The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-15
LoCHREN PUT UNDER THE LASH
AMOS CUMMINGS ATTACKS THE PEN
SION POLICY.

Union Soldiers and Their widows De-
cIared Shivering With Apprehen-
siOn-Mr. Cummings Repudiates
the speech of Mr.. Bartlett in the
Name of the Tammany Hall De-
mOcracy, Which MIR. Cummings
PrOcIaims the Friend of the Sol
diers.
Washington, Jan. 14.-For four hours to-
day the debate on the pensions appropri-
alton bill ran along in the House without
! especial incident, the only spice of variety
even being the occasional efforts of Mr..
Bartlett of New York to defend the posi-
tion he had taken in his speech yesterday,
in which he supported the administra-
/ tion by the pension bureau of the laws
/ entrusted to it for execution.
Then Mr.. Cummings of New York oc-
cupied five minutes in a most vigorous at
| tack upon the policy Of the pension bu-
| reau, which he declared caused union sol
| diers and their widows to shiver with ap-
profession that they would be stabbed in
the back by a bureau where they should
receive only encomiums and support He
repudiated the speech of Mr.. Bartlett in
the name of the democracy of New York.
the Tammany Hall democracy, which he
asserted had always been loyal to the
union and the friend of the soldier of the
union. He was eloquent in the delivery OF
his impassioned speech and was applaud
ed at nearly every sentence by the republi-
cans.
Just before Ar. Cummings spoke there
had been a partial defense of the pension
bureau by Mr.. Poole of New York, and
his attack was all the more noticeable
because of the contrast thus afforded.
During the debate, Mr.. Gibson of Ten
nessee said that the pension office was a
great court-the greatest that the world
has ever known; yet there was not a syl-
liable of law prescribing the course of pro-
cedure before it, The result was that it
was an arbitrary court, a court that was
tyrannical and unjust. He spoke of the
/ great dlthculty in furnishing the evidence
! required by the pension office, and said
| that II the Secretary of the Interior were
| TO become private citizen to-day, he did
| through
My Walker of Virginia, who command
ed the famous 'StoneWall" brigade, said
ne rose as representative Of the south
and as confederate soldier, who fol-
lowed the fortunes of his comrades from
! Manassas to Appomattox to say that the
! gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Heminway)
| totally misapprehended the sentiment OF
his people and the confederate soldiers
IDESH,
possibly very few exceptions, who did not
| sanction and approve the payment of pen
sions to federal soldiers, which would
Keep them from suffering or distress Zap
Mr.. Cummings of New York made the
closing speech of the day, and it was the
| sensation of the day. Coming Immediate
ly alter a republicans partial defense of
| the pension bureau, II attracted about him
the members. who crowded the pit in
front of the desk. Mr.. Cummings said:
4 Il la m
| ottered by the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Gram. (Applause)
| 1 snail raise no objection to it nor call
point of order upon it. 1t is time that
something radical shall be done with the
pension office; There is not a soldiers
| WldoW, there is not veteran soldier to-
day. drawing a pension who is not stand
| ing daily and hourly under the apprehen-
SION that some cowardly act may
strike hlm from the pension rolls. After
| years OF patient waiting after examining
| board and examining board has sat upon
his case and he has received his pension,
withdrawn from him. No charge
| opportunity offered him 10 re-
flute. any charge if made. and as the
| resolution of the gentleman from Illinois
strikes at the root of the trouble / will
| take that if l cannot get anything else,~
to ascertain why it is that the union vet
Grams are stabbed in the back from the
very quarter in which they should re-
| ceive encomiums, encouragement and JUS
| tice. prolonged applause)
Now, ] make no charges against the
! pension department but do say this:
| That, repeatedly, instances have come to
| my attention where boards of examiners
! have steadily declared that soldiers were
| entitled to pension, and yet ii has been
| rejected in the office here in Washington.
| Mr.. Stewart of New Jersey-Is ii not
true that for the last two and a half
| years the pension bureau has been en-
phatically hostile to the pension claims
of the old soldiers?
Mr., Cummings cannot say that. but
10 hnn an at,lff oil n
| (Applause)
Now, Sir, the speech I heard from my
/ colleague CIR. BdrtletD on this floor yes
| terday is not calculated to remove the
| apprehension from the minds of the sol
| d1erS and their widows. Cold Sophistry
may be good but you had better apply it
to the Pacific railroads than to pensioners?
| loud applauSe). | repudfate that speech
| on behalf Of the constituents which | rep
resent, republicans as well as democrats.
| L repudiate the speech on behalf of the
| veterans of New York. L repudiate the
| speech on behalf of the Grand Army
| posts and the widows who are drawing
| pensions in the city of New York. l repu-
diate the speech on behalf of the democra-
| cy of New York City-On behalf of the
! Tammany Hall democracy of New York
| daughter and applause).
Sir, have not forgotten, and you will
not forget, whichever side of the House
! YOU stand on that TammanY Hall organ
| ized equipped and sent to the front one
of the finest regiments that ever appeared
| in the army of the Potomac Their brav-
/ cry ana lueT SdiidHlEy dl 11dllS bIuI ana
at Gettysburg challenged the admiration
| of the world
II repudlated on behalf of the Tammany
| Society, who equipped and sent that regi-
ment to the front the speech that was ut
tered on this floor yesterday by a man
claiming to represent that democracy. (Ap-
| plause) Tammany Hall has always been
loyal to the union. Tammany Hall has
| always been loyal to the veterans of the
war 1 challenge any man to point out one
| flaw"
w. A. Stone of Pennsylvania-Can you
not go a little further and repudiate the
| speech of the gentleman who said that
| every neighborhood was honeycombed
with pension frauds, throughout this coun-
try?
| Mr. Cummings-If / was the commits
sioner of pensions l might be able to do
| so knowingly. (Applause.)
Now Mr. Chairman, / speak on be-
half of every veteran on behalf of every
widow, on behalf of every orphan who
draws a pension in the United States
They are all included in this work at the
pension office up here. One fraud ought
not to punish forty innocent people, and
/ believe that the ratio would reach one
! to a thousand / believe for every fraud
| ulent pensioner who has been stricken