Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-01-18
IN THE SENATE.
Messrs. Pugh and Sherman Both In
troduced New Finan cial Bills.
No Pension to Be Issued Hereafter Less Ihan
Sc Per Month.

Mr., Pugh introduced anu feau u uiii @"
thorizing the issuing of legal tender treas
ury notes to meet the deficiency in the
revenue and restore silver TO coinage, ana
other purposes In framing this Dill,
Pugh said:
II have made many concessions OF ID!
own opinion, a long standing opinion
because realize as doubtless all OF US
realize, the very great Importance OF some
legislation before the termination OF this
Congress. know the senators can critlcise
the provisions of this bill Any of us can
tear down; very few of rs can build up.
We have been tearing down until we nave
about torn this country to pieces. 1t is
time that we should employ our capacity,
our ability, our energy In. framing some
legislation affording some relief to the
country. The gold anaconda has got this
country in its coils. The country is dying
of congestions; of currency contraction.
Her industrial energies are paralyzed.
Pugh said he thought the provisions as
to silver ought to satisfy the friends OF
silver He had been disposed to make the
coinage of silver free and unlimited; but
had limited it to the product of American
mines. AS to the repeal of the tax ON the
state bank circulation, he realized its I'M
prscticability and said the more the ques-
ton was discussed, the more the chance
for repeal of the tax was diminished.
As to the national banking system, it
could not be abolished and the attempt to
abolish it was hopeless task. He begged
the finance committee to report some bill
for the consideration of the Senate. He
had great confidence in the ability and
wisdom of that committee.
II offered this scheme as a compromise.
/ do not claim any great merit Tor 1t
certainly not perfection. 1t seems to me
that it meets the present conditions and
will relieve the country"
Allen asked Pugh whether his bill met
the approval of the treasury department
and administration. Pugh referred to
the President S statement to the effect that
if the two houses were not prepared toap
prove the plan of the secretary of the treas
ury they should recommend some other
plan.
"Now," Pugh continued, the President
has discharged his duty. Let us discharge
ours. If we adjourn without doing SO,
we confess our inability and will be
characterized as idiots. Let the Senate
take the responsibility and let every scna-
tor take the responsibility of defeating
the legislation favored by the majority"
Allison called for the reading of the
bill at the clerks desk and after it was so
read it was referred to the finance COM
mittee Sherman of Ohio introduced a
bill to provide for the temporary de-
ficiency in the revenue, which was read
in full, and then referred to the
finance committee.
The pension appropriation bill was
taken up and speeches made by Gallinger
and Hawley, in criticism of the spirit
and methods of the pension Office. and
Palmer in defence of the office. The bill
appropriates $140 900, 900 for pensions,
$500, 600 for examining surgeons, $72, 900
for 1S agents, and $3.50, 900 for clerk hire.
In the course of his speech Hawley CON
demned pension ratings as low as 50 and
81 month, and offered an amendment
that no pension should be less than S6 a
month. "Why not leave that" Cockrell
asked, ''to the discretion of the pension
office officials"
"Simply because they have been in the
habit of finding there was disability worth
only 50 month" Hawley replied, land
l do not want that on the records of the
United States. If there be disability at
all, it is worth more than 50 a month. +"
Palmer admitted that the government
should be ashamed to have pensions al
lowed of SO or 81 month, and said he
would support the amendment if it
matured so that it would not do more
harm to old soldiers than it would do them
good.
Hawley modified the Amendment to
:. IL %I,%
S6 month shall be the lowest degree of
pensionable disability, but this shall not be
held to suspend the pensions heretofore
granted for less than $6 month; but all
such shall be raised to the same rate"
Brice inquired as to the probable cost of
the proposed increase. Gallinger said the
increase could not be very large, probably
less than 81, 900, 900, and might be less
than $500, 600 He cared very little
whether it was 81 900, 900 or So, 900, 900. II
was right and just that the amendment
be adopted. The amount would be com
paratively small-not sufficient to create
alarm in the minds of the American
people.
PETER moved to make the lowest pen
sion IS a month instead of Sc; but
Cockrell raised a point of order on it,
and PETER withrcw it.
Voorhees, said 81 have been long inn
pressed with the fact that the little pen
sions granted to men pcnsionable at all
were simply ridiculous, burlesque and
a shame. / introduced a bill, last year,
providing that the minimum pension for
disability should b. sl2 month. 1 shall
vote for the amendment offered by the
senator from Connecticut and would vote
for the amendment suggested by the
senator from Kansas
Eight dollars month is the mini
mum-and indeed the maximum-allowcd
to pensioners of the Mexican war; / can
not see WHY a man who served in the
army Of the Union, who is pensionable
for disability, should not receive as high
pension as the survivors of the Mexican
war. heartily concur with the remarks
of the senator from New Hampshire
(GallInger).
"It does not matter to me how much
this will cost the government, as the IN oncy
goes out to our own people and to the IN )st
neritorious class of them, class without
which the government would not now
exist. l have no patience with these
criticisms of the pension rolls. / have no