The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-31
OBEYINC CLEVELAND
Why No Pension Bills Are Report
ed by Chairman Martin.
He Is Said to Be Acting Under Instruc-
tiOnS from the President or Sec
rotary HOke Smith.
MR. WATTGU;S RESOLUTION
MR.. WAUGH'S RESOLUTION
Alleged Oaths Taken by A. P. A.
Members When Initiated.
Mr. WeadOck's Memorial i'm Behalf of
Mr.. YOurnanS Presented to the
HOuse-Brazilian Canard.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3O.-A member Of
the House committee on invalid pensions
says Chairman Martin is just now laboring
under painful embarrassment. Mr.. Martins
Indiana constituency is, as all Journal
readers know, one of the strongest in favor
of pensions to be found in any congress
sional district in the United States. Be
sides, there is ,cated in his district, at
Marion, a National Soldiers Home. Mr..
Martin himself was soldier serving in a
Pennsylvania regiment. There is every in
centive for him to be ardent advocate
of pensions. But for some reason, which is
unknown even to his closest personal and
legislative friends, he is not moving a fin
ger toward the consideration of any of the
hundreds, if not thousands, Of bills which
have been sent, during the present ex-
traordinary session, to the House commit
tee on invalid pensions. member of the
committee tells your correspondent that
there has not been a regular meeting of
the committee since the 7th of last Au-
gust, when Congress assembled. A few
meetings have been called, but the Demo-
cratic members have managed to each time
have present less than a quorum, and so
no business has been attempted.
A member of the committee, the other
day. inquired of Chairman Martin why he
| did not bestir himself and secure quorum
just once. that some show of work
could be had. The Chairman, who is
modest man and believes in straightfor-
wardness, blushed and replied by saying
that he intended to try to have a meeting
of the committee one of these days. The
Chairman was confused and evidently en-
barrassed. The journal of the committee
shows that during the first three months
of every session of Congress there have
been many scores, if not hundreds, of bills
reported. At single session of the COM
mittee, covering but few months, when
General Browne, of Indiana, was chair
nine hundred bills favorably, and at an
other session, when Colonel Matson, of In
diana, was chairman. that number was con-
Siderably increased. This Congress has been
running now about three months, and not
a single bill has been acted upon by the
but just to Mr.. Martin to say that when
he was chairman of the committee under
the last regime. when he knew that a Re-
publican President would not veto pension
bills, the committee did a large business,
and the chairman was active in securing
several hundred reports.
Asked what he thought was the secret of
this nonaction, or inactiOn, a member of
the invalid pensions committee stated to-
day that he believed Chairman Martin was
actlng under instructions from Secretary
Hoke Smith or President Cleveland, and
that the programme was to pass no PEN
sion bills in this Congress. 1.-The Chairman
says" observed the committeeman that
if bills were reported they would likely re-
ceive no action from the House, which is
opposed to pensions, but | take issue with
that statement. 1 agree with him that
nearly every Democrat In the House is OPP
posed to the passage of any pension bills,
but 1 believe that with a solid Republican
column in favor of pension legislation there
would be sufficient number Of Democrats
who represent strong pension districts TO
xynfn for no fha1- hon frac,f
them to insure success In nearly every in
stance. There few Democrats in the
North or West who are courageous enough
to vote their convictions on the pension
question. Nearly every one of them, fear
ing the result at the polls would vote for
the bills. | doubt If anyone knows this bet
ter than Chairman Martin. To my mind he
is acting in the interest of the President,
who does not want to be compelled to veto
pension bills"
Representative Waugh's resolution re-
specting information upon which pension
ers are dropped from the rolls. and upon
which pensions are re-enacted, to-day
reintroduced by him in the form Of joint
resolution, with the intention of making 1t
a law, and not merely giving an express
sion of opinion. The joint resolution indi-
Gates it's subject matter by it's title, which
is as follows: Requiring the Commission
er of Pensions TO furnish copy of the
charges or information tending to defeat
the granting or continuation of pensions
already granted in certain cases."
The joint resolution has been referred to
the committee on invalid pensions, of which
Mr.. Martin is chairman There is no doubt
that the proposition will be reported if it
is not smothered in the committee. A re-
port is in circulation, however, that in
structionS have been issued from the In
terror Department against a report being
made upon the resolution, It is in con-
trayention of the rule which is causing
the suspension of thousands of honestly
granted pensions upon hearsay testimony
and Scandalous rumors. If Judge Waugh'S
joint resolution should become law it
would negative the Hohe Smith pension
policy and put q stop to nearly all of the
pension suspensions, as that disgraceful
business could not continue, it would
become necessary to conduct 1t openly and
upon the principles which govern courts
of equity and justice.