The National tribune., 1900-01-25
"ETERNAL; DELAYS"

"ETERNAL: DELAYS"
Senators Allen and Teller Present the Griev,
| auces Of the Veterans.
| In the course of the debate in the Senate
Monday, Jan. s, on the amendments TO the
act of June 81, $780, ,sSenator Allen said:
Mr. Allen Mr. President, am in hearty
sympathy with the purpose of the Senator
| from South Carolina,i but it is gong 10 iead
| to a pretty general discussion and to quite a
| radical amendment Cd the pending bill.
The ease referred to blythe Senator from
South Carolina is net an isolated case by
| any means. | can recall two cases IN my
| own State of Union soldiers. old men, who
| have been unable to get out OF thelr chalTS
| for 10 or ~ years. unab bic 10 get their names
| to their mouths, unable to move except as
they are assisted by some other person;
those men have good records as SoloicfS;
there is not a spot or bIemish upon Their
service, and yet they are not getting 10
| exceed SIS a month. They have Appealed
again and again in vain to the Pension
Office for an increase of their pension
They are, in consequence of their un1oriu-
nate condition. practically mendIcants anG
are supported largely at the public expense
Mr.. Cockrell. They are pensloned under
! what law?
Mr.. Allen. do not know what law they
are pensioned under. | cannot state as to
that. These are two cases that have come
under my personal observation nave
been able TO see those men myself; nave
talked with them and observed their con-
ditions. All over the country there
are cases of that kind.
> One of the great faults Of the pen
sion system of the United States is IT'S
eternal delay. 1t is like the case OF
r Jarndyce as. Jarndyce. that perpetu-
ally and perennially rolls its slow length
along until every litigant and every coun-
sci and every witness is dead.
| would not speak in harsh terms OF the
Pension Office | do not want to 90 mat
and ] shall not do it; but, Mr.. Pr, ;!dent, is
there not clerical force enough III the ZEN
sion Office, or can it not be put there, to take
these cases UP speedily and determine
whether they shall be allowed or not, and
not permit a great army Of dependent men
or needy men and needy women and chll.
dren to die of starvation and OF delay. ii
it is the policy of the Government under
this or any other Administration to keep
the pension roll at its present figure, let me
hold out hope and expectation to these
crippled, dependent people that they Will
receive pensions when there is no purpose
to pension them. Let it be said frankly ana
honestly to them and honestly to the colln-
try that they have received all the Govern
appeal to the Government for any lurther
assistance. i believe government whose
citizens voluntarily come to its rescue III the
hour of peril ought to pay them when they
are crippled or their health is injured IN
consequence of their service.
| was thinking a moment ago when the
distinguished Senator from New Hamp-
shire referred to {, finger being worth 81
how much a mans whole body would be
worth estimated on that basis Of calcula-
ton. When men left home and went IN
defense OF the flag Of their country and IT'S
institutions, IS these men did in the MeXl-
can war and in otherJwars. if their health
was impaired or if theif bodies were wrackcd
with disease or if thev lost limbs or We're
injured, let the Government make them
good and whole rs far as possible. ihcy
are entitled TO nothing.less5 they are entitled
to that.
But. Mr. President. nbore all and beyond
all let the GOVernmentHnove speedily IN TINS
matter bcfore these people are extinct. 1t
is the delay, the endless, eternal delay, that
is the crying evil in the administration OF
the Pension Bureau of the United States.
Senator Teller said: Mr.. President,
think the criticsmsa perhaps, that are
made here on the Department are some |
what unjust, because these questions are |
pretty difficult to deal with. There is a |
vast army of men applying for pensions |
and, in my judgment, the most Of them |
ought TO have pensions. j think perhaps
he day is not far distant wfen We shall say |
10 every man who served in the civil war |
hat he shall have Il service pension. Wei
are, perhaps. not ready, as the Senator from
New Hampshire says, just yet 10 do 1t; but |
hat time will ultimately come.
But, as far as | am concerned, should |
ike to say that ] am not alarmed If the
Interior Department will allow men to get
ln the pension roll who do not belong there.
II the way the work is done in the Depart
ment. 1t was my duty at one time to con-
slider the charges frequently made in this
chamber and other places that the pension
-oll was stuffed with people who had no
right there. After the most careful and
exhaustive effort, with all the appliances
hat the Department could use, without any
limit or stint anywhere, We found that there
was not one man iii 200 who was there that
there was even a suspicion Of. | know
from nv own observation and from the
letters ] have received for many years and
the men with whom have come i'll personal
contact that there are infinitely more men
off the roll who ought to be on than there
are men on who ought TO be off.
Mr.. President, neither am | one of those
who are frightened at the fact that We are
paying 100000 a year. We had the
greatest war of modern times. We had the
greatest army of any modern time. and we
lliU tfle SicsIieot bC TAIN
the battles in South Africa and in other
places. Why, Mr.. President, look at those
who went down in one single engagement.
What would be a great army i'll almost any
other part of the world were left dead on the
field.
There was no army in the world that ever
gave four wears of such service as our men
gave. There was no other army in the
world that ever met such opponents as our
men met There was 10 army III modern
times where the cold steel of the bayonet
was used as it was used in the late civil war.
Can men go through those things with
out lowering their vitality? And when old
age comes on them, when the men who
ought to be stalwart and strong because
they did their service to their country find
weak and aged. with country
the richest on the face Of the earth, with
more untouched measures for taxation and
revenue than any other people in the world,
with a people that is spending more money
than any other people iii the world, we
ought not to be afraid of doing what we
contra cted to do when we took these men
into oJIr army.
1t is true, Mr. President, You paid a
great sum of money, $500 100000, in
pensions. You paid it to maintain the
honor and the decent character of the
Nation. You paid Sj00,o00,0O0 more, or
nearly that. in the way Of interest to main
tain your credit You paid nearly $500, ,OOO,-
900 more to the public creditors in the way
Of interest than you have paid to the sol
liers who made it possible for these men
IL, fbair iny nd ultima taly- tbair |