The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-11
OF PENSION BILLS
MORE PRIVATE MEASURES BEFORE
CONGRESS THAN EVER BEFORE.
Number Of Bills to Remove Charges Of
DesertfOn and Pave the Way for
Pensions Also Increasing.

NEW YORK, Feb. 10.-A special dispatch
to the Times from Washington says:
Nothing like the flood of private pension
bills which is being poured in on this
Congress has ever been known before in
American history. Within two months
after the opening of the session as many
bills have been introduced as are usually
offered I'm a whole session and the flood
is increasing instead Of diminishing. In
this respect this Congress will break ali
records. The pension committees are sim
ply staggering under the increase of bust
ness. There has also been an Increase in
the number Of bills introduced to amend
the record of deserters. so as to enable
them to get pensions.
"Up to this time last year the Senate
committee on pensions had received about
400 bills. Since the opening of this session
it has received 1,145 private pension bills
and As general b%ills-1.190 in ell. Dur
ing the whole of the last session and the
extra session which preceded 1t, 1,2SS such
bills were referred to this committee, so
that the number introduced in two months
Of the present session is almost as large
as the total number introduced in the last
two sessions. The extra session was as
long as some regular sessions. Tie total
number of private pension bills referred to
this committee in the whole of last Con-
gress from both House and Senate was
2,467, scarcely more than double the put
put of the last two months.
Senator Gallinger, chairman of the Sem
ate committee on pensions, says that If all
the pension bills introduced at his ses-
sion were passed it would bankrupt the
government. Representative Cyrus Sullo-
way, chairman of the House committee on
invalid pensions, does not agree with him.
When Mr.. SullOway was asked how many
private pension bills had been introduced
in the House he said: About 1900. That
Is an increase over preceding sessions, but
1t is perfectly legitimate
What is the reason for the increase?'
Zone of the reasons is that last year
the pension bureau rejected 107. 919 claims.
Three thousand is not a very large proper
ton of 107, 900 This talk about bankrupt
ing the government is nonsense. The money
spen. on the old soldiers is a drop in the
bucket compared with the sums that are
being spent in other directions. Nobody
objects to spending a lot of money on a
dock without any sides to it or on mending
q slough in Louisiana.
"Mr. Sulloway was aware of the exist
ence OF an cutlery against the increase in
nension legislation and he said it vas the
work of newspaper writer's who did not
understand the subject. These bills don't
average over ter to a congressional dis
trict,' said he, and how many districts
have you got? AS a matter of fact, the
distribution of pension money is a blessing
to this country. 1t prevents Wall street
from ever creating another black Friday.
When you have got $50, 000,0 900 among the
people in free circulation it can't be cor
nered.'
"Over 300 bills have been introduced to
remove the charge Of desertion. This is a
large increase over the number of SINH
lar bills introduced in the preceding con-
crosses. Senator Cullom introduced a bill
early In the session to remove desertion
charges by wholesale. but there was an
cutlery against 1t and he dropped 1t, ex-
plaining that he had introduced ii under a
misapprehension. The bill is now being
used against Mr.. Cullom by his enemies in
Illinois in the interests of Tanners cam
raign for his seat in the Senate. The in
crease in private pension bills is not ex-
plainable by reason of the Spanish and
Philippine wars. for comparatively few OF
the bills are in the interest Of those who
served in those campaigns. Most of the
private pension bills are introduced after
the Pension Bureau has rejected the claims
of the applicants. Where bills are intro
duced in the interest Of Spanish war vete-
| rams the case is generally found to be
that the forehanded veteran has an APP
plication pending at the Pension Bureau,
and has a bill introduced also, so as TO be
sure Of getting it,"