St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-17

atmosphere of that Office when the hon
est claimant was 20 degrees below zero.
Laughter. 1t makes matters look
gloomy for the 100000 claimants under
The act of Is % whose claims were not
adjudicated, and the 100000 pensioners
under that law whose pensions were in
jeopardy. [Applause.l
Mr. Livingston, of Georgia, replied to
Mr.. Cannon. The appropriation under
discussion, ne said. was To provide for
held examiners of the pension Office.
MIR. Cannon had not
CHALLENGED THE PRoPRIETY
or justice of this appropriation. He had
occupied his time in casting a shadow
over the administration of the pension
Office and in attacking Secretary Smith
and Commissioner Lochren for revoking
order 164. A Democrat. North or South,
was always under suspicion when he
criticised pensions. Secretary Smith was
Southern man, but he had not been IN
the Confederate army. Commissioner
Lochren had been a soldier in the
Union army and gallant one; Mr.
Cleveland had not been in the army, but
he could assure the house and the coun-
try that justice was and would be done
by these distinguished men. Applica-.
lions were scrutiniZed with care, as they
should be. No self-respecting man in
the land would believe that Mr.. Cieve-
land, Mr.. Smith or Gen. Lochren in
beating the brush for fraud was actu-
ated by a desire to deprive honest SOL
diers of their pensions. 1t was true.
however, that fraud against the un-
worthy and the undeserving soldier
would be prosecuted vigorously.
MeSSrs. Blair, Stone, of Pennsylvania.
Pickler, Cannon aud Bingham harrasSed
Mr.. Livingston at every step. and Mr..
Blair, of New Hampshire declared he
did not object to wedding out fraud, but
he did object to making that preteXt a
cloak for deliberate conspiracy TO de-
prive honest pensioners of their pen
sions. Mir. Livingston replied that the
sole purpose of the administration was to
PURGE THE PENSION ROLLS
Of the names that dishonored them. Mr..
Lacey, OF Iowa, followed Mr.. Living
ston, In opening he read from a recent
interview with Lawrence L. Neal. the
author of the tariff plank in the Demo-
cratic platform. Ninety per cent of the
Democratic disaffection, says Mr.. n cal,
should be charged to the course of the
pension Office, for which the admiDiStra-
tion at Washington was directly re-
spOnsible. Mr.. Lacey also read men,
0rial received by Mr.. Cultivate, of
Ohio, from w. A. Taylor, the recent
Democratic candidate for lieutenant
governor. who called for Il congresso nal
investigation of the ridiculous, un law
tul and unjust policy inaugurated by
the pension office that had resulted in
the suspension of 1900 pensioners in
Ohio"
In proceeding to denounce the con-
duct of the commissioner of pensions.
Mr. Lacey spoke of the days in Venice
when charges against citizens were
placed in the lions mouth. Trial and
condemnation in secret followed. These
dark and abhorrent methods pulled
down Venice. Now it is proposed to
make every postoffice lions mouth in
which every Scoundrel and villain can
drop his venom and spite. Straightwuy
a special agent is dispatched to secretly
try and condemn the honest veteran.
Inv NAiOiN w ooiNs A'OO
up and rebuke the administration. He
protested against employing the whole
force of the pension Office to rummage
about for fraud, instead of adiudicating
the hundreds of thousands OF claims
that awaited action.
Mr.. Enloe. of Tennessee, the old an
tagonist of eX-Commlssioner Raum. de-
clared that the pension department un-
der this administration was the greatest
of the government. 1t was
DOING NOBLE WORK.
He was surprised OF The line of defense
set up on the other side. In the eye of
the law they (the RepublicanS were
accomplices of fraudulent pensioners.
Because the administration was investi-
eating and Furnishing these cases of
fraud, how could honest Lien parade
this before the country as hostility to
the deserving pensioner. Mr.. Enloe
wanted every soldier in this country en-
titled to a pension to have it, and have
all he was entitled to, but he also wanted
every soldier dishonesty on the roll, or
drawing more money than he was en-
titled taken from the roll. He pro-
ceeded to discuss the result of the inveS-
tigation of the pension office.
At Baltimore it was found
that pension attorneys secured
the pension checks, held them as pay
ment for money due and charged fee
for collecting them. AT Norfolk reg
ular mill the manufacture Of pen
sion testimony was unearthed. 1t New
Mexico the most astounding frauds were
committed. A similar condition of af-
fairs existed in the Indian territory and
in certain parts of Iowa. In conclud-
ing his speech MIR. Enloe said that the
time would come when every honest
Union soldier and every self-resDecting
citizen would applaud the pension pol
icy of this administration.
Mr.. Morse (Rep., Mass.) closed the
debate for the day with vigorous as
sault on Mr.. Cleveland and Commits
sioner Lochren.
At the conclusion of his speech an
agreement was reached to close the de-
bate after three hours furt her discus
sion on Monday.
Then at $40 p. m. the house ad-
| journed.
DIVIDED ON STATE BANKS.