The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-17

Mr.. Baldwin, dem, of Minnesota, ap-
pealed to Mr.. Lacey to eliminate Senti-
ment from the discussion.
Put aside sentiment" =" said Mr.. Lacey,
dramatically, ''as well put aside patri-
otIsm. The pension office was built on a
foundation Of Justice on the one hand and
patriotic sentiment on the other" [Ap-
plause.
PITIABLE DEFENSE.
Mr.. Enloe addressed the committee
He stated that he had not witnessed any
more pitiable spectacle on this floor than
the line OF defense of the eX-union soldier
adopted by Mr.. Lacy. He did not sup
pose there Vas an honest ex-union soldier
IN the country who would stand up and
defend fraud aud object to an inyestiga-
ton. He was not surprised that men who
were drawing pensions in violation of the
law should object to an examination; and
those who defended such men were in the
position of the burglar, who watched the
dog while his companion looted the
house. He claimed that there was
dishonesty, bribery and illegal proceed
ings in the pension Office, and that the
Office had been honey-combed with fraud
for years past, and that the eX-commis-
Sloner of pensions was in cOllusiOn with
the pension attorneys throughout the
country. He also asserted that rules No
149 and 1851 had been put in at the in
stance of George E. Lemon, Washington
pension attorney, and that these rules
had made him a millionaire. He wanted
the matter thoroughly investigated, and
he wanted no man on the pension roll who
was not entitled to it.
THE FRAUDS IN BALTIMORE.
In speaking of the pension frauds un-
earthed in Baltimore, he said that one at
torney in that city had had 1000 vouch-
ers sent to him, and had deposited them
in the bank to his own account, and had
turned them over to the proper claimant
only on the payment of a certain percent
age. He could not give all the details,
because the investigation had not been
completed, but the facts were in the line
he indicated.
And in speaking of the frauds discov-
cred in New Mexico, in one instance, he
said the examiners had found a discrep
ancy of eight inches between the stature
of the man who claimed the pension and
his hight as given in the description. In
another instance in New Mexico in which
the examining board had discovered
fraud it was found that the perpetrator
was sub agent of Washington pension
agency.
AFTER DEAD MANS PNNsIoN.
He also mentioned the Newly case, in
which the original bearer of that name
had been killed at Shiloh, yet years after
ward a person who had been discharged
from a penitentiary in Tennessee, ap-
peared in Newby's old home and claimed
to be Newby, and the neighbors swore he
was Newby The government brought
forty witnesses who swore that Newby
was dead, soldiers in his regiment, who
testified that they had seen him die and
were present when he was buried.
In conclusion he said that no more in
iqUitous law had ever been framed than
the law of July l, 1890.
MORSE RANTS OVER THE MESSAGE.
Mr.. Morse, of Massachusetts,, said that
he was surprised at the statement made
in the Presidents last message that there
were numbers of fraudulent pensioners
living in every community. He consid-
cred that statement a libel on many brave
men and on the Grand Army of the Re
public, and Mr.. Morse repudiated
the statement. He said that the
democrats were too cowardly to
strike out pension legislation entirely,
but knocked down one man here and
another there. They execute a pension
er first and try him afterwards" was the
way he put it. If a man must be pauper
before he can become pensioner, then
he was in favor of abolishing all pension
laws and making the pensioners paupers,
dependent on the various communities,
and not national paupers. Mr.. Morse
sent to the clerks desk and had read the
statements and letters of number OF
men whose pensions had been disallowed
At $40 O'Clock che committee rose after
deciding to give three hours to closing the
discussion on Monday, one and a half
hours to each side, and that Mr.. Cannon,
of Illinois, should close the debate for the
minority and MIR. Breckenridge, of Ken.
lucky, for the majority.
The House then adjourned.