Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-07
General Sickles Scores Lochren.

w ASHINGTON. March Tue debate on
the pension appropriation bill was contin
ued in the house, the feature of the day be-
ing General Sickles speech criticising the
action of Commissioner Lochren.
Mr.. Sickles had read an extract from Mr.
Clevelands letter of acceptance of the
presidential nomination, saying that the
debt due the defenders of the Union should
be ungrudgingly discharged. Upon that
pledge to the soldiers the Democratic party
stood and won the political victory. The
pension system commanded the approval
of all parties and all sections. Justice to
the Union soldiers was the one thing upon
which all were united. This country paid
out last year a larger sum in pensions than
any other country had ever paid.
The criticism of the pension laws was
not that they were not supported by all
parties, but was confined to the execution
of those laws in the pension bureau. The
secretary of the interior should exercise a
watchful and patient supervision of that
bureau, and the president of the United
States should see to it that there was full.
fllment of the patriotic and wise senti-
ments enunciated in his letter of accept
ance.
He was not able to agree with the com
missioner of pensions either in his inter
probation of the law or his manner of treat
ing the legislation of congress. The COM
missioner had characterised the act of Dec
%, 1898. in which congress declared a pen
sion to be vested right" as ''inept in
accurate and inappropriate" That was
not decorous way of treating an act of
congress, and his superior officer should
have returned it to him with the admoni-
ton to treat congress with more respect
Republican applause Besides, he con-
tinued, Commissioner Lochren was as de
fective in his law as in his manner. Re
newed Republican applause. He had
only to go to his law dictionary to find
what was right and what a vested right
A right was we'll founded claim; a vested
right right to present enjoyment. The
pension was a vested right conferred by
law. Yet an army of 1000 men had been
deprived of that enjoyment by an official
of the government.
Mr.. Sickles read from the law to show
that in suspending these pensions the COM
missioner had been guilty of misdemean-
or. He heartily Endorsed the declaratory
statute of Dec. % 1898, and insisted that it
ought to stand.
An agreement was reached whereby the
debate on the bill will close at 3 o'clock
this afternoon. Before the debate began
the resolution for the investigation of
Judge Jenkins writ of injunction against
the Northern Pacific railroad was taken up
and passed.
Some Senators Explain.
A somewhat amusing episode enlivened
the senate proceedings, inaugurated by
Senator Berrys personal explanation. A
New York newspaper had included him in
a group of portraits of nine Democratic
senators whom it charged with being OBJ
structionists to the tariff bill Mr.. Berry
denied that he had ever been anything but
an earnest advocate of the bill and on all
occasions had urged its speedy report to
the senate without modification. His ex-
PLANTATION was followed by explanations
from Senators Faulkner, Call, McLaurin
and Morgan, which led to much amuse-
ment in the senate chamber.
The main interest of the day centered
about the discussion as to the disposal of
the Bland bill. Mr.. Stewart gave notice
that today at o'clock he would move to
take it up and make it the business before
the senate until disposed of. Mr.. Teller
also spoke on the same subject. After
brief executive session the senate adj
iourDp6