentleman in This hail. NJ
gentleman, from whatever section of the country
he may come. ought &c stand upon this floor ant
consume IN hour in Teiteratiug arguments whc!
; have no bearing upon the merits of this question
The gentleman from Alabama (ir. Cobb seems tt
be carrying out his threat. made "a week ago to
night that lie would talk these pension cases II
death. He will vote for private claims becaus
they in the interests OF his constituents an,
there hundred OF them 10 one Of pension
claims upon the Calendar
Representative Pickler, of South Dakota
said:
| IT Is not worthy Of the Representatives of th
American people to come here ms we have done
Friday night after Friday night during fou
months. though up 10 this moment we have no
passed single pension bill through The House