The Saint Paul globe., 1902-01-14
USUAL PENSION ROW
INTRODUCTION OF ANNUAL APPRo-
PRIATTON BILL STARTS VIM
EGARY DEBATE
CANNON AND HEPBURN KICK
Don't Want to Be Held Up as En-.
emies of Veterans-Mr. Rixey
Would Admit Confederates
to Soldiers Homes.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.-The house Of
representatives spent the day in general
discussion Of the pension appropriation
bill, the first of the annual budgets. The
debate took wide range Mr.. Grosve-
nor, of Ohio, and Mr.. Hepburn, of Iowa,
denounced report presented to the last
G. A. r. encampment criticising the
course of themselves and other members
of congress on the veteran preference
bill which was defeated at the last ses-
sion. They explained that their opposl-
ton to the bill was due to the incorpora-
ton in the hill Of a clause which had not
been indorsed by the G. A. r., placing
veterans of the Spanish war in the pref
erential class.
Mr.. Rixey, Of Virginia, caused some
thing Of a4stir on the Democratic side by
advancing a proposition to open the doors
of the national soldiers homes to ex-
Confederates and to furnish federal aid
to state Confederate homes.
Mr.. Richardson, of Alabama, was the
only Democrat who joined Mr.. Rixey in
support of it.
Immediately after the reading of the
journal Mr.. Babcock CWisconsin), chair
man Of the District CT Columbia commit
tee, claimed the day, and the house pro-
ceeded to the consideration of district
business.
AAESSA1hS OAu SLEdWs
After disposing of this the house took
up the pension appropriation bill. Mr.
Barney CWisconsin), in charge of the BILL
explained that it carried $139, 9,S16,4S0, as
against $145, ,245,230 appropriated for the
current year.
Mr.. Bell Colorado denounced the prac-
tice of the pension sharks" He declared
that they were importuning soldiers of
the Spanish war and those who had since
served in the Philippines to apply for
pensions. He said that in some cases
soldiers who were thoroughly examined
at the time of their discharge and found
to be perfectly sound yielded to these i'm
portunities and applied for pensions with
in a month after their discharge. He
contended that to secure justice for de-
serving veterans, pensions to the un-
worthy should be opposed.
AS against the soldier in the Civil war,
who had not applied for pension until
recent years, he thought the present COM
missioner was too strict, but in the mat
ter of ferreting out fraud he thought
Commissioner Evans had been unexce1Ied
by any of his predecessors.
Mr.. Grosvenor then assailed the report
cf committee Of the G. A. r. made to
the Grand Army encampment at CIeve-
land last summer, as noted above. He
characterized the report as UNJUST, un-
fair and untruthful'
Mr.. Tablert (South Carolina) delivered
a general speech on the subject of pen
sions to show the growing extravaganza
and fraud Of the present system. He
thought the practice Of passing special
pension bills should be abandoned.
Mr.. Hepburn Qowa) again brought I'D
the report made to the G. A. r. encamp-
ment in criticism Of members of con-
gress who voted against the veteran
preference" bill. He pointed out that the
bill, as indorsed by the g. A. r., and as
originally introduced, did not contain the
provision giving preference to veterans
Of the Spanish war. Some Of the veter
ans Of the Spanish war, he said, were as
much entitled to be In the preferential