The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-01-18


and adjourned until tomorrow.
PENSION MATTERS IN TIE HOUSE
Repub leans Declare They win Not see
Widows or soldiers FORGOTTEN.
Washington, Jan. 13.-The house took
up the pension appropriation bill imme-
diately on converting. Mr.. Northway
of Ohio. replied to the criticism offered
by Mr.. Bartlett of New York yesterday
1t mattered not to him whether pen
sions were legal gratuities or constitut-
ed vested rights. Morally they We're
higher than vested rights could be.
Pensions should be given in a broad,
Catholic humane spirit. Veterans
should not be placed in a position men
dicant. The spirit in which the pen
sion laws were being administered was
manifestly unfriendly to soldiers. In
proof of this he cited the case of a.
soldier who lost one arm and one leg,
who was deprived of his pension under
the total disability act of 1890 because
he was able to earn $25 a month as a
guard at a railroad crossing.
The pension bureau had ruled that
under the act Of 1890 if a widows in
come exceeded 500 a year she was not
entitled to a pension. a soldiers widow
should not be obliged to stand shiv-
ering and starving at the door of the
pension office in order to obtain pen
sion and the pensions committee, there
fore, had reported to the house an
amendment to the present law requiring
that as a condition prior to that of re-
ceiving a pension she should prove that
her net income did not exceed $500.
Mr.. Hemingway of Indiana favored
the adoption of the Graft amendment
prohibiting the suspension Of pensions
until fraud had been proven in a United
States court. He predicted that in No
vember next the people would elect
republican president who would appoint
loyal man from the north secretary
of the interior to administer the pen
sion laws with justice and fairness to
the old soldier.
Mr. Arnold Of Pennsylvania, in criti-
cising the pension office denounced par
ticularly the practice of calling on
democratic postmasters to furnish in
formation as to alleged fraudulent pen
sions.
Mr.. Robinson of Tennessee, who was
pension agent at Nashville in 1881, de-
voted much time to the exploitation of
/ particular cases which he claimed
proved the hostility of the pension Of
flee.
A speech by Mr.. Walker republican,
of Virginia attracted more than usual
attention. Mr.. Walker was a general
in the confederate army on the staff
of General Jubal Early. He replied par
ticularly to the remark of Mr. Hemin-
way to the effect that when a repub-
lican again took his place in the White
house no man from the south would
preside over the pension office. General
Walker declared there was a misappre-
hension of feeling and the sentiment of
the southern people and the southern
soldiers towards pensions for the men
who fought for the Union. There was
no sentiment against the pension policy
of the government in the south and he
assured his republican friends that the
fortunes and pensions of the Union sol
diers would be safe in the hands of the
soldiers of the south. His remarks
elected applause from both sides of
the hall.
Mr. Wood of Illinois, Fitzpatrick (re-
publican) of Kansas and Mr. Poole of
New York followed and then Mr.. Cum
| mings democrat of New York; created
the sensation of the day by short but
bitter arraignment of the pension Of
flee and an eloquent reputation of the
sentiments expressed by his colleague
Mr.. Bartlett, yesterday. He declared
j it was time that some radical action
was taken to call halt on the pension
office
At the conclusion of Mr.. Cummings
speech the committee arose and the
speaker announced the appointment OF
the Chicamauga park commission as
follows Messrs. Grosvenor of Ohio
Keller of Minnesota, Strong of Ohio
Avery of Michigan. Bowers of Califor
mia, republicans; Wheeler Of Alabama
Cox of Tennessee, Maddox and Crisp OF
Georgia, democrats.
He also announced the appointment
of Delegate Flynn of Oklahoma to tn,
committee on agriculture and Mr.. Muir
ply Of Arizona on coinage. weights anC
measures and mines and mining.
The house, then, at 4:O5 p. m, adjourn
ed until tomorrow.
TO RECLAIM ARID LAND IN lDAHC