The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-06-28


: justly rejecting upon this House, or else W
have failed to make sufficient appropriation
for these claims for 1895.
Mr.. Hopkins of Illinois. desire to say tina
there is not Republican in this House but will
vote to make that 100000 if the Pension Com
missioner says it is necessary to have tina
!; amount in order to carefully conduct thi
branch Of the service.
Mr.. Taylor, of Indiana. / want to ask tn,
gentleman il the Pension Bureau did not in
form the gentleman that it would require
100000?
Mr.. Dockery. Certainly.
MIR. Taylor, OF Indiana. Were there any
members of the committee who insisted thai
it should be 100000?
Mr.. Dockery. Not to my knowledge or rec
objection.
Mr.. Cannon, of Illinois. Now, let me make
a statement in this connection. / happen ia
be a member of that committee and in the
minority, and l crave the attention of the COM
mittee while state that for the present year
the appropriation was 100000. The Commits
sioner of Pensions by the 1st of January had
spent the whole of that 100000 namely, at
the rate of 100000 year. and came and asked
deficiency for 100000 for this year, not for
the next year, but this year. Congress voted
it and the Committee on Appropriations rec
| commended it.
That is 100000 for this year. Now, then,
my recollection is that it was referred to in the
committee, and it was understood at the begin
ming of the coming fiscal year this same COM
missioner of Pensions could take 5000, 900 and
expend every cent of it by the time Congress
meets next December, as he did this year; and
if he comes for deficiency for this service of
100000 or 900 on the LIST day of next De-
cember for the remainder of the fiscal year,
have no doubt that he will get it.
Believing that fact, have as one member of
the minority, knowing the great desire of the
majority of the committee not to have its bills
| larger than was necessary and believing that
the Commissioner of Pensions following his
own example, could use all this sum between
| this and next December, | made no question
about it. And let me say further, that | stand
ready here and now, at any other time, to
| meet the estimates of the Commissioner of Pen
sions for this service in connection with the adj
ministration of his Office; believing, however,
that that fund is not properly used by him. in
good faith, to dispose of claims ponding, but in
the main to use it to harass those who are al
ready on the pension roll and then to posture
before the country, constantly laundering
about frauds upon the pension-roll.
Mr.. Sayers. Mr.. Chairman desire to say
word or two upon this subject, though it is
entirely foreign to the bill. The entire dis
cussion arises upon a motion to strike out the
last word. There is no necessity for any appro-
priation whatever for the present year, from
the most liberal standpoint, for this service,
or for the feeling indicated by the speeches of
the gentlemen. The Commissioner of Pensions
for the present fiscal year has every dollar that
he has asked for. We might as we'll be fair and
honest with one another. The Committee on
Appropriations in this matter followed the ex-
ample set by the gentleman from Indiana in
the last Congress, when he was Chairman of
the Committee on Appropriations
Mr.. Holman. The appropriations were not
100000.
I'D
Mr.. Taylor, of Indiana. And there were do
fciencies of 100000.
Mr.. Sayers. There was no deficiency last
year. Now, let US look into this business. We
all stand alike in the committee. There was
no diversity of opinion in the Committee on
Appropriations about the appropriation that
was carried in the Legislative, Executive, and
Judicial appropriation bill of 100000.
Mr. Cogswell. Because we were informed
that it was sufficient; and now we find the
Pension Office sending out to our constitu-
ents letters in which there is statement that
we have failed to appropriate enough.
Mr.. Sayers. Let ussee. For the fiscal year 1892
only $4,000 was appropriated, and that was
sufficient for the purpose. For the fiscal year
1893. when my friend Judge Holman was
Chairman of the committee, an appropriation
of only 100000 was made and S25, 600 as de-
fciency, which makes 1925, 600; and for the
years 1893 and 1894 the estimate of the Com
missioner for this purpose was only $4,000
for each year.
Inasmuch as the expenditure for 1892 had
been only $4,000, and as the expenditure for
1893 was 1925, 900, and as the Commissioner of
Pensions did not hesitate during the fiscal year
of 1893 to ask for deficiency, we thought that
instead of appropriatng tho round sum of
100000 we would appropriate, as has been
done during the past two years, $500, 900, and
il it became absolutely necessary to appropriate
mn N nj left do
it.
As has been said, believe, by the gentle
man from Illinois, this is fund which may be
very large. which may be very small, or which
may be medium in amount. 1t is within the
discretion Of the Commissioner of Pensions to
expend this money either by wholesale or by re-
tail, and the Committee on Appropriations, sus-
tanned by the House. and following the preee.
dents established in the two former years, rec
commended the appropriation of 5000, 600
Mr.. Cogswell. Will the gentleman from
Texas or the gentleman from Missouri author
ize me to write to this widow and state that
they are of the opinion that this letter of the
the amount appropriated is sufficient? Laugh
teri
Mr.. Sayers. Certainly not.
Dir. Dockery. And ! would be quite unwil-
ling to undertake to revise the correspondence
of the gentleman from Massachusetts, Laugh
ter.
Mr.. Cannon Gll.). IF you will send her this
debate she will see that the Commissioner ia
not correct in his statements.
Mr.. Dockery. 1t is well to be absolutely
frank and fair about these matters and yet I
am restrained by the rules and care not to tell
the whole truth.
Mr.. Hooker (Miss.). Why not?
Mr.. Dockery. The situation has been out
lined somewhat by the remark made awhile
ago by the gentleman from Illinos-if mis-
quote him he will correct me-that he did not
believe this money was being properly ex-
pended.
Mr.. Cannon Qll). 1 did say that. That is
my opinion.
Mr.. Hopkins (Ill.l. Mr. Chairman, this dis.
cusson has been profitable only to the extent
of showing that there is wide disagreement
between the Democratic members of the Com
mittee on Appropriations of this House and the
Commissioner OF Pensions as to the amount of
money necessary to take care of the claims of
the old soldiers who are waiting to have Justice
done them by this Government
Now one of two things is true either the
Commissioner of Pensions is correct in his
statement to the old soldiers that the appro
priations are inadequate to enable him to prop
pcrly consider their claims or he is not If he
is correct then this Committee on Appropria.
tions should make this appropriation $500, 900
as recommended by the Commissioner, instead
of 100000.
Mr.. Dockery. There is nothing involved
here except a difference of opinion: and the |