Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1893-02-15
A HEAVY BILL.
The House Discussing the An
nual Appropriation.
The Invalid Pension Bill Carries With
1t the Greatest
Amount of Money That Had Ever Been
Placed hefore an American Congress
Appropriation Recommended A. One
huadred and Stxty-six Millions.


routine business had been disposed of
the house proceeded in committee OF
The whole, lMr. Wilson. of West Vir.
ginias In the chair. TO the considera.
ton 81 the invalid pension appropria-
ton Till Mr.. Mutchler. in charge OF
the bill. stated that the appropriation
recommended was SlG6. 400, 600 IL was
proposed 90 amend the measure so that
that appropriation would be rcdrccd 20
500. 100000 The bill carried about
$4,000, 600 In excess OF the amount that
would bc expended during the our
rent fiscal year This was the
heaviest appropriation bill that had
ever tccn before an American
congress ohly three years in the
history Of the government were
The expenditures for single year
Frcatcr than would be the expenditures
during the next fiscal year The com
mtticc ON appropriations had concluded
that there should be some rctrcuch-
ncnt that reform I'm the granting of
pensions must begin somewhere, and
that tho time bad come when that re
form should he inaugurnted IL was
not The desire ~ the committee TO de-
privc any union soldier who was de-
serving % pension. 81 any pension
that De now received There was moth
iug lea thc bill that would take "a penny
from amy pension that had been grant.
al to n deserving soldier
The committee hnd recommended
several amendments, which "a thought
would institute "a reform The first
and DE thought the most Important
was that providing for the transfer OF
the pension bureau from the Interior To-
the war department such a transfer
would lessen the amount 81 money APP
propriuted for pensions. and would not
deprive n single deserving soldier Of the
pension which he now had or which hc
might hereafter obtain. The pension
bureau could not Toe taken out OF the
arena Of politics till Il was put where
political influence did not count MIR
Mutchlcr then proceeded TO argue la
support OF the changes in the pension
laws recommended 10y the committee on
appropriations. There were. he said.
thousands-and many thousands OF
men who were on the pension rolls to-
day who had made more money during
the three months OF their enlistment
than they had ever earned before or
since, and yet who had never heard the
NtAAoNA' VI AiA' IAAAtA OF tif roar OF ar
tillery As 10 the proposition that no
pension shall be paid 10 n nonresident
who Is not citizen Of the United
States, except for actual disabilities, lac
said that hc did not desire 20 see any
pension refused 20 foreigner who had
been injured In fighting for the prcser-
wilton Of the union. But a foreigner
who had never gone into battle. but
who had gone home with his pocket
full Of money, ought not 20 bo put on
an equality with the American citizen.
To support such a man abroad was an
outrage.
Mr.. Grout admitted that the amount
OF money required for the payment OF
pensions was large one. But "a must
be rcmcm bered that the bulk Of IL was
for invalid veterans or for widows OF
men who had laid down their lives for
their country. He was opposed % the
transfer Of the pension bureau az pro-
posed by the bill He did not think
that such transfer would take tho
bureau out Of the domain OF politics.
But he did believe that an appropriate
amendment could be framed in that
line which would be beneficial 90 the
pensioner.
Without closing the general debate
the committee rose, and the house took
"a recess--the evening session 20 be for
the consideration OF private pension
bills.