Morning journal and courier., 1894-03-06
FIGHTING FOR PENSIONS.

HIC6BAAAou DV1AsCA OAAsAShsSS sAC Present Administration of the Pen- sion Omce-Debates by other Mem. bers.
 WASHINGTON, March 6-When the pen sion appropriation bill was taken up in the house, Mr. Deliver, rep. of Iowa criticised the present administration of the pension office. Old broken down roldiers, he said, and women and children in his district had complained to him of the bloodless ingen- uity display cd by the interior department in putting obstacles in the way of getting what they were entitled to. He compn- mented General Sickels on his ability to dispise the pretsnt pension policy of the democratic party. He warned the democratic party that in making whole sale charges against applicants for pen sions they would not only have to deal with the scattered ranks of old soldiers, but also with the millions of American people. The survivors of that struggle of the rebellion would not be allowed by the young of the country to have their old age embittered by denisls Of their rights. These young men were laying up wrath that would kindle the popular furnscs of the United States to white heat. (Ap- plausel.
 MT. Hepburn, rep, of Iowa, scored the action of the representatives of the eleven late confederate states" for their opposi- ton to liberal pensions. Not one of these states, he said, contributed 6 doilsr-not even a niokel-to the pension soll. The lofo confederate otafsa contributed m hnt a small proportion to the expenses of the government Ia all the ports of the United States $l77 ,000, 900 was collected, and Of this vast sam the late confs 1erate states contributed bu. $4. .000,000
 MT. Livingston, dem., of Georgia. and MT. Enloe, dem, of Tennessee, objected to some of MT. Hspburn's statements as to the south's proportion of contribution to the governments expenses and MT. Hep burn admitted that there was justice in the objection. A large proportion of the southern people. he said, wore Snsp asns s1s.Sa and Es aa pos posp0fSs hsns to wear shoes. This was on &C., count of the climate. and they were not obliged to pay duty on imported goods. But the people of the states In favor of granting pensions contributed nearly all the expenses of the government, and now ths people of the late confederate states wanted to know what the people of other states should do with their own money. Mr. Hepburn attacked with bitterness the president for his pension vetoes, and Secretary Hoka Smith for the influences hostile to the Union soldier, which dcmi- | mated him in his pension policy. A controversy took place between NIT. | Hepburn and MT. Talbert, dem of South l Carolina. over 8 statement of MT. Hep | burns that if democrats believed their charges that the pension roll was running | over with frauds were true they would be only too glsd to investigate. Mir. Talbert | objected to the statem.snt and he and MT Hepburn played "give and take" for sev
 eral minutes, during which there was much | confusion.
 Mr Enloe, dem.. of Tennessee said
 large amount of money and large number
 of votes were involved in the pension 4ues
 tion snd 1t opened up g chance for dema gosues to exercise their vocstions. He de
 fended the secretary of the interior and hi. policy and contended that justice had act | uated every suspension of pensions.
 MT. Erloe spoke of company I of tn,
 18th Ohio regiment. The members o
 this company. he said, who had not par
 ticipated in any battles had alleged nor
 disability in their applications for pension
 than one would think possible.
 MT. Tawney, rep, of Minnesota, de
 tended the old soldier against the charg
 of fraud which he ssid had been made b,
 Cleveland In Minnesota thirty out O
 forty-ssven indictments for fraudulen
 practices in obtaining pensions referred t.
 on the floor by democratic colleague wer
 found against one man. (Applause.l I
 was the pension agent, the pension clerk
 the notary public, who committed pen
 sion frauds and because these men did 1
 was that 8 reason why the president shout
 charge old soldiers with being fraudulen pensioners.
 The discussion was continued by Al Baldwin, dem., of Minnesota, and Nil | Cannon, rep., of Illinois.
 The latter gentleman asked his collea9u from Hlinois (Ar. Black) whether he wi ) in favor of the pension vetoes which Mi
 Cleveland had made during his first at 3 ministratiop.
 ] Mir. Black, however, in spite of persis ent questioning, declined to give the info T nation desired bJ MT. Cannon. . Mr. Cannon cited cases of deserving pei F sionere, many of whom had received the
 iipjuries from disease and not from bullet g | and he declared that the president was d U ing just as little as possible to aid the @ under the dependent pension act, which D had once vetoed.
 The house ct 5:40 U'clock adjourned.