The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-03-08

| SENATOR MURPHY
other side every year. while on this side the
rolls have only been increased by 100 in six
months.
Another way in which the present Admins
| tratiOn is saving" money is in reducing the
rates to the lowest notch. By this means
| So. 600 900 have been saved" The pensioner
was now being cheated two ways He was be-
| ing cheated if he did not get his claim acted
| upon and is cheated if he had it acted upon
| The veterans were called upon to make this
contribution in order to enable the Democrats
! to make up the deficiency their free trade
| scheme would create.
MIR. CIRCUIT then went on to show how the
Pension Office administration was infringing
| on the rights of applicants for pensions The
| local Examining Boards have been forbidden
| TO report anything except description of an
| applicants disability. The opinion of the
| Board as to the state and degree of the disa-
bility is not allowed, although no more con-
| vincing testimony could be given than that
which the Board could give after having
| viewed the condition of the applicant and had
| seen for themselves the extent OF his disability.
| Last Congress Representative Livingston
| (Ga.) had introduced bill to abolish local
| Boards. 1t was defeated, but under the adj
ministration of another Georgian, II oke Smith,
Secretary OF the Interior, the Boards had been
| robbed of all power. and that which Livingston
had sought is practically accomplished.
MIR. Meredith (Va d. stated that he came
| from State which pays five times as much to-
ward pensions does the State of the gentle
| man who has just taken his scat
Mr.. Circuit There are more of you.
Mr.. Meredith. Yes sir; but we get none of
the benefits. and we pay without a murmur.
Mr.. Johnson. That is because you got on the
wrong side in the war is it not?
Dir. Meredith. Well, the only difference let
me tell you, my friend, between patriot and
! rebel is that success makes a patriot, and de-
feat makes a rebel.
am here as the moutbpece of that consttu-
ency to say that we do not object to paving
pension to man who is Justly entitled to it,
We believe that the pension-roll should be q
roll of honor, and that when a man draws a
pension from the Government, he should be
regarded as one who has performed some serv-
Ice to the Government. But let me say to my
friend that under the administration of that
gentleman whom he Landed to the skies the
penson-roll, instead of being a roll of honor
was made roll of dishonor by persons being
placed upon 1t who were not entitled to receive
the benefits which have been given by this
Government.
Mr.. Grout. OF course the gentleman will ad-
NIT that that is yet matter of proof2
Mr.. Meredith. Yes, sir; and if the gentle
man will permit me will give him the proof.
Mr. Belden IN. Y, r.. You cannot do it,
Dir. Meredith went on to cite indefinite cases,
which, he said, made him believe that there
were hundreds and thousands Of fraudulent
pensioners on the rolls.
Mr.. Meredith went on to say that he
desired 1t to be distinctly understood "that
i am not here for the purpose of opposing the
bill which is now under discussion, but de-
sire TO take issue with the sentiments which
fell from the lips of the gentleman from Yer
mont Mr.. Grout), when he said that In order
to make up the deficit which will be required
under the Wilson bill we were to cut off PEN
sioners who deserve pensions"
Mr.. Grout. The fact is that You have been
cutting off pensioners, and 80 decreasing the
amount.
Mr. Meredith. / deny it, and the courts, in
sustaining Judge Locbren, contradict your
statement in decision made only day or
two ago.
Later, in referring to some cases in his State
OF negro pensioners, Mr.. Meredith said that
only negroes got pensions In his country.
That is because they are the only people
who were loyal" said Mr.. Baker, IN. H., ~
According to your idea Of loyalty" replied
Mr.. Meredith, there were no loyal men in my
country, and / am proud of it,"
Mr.. Baker several times called upon Mr.
Meredith to give names and other data regard
ing the cases he referred to so generally as
fraudulent. Mr.. Meredith evaded the point
but finally stated a case giving Names which
had come under his OR. Meredith's) personal
observation. where Union soldier was obtain
ing pension for disability which he Mr.
Incredibly claimed he did not have
If can judge from the fact that the man
seems healthy and strong" said he, land yet
gets pension by reason of disability, when
see him day by day and week by week and year
by year, in my plain home-sDun country way Of
speaking | say that | believe that that man
lied when he went before the officials and swore
that he had been crippled in the army"
want to say, If the gentleman is honest"
interrupted Mr.. Funk Ill., r., who is an ex-
Union soldier), rising in his place, land is
stating what he believes to be true, that if he
does not make that case known to the proper
authorities he is not a good citizen"
II want to say this" returned Mr.. Meredith
holly, that If the gentleman undertakes to
inslnuate that am dishonest; if the geteman
undertakes to- Without completing his
sentence Mr.. Meredith left his place to the right
OF the Speakers chair and hurried over to
where MIR. Funk was standing in a side aisle to
the left.
Mr. Funk. did not say So
Mr.. Meredith You had better not say so.
Mr. Funk. If you believe what you have said
tice OF the authorities; and i stand by that
proposition.
Great confusion in the Hall, during which
the Speaker took the chair.
II undertake to say that you are not my
keeper" shouted Mr.. Meredith, as he was
backed down the aisle by his friends
:" stand by that proposition" shouted back
Mr.. Funk, who was held on one side by Mr.
Doolittle and the other by Mr.. PAYNE.
"either here or anywhere else"