Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-23
THE HOUSE

Speaker Crisp returned to the Capitol to-
day after a weeks absence on account OF
sickness, and called the House to order
his entranc. into the chamber being the
signal for burst of applause. The prayer
was offered by the chaplain of the Senate
IN the absence of Chaplain Bagby.
Among the bills received from the Senate
was the House bill with Senate amend
ments TO charter the Supreme Lodge OF
knights of Pythias. and on motion Of Mr.
Richardson the Senate amendments were
concurred in. There was also received q
bill making Labor day a legal holiday, and
on motion OF Mr.. McGann. chairman of
the committee on labor. 1t was ordered to
lie on the Speakers table for the present.
BY an order adopted several weeks ago
this afternoon was set apart for eulogies on
the late Representative George W. Houk
OF Ohio. but at the request of Mr.. Outh-
waite IL was postponed to Saturday. July Z.
Deficiency Appropriation Bill.
At 1920 O'Clock the House went into COM
mittee of the whole to consider the de-
fciency appropriation bill (Mr. Bynum
Gnd) in the chair. Prior to going into
committee OF the whole Mr.. Lawson (Ga D.
from the committee on elections, made a
report in the contested election case of Tom
Watson against ]. c. G. Black OF the tenth
congressional district Of Georgia. deciding
In favor OF Mr.. Black, the present incum-
bent
The first amendment made to the def
cheney bill was to reduce the appropriation
for the intercontinentaI railway commission
from s22gS9 TO $1,000.
A Pension Once Discussion.
A discussion of the conduct Of the pen
sion bureau was precipitated by Mr.. Coggs-
well (MaSs.). who sent to the clerks desk
and had read two letters from the pension
bureau. one to a pensioner in Salem. Mass.
and the other to himself in regard to the
same claim. in which different reasons were
given for not examining the case more
promptly. In one OF the letters a re1ec-
ton made on Congress, alleging that
the appropriation for examining these cases
was insufficient for the purpose. He asked
Mr. DOckery as TO the truth of this charge,
as he had had charge of the appropriation
bill in which this item was contained
Mr. Dockery replied that the appropria-
ton of the current fiscal year C94) for spe-
cial examiners, including the deficiency.
was about S4OO.OOo, but the subcommittee
having this matter in charge was unani-
nlously Of the opinion that S2OO,JOO would
be sufficient for the next year instead OF
$4,000 asked for by the pension office.
The appropriation for this purpose in re-
cent years ranged from $4,000 to 10000,
being $2DO,Oo0 for last year. with further
deficiency appropriation OF s2oo.ooo. ana
while the committee had reduced the
amount to 100000 he admitted. In justice
TO the pension Office. that it had asked for
10000
Mr.. CogsweT asked whether the commit
tee still thought that the sum appropriated
would be sufficient, and il SO whether the
commissioner Of pensions was not unJustly
rejecting on Congress when he said that,
owing to the insufficiency Of the appropria-
ton the claims could not be examined in
1895. Mr. Dockery replied that the question
involved simply a difference Of opinion be-
tween the committee and the commissioner
Of pensions.
Mr.. CoxsweIrs Criticism.
Mr.. CogsweIl desired IL to so on record
that the pension bureau was sending out
information that on account Of the INSULT
cheney of the appropriation of 1894 these
cases could not be reached before 1895. He
called attention to the fact that the COM
missioner OF pensions practically accused
The House Of dsreliction Of duty in not pro-
vidtng sufficient appropria tion- He also
criticised the action OF the commissioner in
giving different reasons for the delay in
reaching the cases in the letter to himself
and the letter to the claimant
The question was further discussed by
MI. Hopkins and Mr.. Cannon Qll), who
arraigned the committee on appropria tons
Ior its parSimOny in pension cases and
denouncing the commissioner of pensions
for perpetrating q fraud on the G. A. r.
In notifying them that their cases could not
be examined on account of insufficient ap-
preparations.
The pension bill and committee on ap-
proprfations were defended by Mr.. ONeill
CNass), Mr. Enloe CTenn) and Mr.. Dock
cry, the latter saying I'm conclusion that he
believed the appropriation to be sufficient
and that he simply wanted to establish the
TACT that there was no consuming desire
on the part Of the republicans to Increase
the amount 1000 90