Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-14

not attempt 10 enumerate the bills OF o
general character that have been intro
duced during the present session. IL
would seem that our Populist brethren
are determined that the Republicans shall
no, he permitted TO surpass them In
liberaiity TO the old soldier.
At the frs, session OF this Congress.
MIR Hudson, OF Kansas. n leading Popu-
list member OF this House. introduced n
bin which provides that all pensions
granted under existing laws. and all that
may hereafter be granted under existing
laws. for any cause whatever. may. at
the option 90 the pensloner, be surren-
dered. and he may receive In lieu thereof
ten times the amount IN one lump sum.
We have appropriated for pen
sions this year sI5o.ooo.Ooo and
TO carry out the provisions OF Mr.. Hud-
sons bill alone would require 81 900.
"A sum larger than the entire circulating
medium Of the United States, according
to the Populist estimate.
Mr. Davis. another Kansas Populis,.
has introduced a biz to provide for
service pension. His bill proposes 20 give
a pension OF from so 10 SO a month, &C.
cording to length Of service, TO every
officer and enlisted man who served in
the Union army, In addition 10 any dis
ability pension that he may now be draw
ing. II Is difficult TO estimate by what
sum this bill. II enacted into law. would
Increase our present pension expenditure.
They would al least he trebled and every
dollar OF the pubic revenues would thus
be absorbed.
This brief reference to these two bins
will serve to Illustrate the proposition
| have advanced. that IL full rein were
given to those who are hoping 20 cater
TO the soldier vote by exhibitions q
generosity such as these, the government
would be bankruptcd and the people re-
duced TO abject poverty within the couF'e
OF n single year.
Is II not well. therefore. that there are
some Democratic obstructiOnists In Con-
gress?
MIR. Chairman, II cannot be denied that
this government has been exceedingly
liberal towards the survivors OF those
who fought the battles OF the Union. ana
that the widows and children Of those
who are now dead and who need the aid
Of the cove rnment have been dealt with
in the broadest spirit OF lib raiity. no
other country has ever manifested tht
same substantial gratitude and clspiayed
tbe same broad generosity In the matter
Of its pension legislation. on the ISL uay
Of last July the total number OF pension
ers on the rolls was 969,5i or ines
the number Of invalid pensioners or inc
late war under old laws was 90 ana
tbat of widows Of soldiers of the late war
under old laws was I|"p
NUMBERS PENsIONED.
There have been pensioned under the
net Of June q, 1890 alone, and placed
upou the rolls up 10 july J, lN9i @io'ont
old soldiers. and the number cf WIDOWS
and children pensioned under mat act
and on the rolls on the lst OF July, 1871:
&c <. OF In addition 20 these there had
heon nensionod on the 1st Of July, 1874,
u4 army nurses. and under the general
law 2Gll minor children, G.lfS lnothers
AGA fathers, and 100 brothers ana slslers
OF soldiers Under The act OF June ~
800 there had been psnsloned up 10 the
date / have given s135 motheIs ana "'f'l
fathers Of soldiers.
The number OF pensioners on account
Of the war OF 1912 borne on the pension
rolls July |. 1894. was i,i92. and the num-
her Of pensioners OF the Indian wars
$50 to 1912. inclusive, at the same date
was G.3SS.
The number Of pensioners Of the MeXi-
can war survivors and Widows at the
same date was 2l1F. II seems almost
incredible. Mr.. Chairman, that this gov
eminent should be carrying upon its PEN
SION -TpliS lf'-ildF Uft ~ IL Hl4iiPAi VI 'fir
But its bounty is not to stop here
There were. in addition. 6l9,o27 applica-
tions pending on the 1st day of july
1885, although Of these there were only
5l4I4 actual claimants, and # hat num-
her 227. 2n5 were already on the pension
rolls. SO that, Mr. Chairman, the num-
Der OF actual claimants who RAD apph-
cations filed on the LIST OF July, 1921, ana
who had not Up to that date been pm
stoned was 2s72i9.
In order. MIR. Chairman, chat this may
be more clearly understood, 1t may be
well for me t. state just here mat there
are upon the files. and. therefore, counted
among the total number Of applications
pending, "A. i5l claims that for various
reasons have been abandoned. None or
these claims have been called UP within
tho uast five years. and many Of them
not within ten and twenty years. In
every one OF them, however, calls have
bcen made upon the claimants during
the present administration, and in no
single case has there been n response OF
any kind. -eo.
Among the claims pending July !, 1884,,
there were 4qS preferred by army nurses
although | Wei remember tndt when lhe
bul TO pension army nurses was under
discussion In the Fifty-second Congress
charge Of the bill that the total number
who would be ben fitted by It's PASSAGE
could not possibly exceed 80. have
already shown that over 400 have sue
cccd4d i'm securing pensions. and are now
safely upon the rolls.
The total amount Of money paid out
hv the government under the acr OF June
p. 1880. alone to May 81. 1891 was $'l.-
SIS. 37s II. and the total amount pald out
to that date under various acts reaches
the almost inCOnceivable amount OF $I''o''-
l1o.S72.N}.
10 give some idea Of the mere cost OF
executing our pension laws, here was
Maid for clerk hire alone at the Bureau
Of Pensions for the year ending June 80,
1\q3 S26S3sS1O. and the expense or pen
sion agencies Tor that year were $'2'''i2
The fees paid the examining surgeons
amounted to 1855 1881
II is GRATIFYING. however Mr.. Chairman
20 BE- able to add that under the con-
ecientious. honest and wise admnlstra-
ton Of the Pension Bureau by ITS pres'h NJ
able chief himself a most distinguished *
Union soldier. there has been saved TO the
government out Of the $l6j0OO.o" appro-
priat.d Tor pensions for the last hscal
yrlr the handsome s"m Of S24oH.uM
This was saved by reducing expenses as
far as possible. and by Commendabi"
ard proper Observance Of the plalnest
mandates Of the law. 1t has not been ac-
compli4h d. as has been falsely charg l.
hy dropping or reducing pensioners, al
though i. Is known OF all men that there
are thousands upon the pension-rolls VINO
got there through fraud and perjury, ana
whose names should BE- stricken there
from. The law Of 1890 requires that the
disability on account Of which the claim
ant makes his application for pension
shall not he the result Of his own vicious
habits. a provision entirely just and pro-
per. and Vet one which was purposely
ienor Il and absolutely disregarded by the
Pension Bureau under the administration
Of General Rarm.
1t was just as incumbent upon the appn-
cant 10 prove that his alleged disability
was not the re-ult Of his own vicious
habits as IL was 10 establish by proper
proof the disability itself. This, it Sc ms
10 me- IS a proposition that no argument
is needed 10 support. and one which |
think no lawyer upon this floor vii! I'M
dcrtakc TO controVcrt. And yet. because
the pres mt Con missioner Of Pensions VIII
not disregard and disobey a law too plain
to be mistaken merely because his Re-
publican predecessor chose 10 do so, there
ard thOs. here and els where who pr
tend 20 believe that he IS inimical 10 the
men who were his companions In arms
and who followed the same flag that he