The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-01-17
About 1000 Bills to Correct Service
Records Now Before the House Com
mittee oil Military Affairs.
THE BARS TO BE LET DOWN
Bill That Opens the Way for
Traitors Reported FayOrably.
Who Will Be Pension Agent for Indiana
Not Yet Determined, but Spencer
Likely to Be the Man.
special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 1.-THE deserters
and bounty-jumpers are making another
raid on Congress Chairman Cultivate, of
the House committee on military affairs.
told your correspondent to-day that there
were now before his committee about 1000
bills Ito correct the military record of as
many men who were supposed to have rem
dered some service for Uncle Sam during the
late war. 1t seems that these fellows make
renewed efforts TO have bad military rec
ords made good every time there is a Dem
ocratic administration. In plain language,
these bills are intended to relieve the men
named in them from charges of desertion-
Are the committee acting on any of these
bills now?'' inquired your correspondent of
Chairman Cultivate.
mo" said the chairman of the committee
on military affairs. I'VE are not acting on
these bills now, with possibly very few ex-
ceptions. You know We passed a bill a couple
Of years ago which extended the time within
which the Secretary of War could correct
military records and remove charges of de-
sertfon wherever it was proven that the sol
dier did not intend TO desert, and the blem-
ish upon his record was not his own mali
ciOus fault II looks as though every man
extra pay, and unable to prove TO the
Secretary of War that ne was not in fact
q deserter. comes TO Congress for a clean
bill OF war service Under the law. the Sec
rotary OF War acts on the evidence pre-
5ented 70 him, like the Commissioner of
Pensions acts on a pension claim. There Is
no sentiment about that officer. Every sol
der who can prove that he went home be-
fore his muster-out, at the close of the War,
or who was absent from his regiment at
can easily have the charge Of desertion re-
moved from his military record by present.
ing simple proof TO the Secretary OF War.
AT least nine out of ten who come here for
ninety-seven out OF every hundred-rely up
on political influence and sentiment for sue
cess"
Has there been any special rush of these
bills recently"
Yes, there has been a flood Of them in
has this committee acted upon SO few as in
this Congress. The secret of the present
flood OF bills lies in the fact that a great
many men found that they We're barred out
OF the privileges of the dependent pension
act Of JUNE, 1890, and so they want pensions,
and have come to us for good records. We
find coca sfonally merit in these bills. Once
IN while IL Is proven that the soldier was
not an intentional deSerter. and yet, on &C
count Of the death or diSa bility of comrades,
he is unable 10 make good his proof at the
War Department. L suppose in all the
cases here there may be dozen OF these
meritorious ones. But some of them present
provoking cases OF deSertion and bounty
jumping. I recall one case here where we
found that a man bad three times jumped
bounty, and yet he thought he ought 10
be given a good military record, so that he
could get a pension. 1 find that every sol
der who rendered good service condemns
more than anybody else all efforts TO clear
urfllfnl disorders