The National tribune., 1900-04-19

. Germs charging the Committee with dis
honesty or anything of that sort, nothin!
was further from my thought. l stateC
that the Committee had been honest ant
that when they brought in a report here
showed that the claimant had been 10 tn
Pension Bureau and that his application
had been denied.
want to say to the gentleman that whel
he tWltS me with being the only man on thi
floor who is opposed to fraudulent pensions
| accept the distinction; | feel that / an
honored if am the only man on the Demo
cratic or the Republican side who has tn,
manhood to rise up here and vote agains
fraudulent pensions. When the gentle
man says that | have undertaken to stoE
the pension of single deserving old sol
dier, he misStateS the fact.
| | appeal to every gentleman on this side
and on the other side: they will bear me out
i'll the statement that since | have been d
member of this House / have never voted
against a pension when | thought that the
soldier honestly deserved it. | want to
say to the gentleman that expect to per
SlSt IN this course, and the Democratic
party can do as it pleases. For one do not
wish to go to the public Treasury to get
| money to elecuoneer with by getting money
out of pensioners who have received pen
slons that they do not deserve.
believe that the pension laws of this
Nation are sufficiently liberal to give every
old soldier who deserves it pension; but |
do say that you are rushing through here
in this House numbers of claims that are
unjust, that have no merit in them, and that
the Grand Army Posts themselves are
passing resolutions against this wholesale
passage of pension bills.
Mr.. Neville May | ask the gentleman
a. question?
Mr.. TaIbert. Certainly.
Mr. Neville. If you say as a matter of
fact that we are rushing through great
many pensions which are unjust and
fraudulent. how could you, few moments
ago, say that You Were not making charge
OF dishonesty against the members of the
Pension Committee?
Mr.. Talbert. / will answer the gentle
man with pleasure by saving this: The
Committee on Invalid Pensions is composed
of gentlemen of high patriotism.
That is exactly the case. Mr. Chairman;
but we know that they are human beings
after ali, and members on this side of the
House and members ON that go to them
and appeal TO them and ask them to help
this poor old man or poor old woman in
order to get their pensions. or get an in
crease OF pension, when they know, and
must know, that these people are not en-
titled to the pension, and ought not to have
II: and vet IN the goodness of their hearts,
Wlth the desire to help those who are poor
and impoverished. they go before the
Committee and appeal, and therefore get
the 5illS through that ought not to pass.
as they themselves must admit. if they
will examine the records i'm the case. That
IS all ! meant to say. | never have made
any assault on that Committee. | have
made no charge against them on the score
OF dishonesty; but. rs say. they are simply
human beings and subject to the appeals of
their fello%-members, and, like all other
men, are liable to error.
Mr.. CASTOR. VIII the gentleman allow
an interruption inst therc2
Mr.. Talbert. Certainly.
Mr.. GaSton. AS n member Of the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions, / wish to sav
that the statement Of the gentleman that
5i.,ppsaiS are made to members on that
Committee by the members on this floor
is not true. We do not meet with members
at all III that way. The gentleman is
mistaken altogether in assuming that the
Committee hears the appeals Of members
Tor the passage OF this, that, or the other
bill.
Mr.. Talbert. Well, I did not Weld 70 the
gentleman for n speech.
-. Mr. CASTOR. That is all desired to say.
Simply that the gentleman is in error as to
his statement
Mr.. Talbcrt (continuing). But, Mr..
Chairman, when a gentleman rises on This
fioor and undertakes to lecture me for nv
course here, / want to say to him. sir, that
nave adopted my position with reference
TO tins matter after mature deliberation
and careful consideration. ] want him 10
understand that my position here has been
taken after that consideration and dcIibera- |
uon and study, and that | stand BY every |
Mord ~. tliaT nave ever said and every posi-
non that have ever taken since have been |
a member OF this body with reference to
pension legislation or anything else.
ANA / VIII say 10 the gentleman from |
ONO Mr.. Nortonl, who undertook to lecture |
me, that feel as friendly to all the old |
soldiers as the gentleman does, or any |
Other member on this floor, and would |
be Just as ready TO raise my voice or NV
arm IN behalf Of any old soldier. whether !
ne wore the blue or the gray, as the gentle
man himself would be- But all OF this
criticism that has been showered down
upon my head because | dared to stand |
mere and oppose what ] regard TO be am
injustice to the taxpayers Of this conntrv
las no effect upon me and can not induce
NE 10 change my position.
Nr. Lamb had something to saw. and
as remarks drew n scathing denunciation
rom Mr. Talbert. He said the trouble
vas the gentleman from Virginia had
some internal little claims" before the
House he desired 10 get through. The |
same was true of other gentlemen 1t was
! iog-rolling combine. They dared not /
lght these unjust pension bills, as he was
iolng. When | and my people went into
he Confederate army" he said, 1--WE staked
'NcF! tIi1S ana we lost 1t. We are not |!
passing the hat around now" .... .
Capt. Lamb replied in vigorous Ian
slaSe, declaring that there were MANY
needy Federal soldiers who had moved fo |!
Richmond, and no had tried to help them 4
o pensions. He also spoke of the rayapes
IL war on the border States like Virginia.
When Mr.. Gibson objected to the reading
II q e report on a bill, MIR. Underwood said
lie did not believe in filibuStering tactics
md did believe that the men who fought
or the Union were entitled to fair pension
lut he thought that when a member de-
'ired a report read for information it was
To deny him the privilege.
Mr.. Gibson said it had been the rnie of
he House for five years, to take the action
u the House committees as based uDon
proper evidence and their conclusion as
he result Of honest action and good faith.
Mr.. Fordney. Mr.. Chairman. the
gentleman from South Carolina asks for
he reading of that report simply, and saws
hat 1t Is not for the reason that he desires
o Kill hme," but that it NAV 90 into the
record; and when he is told by a member
II the committee that the report will 90 into
he Record anyhow, he will not accept the
statement, but still insists upon the reading.
lie claims to be candid in his position and s
laims TO be a friend of the old soldier
since have been i'll this House, for "A ver,,
,rief time, | have yet failed to see one t
rlendly proposition of the gentleman from t
south Carolina toward the old soldiers, i
A gentleman on that side of the Houso t
las stated today that he believes the gentle I