The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1896-01-23

after which the House went into COM |
mittee of the whole for the e1nsidera- |
tion Of the pension appropriation bill.
Mr.. W. A. Stone CRep.. Pa. in charge |
of the bill. explained its provisions. 1t |
carried SAL. 335, SEQ. a reduction of $5S,-
100 from the estimates. The amend /
ments to the existing law attached TO
the bill provided that pensions granted
under the act OF 1890 should date from
the first application, no matter how
many times they had been rejected or
dismissed for defect or informality in
the application. and repealed the pro-
vision OF the act of 1890. requiring a
widow to prove that she was dependent
for her support ON her daily labor In
stead. by the terms of the amendment
she must prove that her net income
does not exceed $500 per year
In answer to a question. Mr.. Stone
said he did not know how many widows
would receive pensions under the
amendment. but 1t mattered not wheth-
er ii would result in giving pensions to
| one or one hundred thousand widows.
| The Government was not so poor that
it could not afford 10 pension the wild
ows of the defenders of the Union.
| lApplause.l
| MIR. Graf CRep., lid gave notice of
an amendment he proposed to offer.
| lnhibiting the reduction or suspension
| of pension on allegation Of fraud un-
til such fraud had first been proved in
| a United States court. The amendment
was practically the same as that origi-
nally drafted by the subcommittee on
| Pensions, which was subsequently
| abandoned because it was thought that
u trenched upon the territory of the
| Committee on Invalid Pensions, which
| purposes bringing forward a general
| bill to cover this ground.
Mr.. Graft contended that a pension
was not a gratuity, and Congress
| should quiet the anxiety in the minds
of 100000 old soldiers by making theiI
pensions vested rights.
NOTICE OF OPPOSITION.
Mr.. Bartlett Dem, n. " gave no
tice that he would raise a point of or
der against Mr.. CRAFTS amendment and
also the amendment in the bill repeal.
ing the provision of the act of 1890, rel.
alive to widows pensions. With refer.
ence to the Graf amendment he be.
lieyed 1t would be unwise to strip the
Pension Commissioner of legislative
power and cl0the the machinery of Uni
ted States courts with matters thai
properly should be left to the Commits
sioner's discretion. Mr.. Bartlett an
nounced himself as a supporter of pen
sions for deserving soldiers who were
wounded or contracted disease in the
line of duty. But without questioning
the justice of the dependent act of 1891
to further extension of that act, sucl
as was proposed in the pending bill II
reply to a question from Mr.. johnson
(Rep., Ind) he expressed the opinion
that the sentiment in New York among
the Democrats and the better class o
republicans was opposed to an eXten
sion of the pension roll and the furthe
looting of the Treasury.
Mr.. Bartlett called attention to tn
fact that the debate on the dependen
act in both houses showed that 1t wa
specifically stated that the test OF tn
widows right to obtain pension undo
the act should be her dependency OIL
her labor for support. He predlcte,
!, that the adoption of the amendmen
would add the names of at least so 90
widows to the rolls.
Mr.. Bingham (Rep., Pa) challenge
Mr.. Bartletts estimate of the numbe
of widows who would be benefited b.
the amendment in the bill The test
, | mony of Commissioner Lochren. h
| said. showed that but 5000 widows
claims had been abandoned.
Mr. Bartlett admitted the number Q
, | beneflciaries was conjectural but sal
| his estimate came from those best In
formed on pension statistics
) Mr.. Willis (Rep., DELI in an eloquen
! | speech of five minutes declared that
! | was right that every safeguard shoul
! be thrown about the soldiers pension
At 4:35 the committee rose and tn
!, | House adjourned.