The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-02-28
PENSION LEGISLATION.

exactly passed at time of going to press
but it is through the Senate>and may be
adopted by the House at any moment
When the Pension Appropriation Bill
came to the Senate that body attached
to it three amendments.
The first repealed the odious provis
ion prohibiting the payment of pension;
to veterans and their widows who hap
pened to be residing outside of the
United States. This miserable piece Of
legislation was one of the results Of
the campaign of SANDER against the
veterans. The people, and especially
those Of the South, were made TO believe
that innumerable legions Of foreign
mercenaries had been brought over here
to help put down the rebellion; that
they got big bounty and pay, and after
the war was over returned to their ma
tive lands to live in ease upon big pen
sions awarded them. Even had this
been true, it would have been no ex-
cuse for refusing them pensions. The
pensions were as much a part of the
contract as any other item, and they
were quite as fully entitled TO them
as the foreign money-lenders were to
their interest in gold. 1t was Just as
much a part of the bargain in one
instance as the other, and the man
who gave bis services and his strength
was as fully entitled to his pay as the
man who lent money was to his princi-
pal and interest. OF course, the South
erners accepted the " foreign mercenary
story eagerly. They are like the North
ern Copperheads in their constant depre-
citation of American manhood, and much
prefer to believe that they were not
whipped by the cowardly Northern
mudsills," but by hordes Of better men
imported from Europe. Of course,
every well-informed man knows that this
is the silliest bosh. Fully 50 per cent.
Of the Union soldiers were natives of the
country, and of the remaining ID per
cent. at least IA per cent. were as truly
American as those born here. They had
come to this country with the intention
of making it their lifelong home, they
had entered at once into American life,
become as truly part and parcel Of us as
if born here, and there simply could be
no truer or better Americans than they
were. We can point out regiments made
up almost wholly of Germans, Irish and
Scandinavians who were thoroughly
American in thought and feeling as if
their ancestors had come over in the
Mayfower. They were infinitely better
Americans than the men they encoun-
tered on the battlefield, or the Copper
heads who Kissed and struck at their
heels. Of the possibly one per cent. who
came from Europe to take part in
the war a large proportion were un-
doubtedly actuated by a genuine
love Of free institutions, and after the
war was over they made their homes
with US As We have repeatedly pointed
out, there are but 1878 pensioners
abroad, and very large proportion Of
these are native Americans, whom bust
ness or health have taken outside the
country. They are frequently skilled
mechanics who have been sent abroad TO
manage American machinery, or they
are clerks, foremen, etc., who have been
given positions on account Of their pc
culiar fitness. They are to be found in
every country in the world. We have
published the list showing into what re-
mote lands they have wandered. For
instance, there is one pensioner in the
Society Islands, two in the Seychelles,
one in Rumania, one In the Comoro
Islands, two in Siam, one digging gold in
South Africa, etc. The "hordes of foreign
mercenaries" stuff is disposed of by the
fact that there are but 585 in all Ger
many, and $50 in Great Britain. That
number Of Germans and Irish did not
play much of a part in a struggle in
which there We're 100000 men on the
side Of the Union.
The second amendment, made by
Senator Gallinger, required Boards of