The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-01-23

/ c1ple that the Government owes to this class o
its public servants, the soldiers who fought t.
preserve it, the duty now Of pensioning them
but at the same time, Mr.. Chairman while tina
is So want to call the attention of the com
mittee to some little matters that have givsI
me some trouble. It is this, and il there car
possibly be a remedy all patriots will unite il
trying to bring it about: 1t is the inequality
resulting from the operation of our pension
system.
Now, Mr. Chairman. it turns ont that NORTH
Carolina, the State 1 in part represent, pays
| $2,6S2, 1889 under the operation of the inter
nal-revenue system. / mean, of course tht
| entire revenue obtained from tho internal
rcrenuesystem. Think for q moment
| of their operation in the light of the amount Of
| the pensions of this country they must see that
| it is absolute death to the State of North
Carolina. Now mark it, we pay $685., 779
| as have said. We get back in pensions how
much? Five hundred and seventy-two thou.
| sand dollars. We lose by the arrangement
over $4,000 900 every year. Yet we have only
| 81 per capita circulation, while many of The
great States of the North have over 5000 pei
| capita circulation.
Now, join heartily with my friends who
| desire to put bride upon the Secretary OF the
| Interior ia this matter of pensions. / say there
| is no sense in permitting him to exercise arbi-
! trary power to exclude men from the pension
| rolls, and / shall vote for these amendment Is
| that are intended to curb him in that respect.
Considerable time was consumed by Franklin
Bartlett On. Y, ID J in the debate on the PEN
sion bill. The New York member has taken a
conspicuous part in the discussion ever since
the pension bill has been before the House in
the Committee of the Whole. He has an
tagonized the pension policy of the Republicans,
and been the sole defender of the Pension
Bureau on the floor. The New Yorker again
defended the Commissioner Of Pensions against
the attacks made upon him during the debate
The Pension Bureau, he said, is falliblc. and
there may have been a few mistakes. Falli-
bility is a condition of human existence; if it
were not we would all be inhabitants of a
higher sphere. although one gentleman on
the other side has consigned me to the bottom
less pit"
He then went into a detailed explanation of
several cases cited against the Pension Bureau,
being frequently interrupted by questions He
quoted figures to show that he was correct in
his statement that with the exception of Russia
no country paid more for standing army than
the United States did for pensions. He quoted
these facts, he said, to show that the present
appropriations were fully adequate to meet the
needs of the pensioners. 1t has been said by
gentlemen in the course of this debate that
j have attacked pensions. 1t has been said
that l am unfriendIy to the soldier. / de-
nounce each of these statements absolute
and unqualified falsehood. J. sir, am in favor.
as announced at the beginning of my speech
the other day, of the payment of the pensions
now provided for by law. / am in favor of
the payment of all those pensions which ac-
crue and are due under the general law; of all
the pensions which are accorded either to the
soldier or the soldiers widow by reason of dis
ease contracted or injury suffered by him in
the service and in the line OF duty.
i am further in favor of all the sums being
paid to soldiers or to their widows which can
be justly claimed under any of the provisions
of the dependent pension act, SO called, of June
q, 1890; and so stated explicitly on three or
four occasions during my speech a day two
since. / avowed that was in favor of letting
the dependent pension act of June 81, 1890,
remain upon the statute. book. say further
that in meritorious cases, in cases which do
not come under the provisions of any existing
statute, but cases of special or peculiar hard
ship, where the claim is clearly meritorous,
! have always been and always shall be in
favor of special pension acts aud of special
pension legislation.
Why all this abuse: why all this nvective
which you have hurled upon my devoted head
hour after hour aud day after day, instead of
having been inspired by proper feelings of
gratitude to one whom you owe the oppor-
tunity to open your maiden mouths? Laugh
ter.
will further state, Mr. Chairman, and gen.
aided, in so far as it has been within my power
the claim OF every soldier and every soldiers
widow or orphan within my district which has
ever been brought TO me. have given such
aid, also, in many cases beyond the limits of my
own Congressional district. But notwithstand-
ing the fact that have voted in favor of PEN
sion legislation in the past, that have voted |
in favor of special bills that have been merto- |
rious; in spite of the fact that announced the |
other day that / was in favor OF all the exist |
ing pension laws THAT is, in favor Of the gen. |
cral laws and in favor of letting the act of 1890
remain upon the statute book | have been |
assailed in this long debate upon the ground i
that because was not in favor of further |
enlargement of the penson-rols ] was desti- |
tute OF patriotism.
And let me say right here that in no part of |
my speech have intinated that the payment
Of just PENSIONS the payment of pensions TO
such soldiers and widows as arp~entitled to |
them under the existing provisions of law
would be in any way an improper depletion Of
he revenues of this country or of the funds i'm
he public Treasury. ] do not think that such
Use OF public moneys would be improper. But
said that IT we were to enter upon the passage
IF an enormous number of new pension bills
we were TO increase the pension-rols enor-
nously by the addition OF persons whose in
,ome is now adequate and who are not entitled
o the payment OF pensions. or by the adoption
IL that which has been proposed and will be
proposed again; a general-service pension
which will burden this country with an addi-
ional expenditure of from forty to seventy
i've million dollars per annum-I said that such
of the pension rolls would inaugu-
ate the pillage of the public Treasury But
ny remarks applied to such enlargement of
he pension laws, and in no way to existing
tensions or TO the existing rights of any PEN
Toner.
Mr. Blue. Mr.. Chairman. in behalf of the
which prepared this bill. it is
roper, / think, that the bill should be fully
Explained before it is submitted to discussion
nder the fve-minute rule.
On the irsttsm Of SAC, 900 600 the committee
1ade no change from the recomme ndaton of |
he Commissioner of Pensions, giving the full
mount that he est mated would be required |
or the next fiscal year.
In the item of 100000, submitted by the
Of Pensions as the needed appro-
ration, the committee thought best to make
reduction Of $4,000 The expenditures of
lst year were but $729, GIFTS, and from the
formation the committee received IL was be-
eyed that the appropriation would be ample
meet the service.
FRIDAY, JAS. IL.
In the House, the Pension appropriation bill 6
as passed as amended
Mr.. Bartlett IN Y d. raised the no;pt of I