The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-09-19

They Complain About the Hard RPq uire
ments, and Crit:cise Congress and tn
South for their Attitude on the Pensio
Question.
PITTsBURG, Pa, Sept. 12-The dele
gates to the National EncamPmenI o
the &. a. r. got down TO a solld ouSl Isl
ness basis this morning. Whlle zoO,OO
persons have left the city since the las
old soldier passed in review yesterday
there are still 100000 strangers in town
a majority of whom will stay until Sat
urday and Sunday, while some remain
even longer. The national encamp
ment opened this morning in the new
Grand Opera House. The commander
in-chief and delegates were welcomed
on behalf of the Citizens ExecutlV'
Board by Chairman Daniel q. RIPPLE,
and, also, by W. q. Quincy, chairmal
of the committee on Invitations anC
reception. Governor Patterson wei
coined them on behalf of the State o
Pennsylyania, while Mayor Mckenn:
of Pittsburg and Mayor Kennedy O.
Allegheny performed the same pleas
ant duty on behalf Of their respective
cities.
The serious business of the encamp
ment proper then began. The electlor
for Commander-in-Chiet will not o'
held until tomorrow. Since the with
drawal Of Judge Chas. d. Long o.
Michigan, the opinion is rapidly grow
ing that Col. 4. n. Walker Of Indiana
will secure the coveted honor. Inc
selection of the next encampment CITY
has also been deferred until tomorrow
While surface indications are lna
Louisville will have walk over, II Il
hinted that st. Paul has been doine
good work in aQuiet but very ettactlFe
way.
The claims of Louisville for the loea
tion Of the G. A. R. eneampmen6 OF
1895 were presented to the nasiona
convention By Henry Watterson this
this morning. Just as soon as Weicom-
ing addresses were concluded motion
to suspend the rules and give an audi
ence to the Kentucky orator was ADOPT
ed with enthusiasm. He received
cordial reception. The speaker retired
amid storm Of applause. Then the
doors were closed and the encampment
went into secret session to hear the ad-
dress Of Commander-in-Ch Chief Adams
and associate national officers. Ia the
presentation of Watterson at the open
ing session, the supporters OF LOUISVILLE
stole big march on st. Paul and the
advocates of the latter are considerably
disgruntled. Heretofore it has bean
the practice to defer nomination OF the
next encampment to the second or
closing day Of the convention.
When Henry Watterson was Intro
duced to present the plea Of Louisville
for the next eucampment, the silver
tongued escort Of the ''Star Eyed God
dess" was IN his best mood. Among
his audience, from pit to gallery, laugh
ter alternated with applause and when
in 8 pathetic moment, he allowed a
few tears to course down his cheeks,
there was a Iachrymose response that
would have been appropriate to 1un-
eral. Before his preparation had been
reached, the success of the leading city
of the Blue Grass State was secured,
and the orator retired amid such al
ovation as national encampment has
rarely UcSlOHCu OsSh OPSA SAAS ~ A'S
favorite sons.
Close attention was paid by the dele
gates to the report Of the Commander
in-Chief and frequent references that
it contained to the attitude Of toe Con-
gress and of the people Of the South
toward Union Soldiers and patriotic
movements originating IN the North
were heartily applauded.
When the report Of the committee on
pensions was read, cheers punctuated
every paragraph. 1t was signed by
comrades H. L. Taintor, A. NJ. Waen-
CT and j. n. Walker, chairman, and
reads as follows:
aye II committee would respectfully
Feiterate the sentiments and renew the
recommendations touching the rights
of the Union veteran and the duties OF
the government towards him, embod-
led in our report submitted 10 the
twenty seventh national encampment,
After the adoption Of that report by
the national encampment there was a
change in the action of the Pension
Department in its rules for the suspen-
sion Of the payment without hearing,
and many of those whose pension had
been suspended under that unfair rule
have been restored to the rolls. Your
committee is, however, Of the opinion
that there is still just cause for COM
plant in the technical rulings and re-
uuirements of the Pension Department
which work unfavorable to the appl.
cant and result IN unjust djscrlmina-
tion against his interests that doubts
are uajustly decided adversely to the
claimant, which under any reasonable
and liberal construction should have
been decided in his favor.
"Order 229, from the Department OF
the Interior Bureau of Pensions Issued
June 19, 1898, is especially obnoxious as
establishing needless and hard require
ments in the preparation and forward
ing of testimony IN support OF CLAIMS
We insist that evidence very often pro-
cured after years OF effort and
at great expense Of time and
money on the part of the ap
plicant should not be thrown out
for mere lack Of form or want Of com
pliance with any purely technical OF
arbitrary rules and we urge that this
order be so modified as to provide
luoO dn Cf4ASASS RASoSH<SN w A'~---'
examined.
Your committee feels constrained
to call the attention of the National
Eacampment to the fact that a large
part OF the appropriation made by the
Fifty-second Congress for the payment
OF pensions for the year ending June
80. 1894. was unused and turned back
into the Treasury, while hundreds OF
thousands Of unadjucated claims re-
1nained pendingtn the pension bureau
at the same time, credit is claimed on
behalf OF Congress and the administra'
tion upon the grounds that the lmme
date appropriations have been re-
duced, yet it appears the only reduc
tion has been made by the cutting the
appropriations for pension; that
Union soldiers alone feel the effect OF
the spirit of economy. 1t is a slgniti
cant fact that while a period Of seven
teen years elapsed between the ending
c. our war with Mexico and the close
of the war OF the Union,yet the amount
now expended for the penslonlDg OF
oF Mnvipon