The sun., 1897-12-10
TALK OF PENSION REFORM.
THE sUBJEur DIsCUssED IN norm
HOUSES OF CONG REss.
Hait Called IN tho senate AGainst the Pas-
sage OF Private Perrien niiIs-The HOUSE
warned That the Expenditures for Pen-
sions NeHt Year May Reach % a.. OoO 600.

shNes '~NNN .N@N HhhS hAfACh -
wAsHrsGToN, Dec. "A motion made in the
Senate to take up the private pension bills on
tho calendar and to consider them for an hour
to-day gave an opportunity to tho Chairman
OF the Pension Committee, Mr.. Gallinger OF
New Hampshire. to make an interesting state
ment on the general subject OF pensions. he
said that there were now on the calendar 200
such bills. At the last session 917 private
pension bills had been introduced In the Sen
ate, and 5s at the present session up to to day.
In addition to those 975 private pension bills
there had been 40 general pension bills intro
duced last session Adding the bills intro
duced in the House. the whole number was
3.625, but as many Of these bills were dupli-
cates, he would estimate the Sgregate at about
1000. lie expressed the opinion that there
was too much laxity on the part Of individual
Senators in introducing private pension bills
without inquiry or examination, and simply
at the request Of the soldier, who perhaps, had
had his claim examined and rejected at tho
Pension Bureau. 1t was the duty OF Senators to
examine such claims in the future with the
greatest possible criticism. The Senate ought to
refuse to pass certain classes Of pension bills,
among others, that OF remarked widows and
that Of daughters Of soldiers, whether OF the war
OF the Revolution or OF the war OF 1912. He de-
clared himself in favor of a law prohibiting the
payment OF pensions TO tne WILLOWS VI eoiuherS
who had been married after the passage of the
law allowing the pension. In other words, he
| would have a stop put to "old soldiers permit
ting themselves to be married to young girls"
| 1t was remarkable and alarming fact that there
were the pension rolls few names OF
| the widows of soldiers of the Revolutionary
| war and OF the war of 1912.
| The calendar of private pension bills was
then taken up and acted on for one hour, dur
ing which time forty-fve bills were passed.
| Most Of them were for increases and included
| pensions OF $50 month to the widows OF
Capt. Bradford of the navy, Brig..Gen. La
Salle, Admiral Worden, Brig. Gen. Dc Russy,
| and Lieut.. Waring OF the navy. One OF the bills
| was for the daughter Of Revolutionary SOL
dier, but that went over for further consldera.
| tion.
After the disposal of some routine business
the House proceeded in Committee Of the Whole
| to consider the Pension Appropriation bill. The
discussion was opened by Mr.. Stone REP. Pal.
There was nothing in the present conditions
| or prospects OF the pension list, he said, to
! warrant a reduction of the amount appropri-
! ated for the payment Of pensions for the current
year-$l40 100000. Therefore. the committee
had recommended that sum. No new legisla-
| tion was proposed in the bill.
| Mr.. Cannon rep, Ill.l, Chairman Of the Com
mitteo on Appropriations, while announcing
BILL felt called upon to say to the House
that there was prospect that expenditures for
propriated. Commissioner Evans reported to
| the Secretary Of the Interior that in his opin-
ion It would require sl4s, 600 600 to pay pen
tary Of the Interior and the Committee on Ap:
propriatiops. however. that the sum named
months, anyhow. and Coner could then pro-
vide for any deficiency;
member OF the Pensions Committee, said that
the time had come when the pension question
could be discussed without Trsqdee IN pr9ot
| tion upon the existence of q national sentiment
81 know the position of the Confederate sol.
dlers," he said Although they are paying
their taxes under conditions of the severest ma.
isSe Sss5 having e
overs lOo, 900, 900 thcyare not unmindfnl of tho
taath aa S It's n ali it It f ns
@ sS$ tssy sefs a.sSied to make "a up that III:
sl5O,oOo.oOo annually; Mr. Allen said; some
| Prominent among these was the payment Of
pensions to widows Of soldiers who. themselves,
Many Of these widows had subsequently mar.
| ried, and their pension money was used to set
stance sa0 Of tSs kind %as narraqed Mr. Allen
Mr.. Dolliver uiep. 1a.) )-How much has that
practice sweiled ID the pension rolll al,
|
that in his opinion 1t was costing the Govern
ment $4,000 day;
soldiers homes, now old and inf1rm, were
| sought BY young women, who take advant; 20
many essss for the that n
| them after their husbands death. There were
still q few widows OF Revolutionary soldiers on
tho roll and 9. 800 OF soldiers Of the war Of 1912.
II had hoped that Some logislatio n on this
subject would be enacted" said Mr.. Allen, for
tell you that if nothing is done you'll wake up
| BeVenty-nNe years from now and ma three or
four hundred thousand widows of soldiers OF
The veterans die. but their widows 20 on for:
%$Sw Ssh RsaSop vii sas Ss
sion, have been submitted in a fervent, spirit
of patriotism, and l don't, want any battle
SCARED sutler to get UP here and question
'AsR TF psa4%sai asHsa'if'b bem No, criticised tina.
draw pension for being totally. incaPacitated
for manual labor. regardless Of his wealth.
M Lacy sP iowa the law
pension roll would grow small fast enough
that 1t would decrease from this time on. Tho
now So years. Fourteen years later It viii be
seventy; and in the nature of things they must
Lacey Lacey said the law might be amended 50 as to
make thelF pensions M depend I upon the Law W In
q shut out 30 OF the
Mr. Allen responded to some of Mr.. Lacey's
statements. The pension roll he said, was dis,
Union soldiers OF prominence. Who would
have supposed" he asked, when the war was
fresh in the minds Of the people, that in thirty
y,ras there would be pension roll of $50, 900
names. with 100000 applications still waiting
| action in the Pension officer He told a story
suggested by these facts. A Federal and a Con.
fsderate veteran met some time after the war
| and became real chummy, do up here
sometimes Tho Federal veteran patted his
companion on the buck and said
"0ld fellow we fought on opposite sides dur
ing the late war but in the next we'll fight
shoulder to shoulder under the Stars and
Stripes
"We uni, will, but you'ns won't" the Con-
federate replied.
why do you say we won'ti" asked the Fed
eral.
because" answered :he Confederate, "the
pension roll shows that you all were disabled" "
| loud lauRhterl
Mr.. Allen gave notice that at the proper time
he would ask the commit &c to insert in the bill
provisions prohibiting the granting OF pensions
TO widows and orphans OF veterans, application
FOR which was not filed during their widowhoOd
or pensionablc period of orphanage,
Mr.. Wheeler lDon., Alal presented the text
| nj a nrnDnsel amendment grading Densions fnr