New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-11
PENSIONS IN THE HOUSE.
,xvov ATOMS PROPOSED IN THE APPRO.
PRIATION BILL.
n PUT THE PENSION BUREAU UNDER THE
u,,p OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES NON-RESI-

m
WAR pEPARTMENT-AGAINST NON-RESI-
nryr FOREIGN PENSIONERS
u,oshnpton Feb. 1O.-The House to-day In Commit
., the Whole considered the Invalid Pension
.r,roprtation bill. Mr. Mutcher, In charge OF the
~, said that the appropriation recommended was
s,cs 100000. 1t was proposed to amend the measure
.,t the amount would be redu:ed TO S166,O9O.O 900.
r,s hll carried about $4,oOo,0OO In excess OF the
~. that would be expended during the current
s ", vsar This was the heaviest appropriation bill
~. had ever been before American Congress.
-, three wears In the history of the Government
~ tho expenditures for single year greater than
I'D be the expenditures during the next fiscal
80 The Committee on Appropriations had come
~. conclusion that there should be some retrench
-, II was not the desire OF the committee to
~. a Union soldier who was deserving Of a
~sr n, any pension that he now received. The
ss,mmttee had recommended several amendments
~ q thought would institute reform. The first
"a no thought the most impor,ant-was that
,d,ng for the transfer OF the Pension Bureau from
y. Interior to the War Department. Such transfer
LID lessen the amount OF money appropriated Tor
ns,ons The pension bureau could not be taken
:. y, the arena Of politics until 1t was put where
.Nt,cal influence did not count
AZ, O,Nenl prott sted against the statement that
-. pension Bureau was political bureau and he
~. nrotested against the proposition to lessen the
s.r ~ disbursng officers. He called the atten-
49, ~ his colleague to the exhaustive letter OF Cen
40, " H. Davis, OF Pennsylvania, upon the subject.
A.. oye also spoke Of the great ability OF the sur
~,,s, examiners appointed by the Commissioner OF
Pensions t.
.s nsnsion laws recommended BY the Committee on
Appropriations. There WERE he said, thousands Oh
AZ nension roll to-day who bad made more money
aung the three months Of their enlistment than they
h.s ever earned before or since, and who had never
h.sd the whistle OF the bullet or the roar OF artillery.
us did not desire to see any pension refused 10 a
tore,ener who had been injured In lighting FOR the
observation of the Union. But foreigner who had
never gone into battle. but who had gone nome WIN
his pocket full Of money, ought not to be put Oh an
aoualIty with the American citizen
Mr. Grout admitted that the amount OF money re-
orirad for the payment Of pensions was large one
PM IL must be remembered that the bulk OF 1t was
for invalid veterans or for widows OF men VINO haa
laid down their lives for their country. He was OPP
noed to the tral.ser Of the Pension Bureau as pro-
nosed nv the bill He did not think that such trans
fer would take the bureau out Of the domain OF poll
lies But he did believe that an appropriate amend
m.nt could be framed In that line which would De
beneficial TO the pensioner. lie also criticised the
other amendments Of the pension laws proposed by
the Committee Appropriations
Mr. Tarsney said that the half-mllion pensioners
now on the roll did not constitute onetweneth OF the
voting and paving population Of tie country ana
the Others who bore the burdens OF the system were
becoming dissatisfied and discontinued. They would
not have the Of one deserving soldier stricken
from the rolls, would they have his allowance
reduced one farthing. But tney had right TO pro
test against being taxed to support those who had no
claim on the gratitude Of the country
Mr. MCKINNEY opposed The proposed amendment
Of the law because he believed that the revision
sbsnd not be made by the Committee on ApprOpria-
tons: and secondly, because he believed that they
would not be in the interest OF economy.
Mr. ONen favored the amendments, declaring that
there was not one line in any one Of them which
would take away one cent from anybody who was
Without losing the general debate the Commit ee
rose The House took recess until oclock..the
evening session to be for the consideration Of private
pension bills