Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-05-22

fefed. even using Against us the forfeited
weapons of cifizeuship shzt We had ne
stored to your hands
In this connection desire 10 call atten-
ton to the irsidious character Of the At
temps 70 create . prejudice IN the North
against the pension system BY e1sggerat,nz
every ease where criticism could apply, With
the purpose Of making the people believe
that large numbers Of undeserrIng uIen had
been granted and are nov enjoying PEN
sions. have heard . great deal Of ridi-
cule, 4 very gresf deal of lofty and high
toned Indigestion expressed on the other
side, when some bill has come up here to
remove the charge Of aesersion or 30 gran,
a pension 10 sonse soldier Who perhaps had
fought for three or four Years brareiy in
the field. ami then after the war was prac-
ticaiiy over, bad committed the grave fault
and crime under the military Law of mus
tering himself ont xitboa, leave ia orsier 10
20 home to his family. Such case as that
has been denounced here in all possible
terms Of opprobrinm.
do not underestimate the 0fense of de-
sertion, but lis penalties ought not to be
solely applied TO men who served against the
Rebellion. And In this very Congress bills
have been passed by the practically solid
vote Of the other side that have opened the
pension roll 10 .srge numbers Of men who
not only deserted, who dill not simply leave
their commands to go home, but who de-
serted their country in It's most imminent
peril, and then went across TO the enemy
and fought for years against the flag en-
titlei To their allegiance. Nothing Is said
about that
had occasion the other day to look over
the pension rolls little. You invited in
vestigation. I-haye accepted the invitation.
I have made little voluntary investigation
on my own account and here are some Of
the facts that found on the very surface
Now, as to ieserIers. The case of a MAJ
who deserts from the militia III time OF
peace is not considered quite so seriously
as that of one who deserts IN time of Wal
or in face of the e. envy.
We had great war. There was a
time when this capital was in peril
when the government needed the
service of every man educated al West
Point, OF every man on whom il had Law,
ished its generosity e. Annapolis; but some
of them deserted. Some of them deserted
without a word, AMI let the war or navy de-
partment dismiss them Some sent in
designations which were in themselves de,
sertion; because in all civilized countries
the man who resigns his commission in the
face of the enemy or in the prospect of i'm
minent conflict ranks with the deserter
Now, here sre some interesting cases OF
the pension rolls of our country
Ex-CoSrEpERATE> ON THE Passion Rolls
find that Samuel Cooper, colonel am
Acknowledgement of the United States army
resigned IN March, 1861. That gentleman
served throughout the whole Rebellion.
believe as the adjutant-general of Grn
Lees army of Northern Virginia. He use,
the great talents that had been cultivate,
at West Point in trying to compass thu
military overthrow of tie United State,
government. His political disabilities un
der the fourteenth amendment had not beer
removed at the date of his death. A Dem
ocratic commissioner of pensions, however
ruled that the fact that he was breyette,
colonel for meritoriOus seryice-althougf
he never left Washington during the Mex
lean Marlborough him within the require
ment of the act which says:
Or personally named in resolution of Con
gress for specific service
as his breyet had to be confirmed by tho
Senate. II was also ruled that his widow
was not, at the date of the passage of M
act, herself laboring under the disabiltie.
referred to in the fourteenth amendment
So the widow of Gen. Lees Confederate
adjutant- general throughout the war ha,
been drawing pension from the United
States government since June g, 1887, un
der certificate No, ZIG.
read few moments ago an extract from
the life of Gen. Thomas j. Jackson. He
was a first lieutenant in the First Unite,
States Artillery. He resigned a long tim,
before the Rebellion to take professorship
in the Virginia Military Institute, and com
manded its cadets as part of the military
guard at the execution of John Brown,
December 2, 1859. On the 2lst of April
1851, he marched with his cadets to Rich
mond 10 response to the call of Governor
Letcher. A few days later he he was com,
missioned as colonel of Virginia volunteers
and his service as a leader in the armies o!
the Rebellion are well known. His widow
is not yet on the pension roll, hut her ap-
plication is on file and just as soon as II q
age limit is reached the widow of Stcne.
wall Jackson will be drawing Mexican
War pension from that United States gov
ernment against which he advocated hoist
ing the black flag.
Dabney II. Maury, second lieutenant
'nited States Mounted Rifles was dismissed
June %, 1861 for gong over to the enemy
lie was admitted to the pension rolls and
now draws a pension under a ruling of the
assistant secretary of the interior in the
Cleveland administration that service until
the close of the Mexican War constitute
an honorable discharge" under the act of
January 90, 1887.
We have heard men inreigh here by the
hour against granting pension to a Union
soldier who had not received an honorable
discharge, although he might have rendered
years of gallant service at the front Here
is the case of an officer dism sse,l
from the regular army in 1861, put on the
pension roll by Democratic legislation and
ruling after fighting the government
throughout the Rebellion
Sidney Smith Lee, commander in the
United States navy, was dismissed April
%, 1851. for similar cause. His widow
draws pension under certificate No. 1928.
under the same ruling, that the service of a
man until the close of the Mexican War
aS w W hpiiotapic uistHaFRt.
$. b. Maxey, second lieutenant Seventh
United States Infantry, resigned in 1919
long before the war, but served / believe.
all through the War of the Rebellion on the
Confederate side. He was United States
senator from Texas from 1875 to 1887, and
an able man. The docket shows that this
claim was received at the pension office
Monday night May %, 1887, jacketed Tues
day, cath, called up by Commission =
Blacks chief clerk, Wednesday, May 18th.
submitted to the board of review for
allowance on the same day, and the GER
tificate was issued Friday, May %. Pretty
rapid work. | hardly think this will be
cited among the cases of delay of which VIC
have heard complaint.
Mr.. Oates. viii the gentleman allow me
to ask him if he voted for the bill pension
ing Mexican soldiers?
Mr.. Boutelle. think voted against it,
'ecsuse after the Senate had put amend
ments in the interest of the Union soldiers
on the Mexican pension bill, when it came
back to the House you Democrats struck
those amendments off, and therefore
voted against the bill. That is my recol-
lection.
Mr.. Oates. You voted against it?
MIR. Boutelle. | voted against it, as |
on the ground, that you struck
off the Senate amendments that embodied
substantially some of the provisions of the
act of June 81, 1870. The Democrats in
the House voted on that pension bill to
strike off those amendments in behalf of
Union soldiers and their dependents and
then passed the Mexican pension bill, which
has had the effect of putting these Confcei-
crates whom have named and their widow
on the pension roll
Francis T. Bryant, captain United States
engineers. resigned June 10, Is6I aud
now draws pension under certificate No
s4titi.
Richard c. Gatlin. major Fifth United
States Infantry, resigned May 20, 1861.