The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-09
PASSING PENSION BILLS.
Senator Vest Makes Protest Against Hur
ried Manner Of Oisposing of Them.

Washington, Dec. S.-The Senate held
short session today, and then ad-
Journed until Monday, after making the
Nicaragua canal bill the unfinished
business before that body Mr.. Nor
gan called up the measure, whereupon
Mr.. Pettigrew moved to adjourn. This
motion failed 13 ayes to AZ noes, and
the bill was brought forward.
Adjournment was Immediately ta-
ken. During the session Mr.. Vest
stated his opposition to the hurried
manner of passing pension bills in the
Senate, and gave notice that he would
insist upon a quorum being present
when pension bills were being acted
upon.
In connection with the consideration
of bills on the pension calendar, Mr.
Vest said: Il do not want to be cap
tiOus about this pension business and
do not want to set myself up as a re-
former, but this thing of passing a
I lot of pension bills simply by the read
ing of the titles and when a quorum
Of the Senate is not present, has got TO
/ be stopped
After further referring to the meth
DDS by which pension bills are passed
| by the Senate, Mr.. Vest said Men of
/ the south have sat here and permitted
! these bills to be passed, having some
| delicacy about entering objections to
I
have obliterated sectionalism, and we
| are once more united, and are one
country and one treasury. We can,
! therefore come here and object to this
! spoliation (and / use the word ad-
visedly), without fear of having our
motives impugned or our words mis-
| construed.
I'VE are paying out in round figures
| SAL 900, 600 annually for pensions, and
/ it is our duty to find out why it is that
| SO years after the close of the civil war
| this thing of pension claims shows so
| enormous a sum- [ have been criticised
/ by some of my people because | have
not taken a more determined stand on
! this pension question. l want how
ever, to pay mupifcently and literally
! in pensions. I regard such payment as
| a sacred duty, but I do object to the
! passage Of these bills without proper
! consideration and without the same re-
strictions that are hedged about other
measures
/ Mr. Gallinger IN. H.) as chairman of
1 the pension committee, agreed with MIR.
Vest in his desire to have the pension
/ bills carefully considered. He thought
a quorum of the Senate ought to be in
attendance when the pension calendar
/ is considered.
Soon after a number of pension bills
! had been passed, the senators began
to leave the chamber Finally, true to
his warning, Mr. Vest raised the point
Of mo quorum" Forty-eight senators
responded to their names, and consid-
GRAFTON of the pension bills was re-
sumed. At the expiration of the one
hour allotted to the consideration Of the
pension calendar IS bills had been
passed.
A bill for the relief of the admins
traitors Of William B. Moses, deceased,
who was one Of the sureties on the
bond of Capt. Howgate, a disbursing
officer of the United States, whose de-
falcatiOn in 1880 caused a great sensa-
ton was called up by Mr. Hoar. 1t
had been favorably reported by the jul
dietary committee, The government
claim against the Moses estate amounts
to $13,476, and the bill relieves the es-
tate of the payment of that sum, in
view of the fact that through the eff
forts Of Moses the government was
enabled to realize a considerable
amount of its claim against Howgate.
The bill was passed.
During the consideration of bills on