The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-12-16
DEBATE ON PENSION BILL
SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS sTAND
ALONE IN PROTESTING AGAINST
PENSION ABUSES.
BILL PROVIDES FOR $I4O,0OO,0OO
a fehtion to Senate Signed by 21,-
26o Natives Against Hawaiian
Observation-Disclosures COM
plains OF Pension Abuses.

son appropriation bills and stirred nm n
uehate that promises to continue for
several days. Several of the southern
democrats offered criticisms of various
cinsses OF pensioners, and Private John
Allen of Mississippi, who led the as
sault, IN speech replete with his char
acterlstlc humor, presented Il series of
ameEoments designed, as he said, to
SS, rect some OF the most glazing evils
Ihey prohlDit the granting of pensions
TO WIDOWS whose applica lions were not
MED during their wiuowhood and the
granting of pensions to widows whose
applications were based on marriages
contracted after the passage of this act
ana TIC strike from the rolls all the per-
maLently insane or idiotic minors who
mad reached their majority.
The northern democrats, however.
wed with the republicans in their pro-
LESSON OF friendship for the soldiers.
AMI one of them, Mr.. Norton of Ohio,
Gee AIRED that the republicans could not
make the bill too large for him. 1t was
admitted on both sides of the house
during the discussion that the sum of
$l4O,OCO,W0 carried by the bill for pen
SONS would not cover the expenditures,
but as congress would be in session,
Mr.. Cannon said, it would be easy to
make good any deficiency that might
occur.
Mr.. Stone, in charge of the bill, yield
ed tn Mr.. Cannon, chairman of the COM
mittee on appropriations, who took oc-
caslon to make a statement of the esti-
mates submitted by the secretary of the
treasury for the public service of 1899
Tor the purpose, he said, of disabusing
the minds of members and the country
of the false impression made by COM
| parson of these estimates with those
of preceding years. The estimated rev.
enues for 1899 were $4S2,O0O,OOO, the
eXper ditures $504, 100000 showing an
estimated deficit of S2l 100000. Under
the last sundry civil act, the secretary
of the treasury, he pointed out, was
! compelled to estimate this year for $4S,-
| U00,O00 of river and harbor work, $685.
| 000,UOO of which had not been author
lied by law. If this sum, not hereto
fore included in the estimates, were de-
Quoted there would be an estimated sur
plus of SS000000 instead of deficit.
Last year the estimated deficit under
the last tariff act was $4G,000000 If
the SIT 100000 for river and harbor
work for which the government then
stood bound, had been included the es-
timated deficit would have been $685.
100000.
MI. Cannon said it might be that
the Expenditures for pensions for 1899
would exceed the estimates. The COM
miss Toner of pensions estimated the eX-
penditures at $14S,000000. If he should
prove to be right, Mr.. Cannon points
out that the $l40,UO0,000 appropriated
by this bill would pay all pensions for
the first eleven months of the fiscal
year and deficiency appropriation could
be easily made.
In conclusion Mr.. Cannon solemnly
warned the house that the large nntici-
patory importations would keep che
revenues under the present law down to
|, the minimum, and he appealed to his
: colleagues to see to it that while the
public service was sufficiently supplied
with money, not one dollar Is appro'
priated which is not absolutely neces'
sary to the best interests OF the puph,
sci wee.
This statement Of Mr.. Cannon was
warmly applauded on the republican
side.
Mr. Allen (dem) of Mississippi attack
ell Mr.. CannOns statement In speecr
In which there was flashes of his inim
itably humor that set the house into
roar of laughter. He grayely com
mehded Mr.. Camon's appeal for econ
omy. but ayowed that the figures Of
the chairman of the appropriations com
m:ttee did not do the situation justice
He Produced figures that showed an es
tinateL deficit Tor the next year OF ~,
OGJ.000. He referred to the increase II
the persi0n roll under the present ad
minis tration and ridiculed the idea o
decrease unless the increase was t
be attributed to ''the exigencies OF tn
recent campaign. in Ohio" He rea'
from Commissioner Evans testimon.
before the appropria tons committee
predicting deficit of from SS,O00WF
to $10.0O0,00O in pension expenditure
during the next fiscal year. The maxi
mum had not yet been reached.
This question Of the maximum OF n
pension roll" observed Mr.. Allen, y
one of the things that has protracte'
NV stay in congress. When | first cam
here they were talking of maximum
stayed ten or fifteen years to see Il
but it has not yet ccme, ana guess
will have to come back again.
iLaughterl ;,
his hunlor at the Dlug.cy law as n reye
me producer, picturing the intense anX
iety of the chairman of the ways ah
mans committee ut the extra sess'ol
to get a iii Oh TIE statute books tha
u oIlld strike balance between the re
CENTS AMI expenditures, and predicting
Anxiety on the part of Mr.. Dlngley mex
spring at another extra session eahe'
for the same purpose.
Mr.. Alien seriously criticised some 0
the classes of pensions granted. IN con
cllsion he spoke of the hardships I'M
great tax burden placed upon the peopl
OF the south, who were, he said, Dflhi
rcJcntlessly burdened by the gold stand
arl and IL cent cotton.
Mr. Dearm0pd (dem) of Missouri fol
lowed with some additional crltlcisI
| of some of the classes on the pension
rolls. ,o, ~.
Mr.. Lacey (rep) of Iowa defended TN
present liberal pension pollcy; Az.
When Mr.. Lacey concluded, Mr.. Ailel
AGAIN got the floor and disclalined am
infaI,tion of attacking the federal Sol
diers or the pension rolls. But ne sait
h. colIh not but marvel ut the fact ina
| M; OOO names were now on the roii'
and that there were 100000 Applications
In the pension office. There nad Deer
but 100000 men In the federal army
and he was reminded OF meeting De
tween an ex-confederate ana an e1 RE
arai of n blue and gray union. They
we're felicltating themselves on the us
appcarance of all hostility. -,
DIFF here should be another war, sain =
the cx-federal, 1--WE VIII be stahuiip
shoulder to shoulder under one nag.
"We will, but you wont" retorteo
the ex-ccnfederate.
what do you mean" asked the ex'
fedeIal. ct,.ar
Mr. Allen gave notice i he woulc
offe- amendments 10 prof. 1t the grant
inc of a pension to a Yow whose UP