Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-20
THE PENSION DEBATE.
The System of Suspensions Disapproved
by the House.
Some Lively Remarks Made in the
The Special Examiners.

At the close OF the exciting debate upon
the Hawaiian resolution yesterday after
noon the House entered Immediately upon
a discussion of the pension policy of the
administration. When the debate was fin
ished the House put the seal Of Its disap-
prevail upon the system of suspending PEN
sions, in vogue in the pension bureau since
the advent of the present administration
and passed an amendment designed to put
q stop to the practice.
1t was during the further consideration
of the urgent deficiency appropriation bill
that all this occurred. The pending propo-
sition was the item of 100000 for the pay
of special examiners in the bureau Mr.
Picker of South Dakota one of the rough
and-ready fighters on the republican side,
jumped into the arena and made few
passes ct Mr.. Livingston of Georgia, who
was defending the bill. Mr.. Pickler said:
THE gentleman from Georgia in the last
Congress led that forlorn hope from the
committee on appropriations in the five or
six UBIQUITOUS amendments against the old
soldiers that were offered to that bill; and
he was SO ANONYMOUSLY defeated even by
his own side, that he went back south sing
ing dolefully i am going back to Dixie
80 he comes up again, and is persistent in
the matter of again opposing plumber. The
al Directory, and that is evidence that Ii
must be true, because he says it, he has
bean prominent in all political struggles in
his state for many years Qaughter)
You muse accept that, because the gentle
man himself says so. / invite him to add
another sentence to his biography, and say
That he is also prominent in opposition
to pensions for Union soldiers
1T is, however. evident that the gentle
man was not half so vigorous, courageous,
and energetic after the Yankee soldiers in
1851 to 1865 as he is now. otherwise he
would have been brigader general of the
confederaey in less than six months; but /
find that for four years he was private
In the confederate army. Uaughter) / say
II he had been half vigorous. half as
courageous and energetic after live Yankees
in 1861 to 1865 he would have been a brig
adler general in less than six months"
Laughter)
Pensions and Votes.
Mr.. Pearson of Ohio took the floor to make
a remark upon the bearing of the pension
policy upon the late elections.
And let me say to gentlemen on this
floor" said Mr. Pearson, that the action Of
the pension bureau in the matter Of the
suspension of the pensions of Union SOL
diers had more to do with giving to Gov.
Mckinley his majority of $1,000 than any,
thing else and all else combined; and, Mr..
Chairman, without any intention or desire
to reflect upon any one, want to say that
no party need hope to reduce that majority
in Ohio by unjustly interfering with tfat
sacred roll containing the names Of the rIen
and those dependent upon them whose blood
cemented the union of these states" ZAP
plause)
Mr.. Hicks of Pennsylvania said:
The time was, Mr.. Chairman. when the
men who enjoyed the honor of being ex-
aminers of the pension department assisted
these old veterans and their widows and
orphans In preparing and presenting their
claims to this government, but 1 take Ii,
from the methods that have prevailed under
the present administration, that instead OF
their being special examiners Tor the PEN
sion department, that Is msnomer, anu
they should be called special detectives: Tor
instead of carrying out the wishes OF the
people of this great government to help
these old men and their widows ana or
phans, these special examiners are sp,es
upon their track, and instead Of maintain
ing the pension roll as one OF honor these
examiners, SO called, are attempting TO
make II one of dishonor, AMI are endeavor-
ing to create the impression that the tntire
pension list is honeycombed with 1rauo.
Mr.. BIair's Speech. ...
Mr.. Blair of New Hampshire male the
most bitter speech of the day, however. He
said:
Il wish first to say word in regard to
the charge that the pension roll is a roll CT
few persons, but they make great deal of
noise. 1t comes from the few unrecoa-
structed rebels from the south and the sur
yiving copperheads from the north, the two
classes but for whom there would have been
no pension roll at all. applause ana laugh
ter on the republican side.) Or the FORMER
1 have yet great hope. For those d our
countrymen generally who were engaged in
the rebellion have the highest respect, be-
cause they are patriots today; but for the
surviving copperhead there is no hope. He
is too much like the original creature for
whom he was so appropriately named
Q4aushter)
THE pension roll a roll of dishonor!
Every year the scrutiny of the rolls OF the
churches of this country develop more Of
shame and of dishonor than you have ever
developed or that you ever can develop In
the pension roll of the United states ZAP
plause.) Even in the olden times among the
disciples there was one reprobate, there was
one copperhead. Qaughter) God grant
that in our time 1t may not prove to be true
that the man who held the bag then is the
man who holds the bag today. QLaughter)
No, Mr.. Chairman, the pension roll is a roll
of honor. and 1t is in the keeping of men Of
honor from the north, and 1 believe from
the south also. You may purge that roll
with your utmost endeavors and you will
find that there never has been a list Of men
who have stood so high and so deservedfy
high in the estimation OF their countrymen
as do the Union pensioners Of this land
Mr.. Williams Causes n Stir.
Mr.. Williams Of Mississippi created some
thing of a stir by frank avowal which he
made. He said:
II represent a Bourbon democratic con-
stituercy. In my congressional district
there is perhaps not a single federal pen
sioner, except a few negro Transfers and
cooks. But I also represent a constituency
which has a great love of justice in the
abstract, and, representing that sort of
constituency, stand here today in favor of
two things, which it would appear from the
present debate are irreconcilable. but which
in my mind are very reconcilable. The one
is the purging of the pension roll. making Of
1t a roll of honor, and the other is the
amendment offered by the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. William A. Stone).
Representing a Bourbon democratic con-
stituency with no federal pensioners. am