The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-03
D0INGS 0F CONGRESS
Abstract Of the Important Pro
ceedings in / Both Houses.

| The Senate took up the Pension appro-
priatiOn bill Jan "a.
Mr.. Gallinger an. IT) secured the adOp-
ton of an amendment providing that here
after no pension shall be paid upon power
OF attorney from pensioners residing in
| foreign countries.
Mr.. Perkins Cali, in charge of the bill.
made a general statement regarding the
| bill, saying il had been framed upon eSti-
mates submitted by the Secretary of the
| Interior, the officer of the Government
charged with that duty
, Mr.. Gallinger, Chairman Of the Pensions
! Committee, remarked that he had been
| sharply criticised because Of the attitude
| he mad assumed to certain phases of
| the pension question: but he was satisfied
To rest upon his record. He was, he said,
! in favor of the payment of a pension to
every man woman honestly entitled to a
pension.
The Pension appropriation bill was
| called up the next day and an amendment
proposed by Mr.. Allen tNeb., Pop, pro
viding that the lowest pension paid by the
| Government be So a month was ruled out
of order. Mr.. Allen then offered an amend
ment to the bill increasing the amount
! appropriated from $4,000, 600 to S1iS, 000 00c.
MIR. Allen had introduced his first
amendment the day before. AS to the
| second he said:
Il think il ought not to go to the country
that we are making an appropriation be
| low the amount estimated and by that
| means create the impression that our pen
| sion appropriation is decreasing. We
| know a matter of fact that it is prac
tically at standstill, and probably il will
| decrease in the course OF "a very few years,
| owing to the age Of many pensioners.
| "Of course, Mr.. President do not hope
| or expect to induce the Senate to increase
| the pension appropriation, not because il
would not be right To do so. not because
| he hn laG tn
| by the Government are not in need and
| their claims Just but because a party
| decree has gone forth that pensions must
cease or must not exceed the present limit.
II shall say what think ought i'm be !
| half of this class of our people. | shall not
ask any gentleman whether il will suit his
preferences for me to express my opinion or
not. / shall be pleased ii my remarks
meet his approval, and not particularly
chagrined if they do not. / now insist on
| my amendment"
Mr.. Perkins said: II will state that the
| Senator from Nebraska is mistaken when
| he says that the Department recommended
| more than $40, eco That was the
| amount contained in the book of est
mates, submitted by the Secretary of the
! Interior, and later concurrcd i'm by the
! CommiSsioiier Of Pensions.
| Your Committee. MIR. President, care
| fully considered the testimony submitted
at the hearings before the Committee on
Appropriations in the House OF Representa-
tves; they were also i'm receipt OF com
munications from the Commissioner Of
! Pensions: and after fully considering them
| they recommended the full amount that
| the Secretary of the interior had recon-
mcnded, To wit, $4,000, eco for pensions
for the fiscal year ending June 20, 1899.
Therefore, in accordance with the in
| StruCtiOnS that | received frcm the Com
! mittee, that ] should raise the point OF
/ order when any question was presented
here that was contrary to the rules OF the
| Senate, now raise the point OF order
against the amendment under rule 10,
| line 81
Mr.. Allen quoted part Of the testimony Of
the Commissioners before the House Com
| mittee on Appropriations, as quoted the
day before by Mr.. German. Then he said;
/ 50 1T would appear that Mr. Evans de
>Sired an appropriation of Sl4S, GC0 0C0. That
| was the clam he made before the House
j Committee ON Appropriations. ] he fact
| that on the boois,sof estimates, as il is
called, different sum has been entered
does not determine the amount of the
| estimate.
Mr. Perkins said that this testimony was
given under date of Dec 6. Later, under
date Of Jan. 10, the Commissioner wrote
the Committee on Appropriations, stating
| that the amount proposed TO be appropri-
| ated, 10 wit, 81 Deco, 600, for the Army and
| Navy pensions was entirely satisfactory To
| him. Later he wrote again Ia the Com
mttee, under date Of Jan. 20, reiterating
| that statement.
He said he would Withdraw the point of
order that Mr.. Allen could not say that
! Mr.. Perkins was trying to protect the
+! Committee in what he claims by implica-
| ton at least, is superficial examination
| OF the question.
Mr.. Gallinger protested against Mr.
! Aliens trying to make it appear that in
some way the present administration Of
| the Pension Bureau was hostile 10 the
| interests of the soldiers and his arraign-
ment Of the Republican party for hypoc-
rsy in dealing with the pension question.
| He said;
The facts are that Of the $40, l07 original
claims adjudicated for the three years
| 1891, 1895, and 1896, there were 100, 15i re
| jected Just 90 per cent. while from
| April to Dec. 81, 1897, nine months of
! administration by the present Commits
! sioner Of Pensions, Of the 1886 original
claims adjudicated only 81 ,03l, or II per
cent, were rejected, as against 90 per
cent. during the former administration of
! that office. For the first period, the three
years named, there were llS, 213 claims for
| increase adludicated, of which 100, 255, or
| II per cent, were rejected, while during
/ the second period, from April | 10 Dec. 81 !,
! 1891, there were -, sel claims for increase
adjudicated Of which only 20,132 were re-
! lected, or % per cent, against II per cent.
under the former administration Of the.
| Pension Bureau.
Pensions To a much larger percentage,
wisely or unwisely, are being granted
under Commissioner Evans than were
| granted under the former Commissioners.
| 1t would be an extraordinary piece of lcgis-
| lation for us to come in here, in the present
| condition of the public Treasury, and vote
| 5000 eco more To Il Department of this
| Government than the accredited head Of
that Department says he thinks ought TO
! be granted
| Mr.. Allen said he had no doubt the Presi-
! dent was heartily in sympathy with equita-
! bic pensions to all needy persons who are
! pensionable under the laws, and would, if
| within his power, enact a law that would
| cover all mcritOriouS cases; he had no
doubt of Commissioner ivans's sympathy
for worthy applicants But, he said "the
| Republican ,party,ris determined that the
pension roils~shail not be increased; and il
| is doing everything possible to prevent an
| increase, To the injury, III my judgment, OF
those who are Justly entitled to pensions
and larger pensions than they are receiv-
| ing"
| The amendment was lost
Mr.. Allen offered an amendment pro
yidng that the reports OF examining sur
| geonS be open to inspection by The appl-
cant for pension his. agent attorney
MIR. Allen urged that it was wrong that
1 Ia u