Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-02-11

House Shows Apathy Over tn. Enormous
Estimate for This Year.

Estimate Tor This Year.
wAsHISoTox. Feb. l0.-The house,
in committee Of the whole. Mr.. Wlison
in the chair, considered the invaild
pension bill. MIR. Mutchler. in charge
Of the bill. stated that the approprla-
ton recommended was $l65, io0. 900.
IL WAS proposed to amend the measure
90 that the amount would be reduced
to 500 .000, 900. The bill carried about
1000, 600 IN excess of the amount that
would be expended during the current
fiscal year. This Was the heaviest sp-
preparation that had ever been before
an American congress. In only three
years in the history Of The government
were the expenditures for = single year
greater than would be the expenditures
during the next tiscal year.
The committee on Appropriation had
come TO the conclusion that there
should be some retrencnment; that re-
form IN the granting Of pensions muet
begin somewhere, and that the time
had come when that reform should be
inaugurated. IL Was not the desire OF
the committee TO deprive . union
soldier who WAS deserving Of . pension
that ne never received. There was
penny from any pension that had been
granted to . deserving soldier. The
committee had recommended several
amendments which II thought wou d
constitute . reform.
The frat, and he thought the most
important, Was that providing for the
transfer of the pension bureau from
the interior to the war department.;
Al
amount Of money appropriated for
PENSIONS and would not deprive q SIN
gle deserving soldier OF the pension
which he now had, or which he might
hereafter obtain. The pension bureau
could not be taken out of the arena
of politics until It WAS put where pollt-
zeal influence did not count.
Mr.. O'Neill protested against the
statement that the pension bureau WAS
a political bureau; and he also pro-
tested against the proposition to lessen
the number of disbursing officers.
Mr.. Mutchler tEen proceeded TO
argue in support of the changes IN the
pension laws recommended by the
committee on appropriations. There
were, he said, thousands. and many
thousands OF men VINO were on the
pension rolls today who had made
more money during the three months
of their enlistment than they had ever
earned before or since, and yet who
had never heard the whistle Of the bul
let or the roar OF artillery. AZ TO the
| proposition that no pensIons shall b,
PAID To . nonresident who 10 not CIT
zen Of the United States except fol
actual disabilities. he said that he did
not deslre TO see any pension refused
to foreigner who mad been injured 10
lighting for the preservation Of tn
union. But foreigner VINO had neve
gone INTO battle. bat who bad gon,
home with his pockets full Of money
ought not To be put on an equsiit,
with American sstizens. 10 supper
such . man WAS an outrage.
Mr.. trout admitted that the amour
OF money required for the payment ol
pensions was . large one. But 1t mus
10 remembered that the hulk of II VA
for invalid veterans or for widows @
men who had laid down their lives fol
their country.
Mr. Ter.ney. ia speaking IN favor q
the proposed amendments, said tina
the man who hazarded his life to
his country WAS n patriot. but that tn
man who nazarded HE lie IN war fo
any rovernmen; or IN any cause undo
contract for hire. Was q hIrellnl
merely, aud every obligation of IA
/ employer ceases whom the stipulsto
hire wss paid. la the name of th
hundreds Of thousands OF patriot.
who. IN 1861 and 1862. did not siop /
inquire what wages or bounty wouA
he paid. impelied only by love Of coan
Try aud = sense Of patriotic duty. wen
forth aud hsxsrfed their lives that tlt
government might 1--we, be dsuonnc.'
ss mpious. the doc,rln- of contract "a
iasioas between thetn aud their govern
ment. Mr.. Nck alley orposed the pre-
posed amendments 81 the law.
without eiosnx tie general dsbat
the committee ro-e and the house 81
o'esack took q recess until o'cioek Il
the evening session for the considers
Ton 81 private pension hiiss