The National tribune., 1902-01-23

Did law.
The reason why the value of pensions
was decreasing. WAS because the old sol
t.nrs now found IL practically impossible
e., get Il peusi0n under the old statute.
Most of them, therefore, took n pension
Inder the service pension act, the highest
allowance of which is So.
Under conditions ut this time, he de
clarcd. that while; he had great faith i'll
| he cndeayor OF the Pension Commissioner
to protect the Government, the sentiment
against allowing pensions with arrears
was so overwhelming in the Department
| that it was practically impossible to get
| such pension through, and in fact, il
could not be gotten through, unless there
was proof presented beyond n reasonable
doubt. This was y fragrant injustice to
| the patriotic soldier, who put off his claim
as long as possible. He cited several in
dividual eases which had come under his
| own knowledge, to prove his assertion. lie
urged that Congress pass bill, which ne
would offer, to make proof easier.
Mr. Bell made an attack upon the eff
cheney of the Pension Office, claiming that
the Commissioner had stated from time to
limc that he had been unable to do his
duty. by reason Of the present condition
of affairs. He said that some time ago he
had stated that he had at least 100 clerks
in his office that were not worth 81 to him,
in defining the allowance of pension
claims. He had reported that he had en-
ployees here, supposed to be locking for
pension claims, that were worthless IN
every particular. and that were drawing
for their services, or pretended services,
$I2 per month: that they were drawing
that sum in addition to a pension. In
fact. they were practically disabled for
effective work, and still. under the present
system, he was obliged to retain them.
Mr.. Bell thought that such n condition of
1. tn 10
soldiers whose cases were pending before
the Bureau. These clerks were practically
drawing a double pension.
The Commissioner cf Pensions had ex-
planned that he was practically unable to
rid the office of these worthless clerks, be
cause whenever he discharged one, every
member of Congress from the State from
which the employee came, and the Sena-
tors from that State, came and jumped on
him, and never allowed him any rest I'M
til the man was rcinstated. Mr.. Bell pro-
tested that he was not an advocate OF the
present Commissioner of Pensions. He
thought in many cases he had been too
strict, and especially to the old soldiers
who had not applied until within the past
two years; but on the question of economy
and efficiency, and insisting on every clerk
of the Department doing his full duty, he
thought that the present Commissioner
had never been eXcelled in that office.
There was long discussion between
members about the system of rating by
Examiners. in 1Sths, but it resulted in no
change OF the present system, and was
without profit.
The debate then took a partisan VEIN
and Mr.. Jenkins, of Wisconsin, entered
upon discourse which covered about
seven pages of the Congressional Record,
having little to do with the question in
point, and discussing the historical atti-
tude of the Democratic party upon the
question Of territorial extension, and de-
Tending the acquisition of the territories
that came to us from the Spansh-Ameri-
can war. This digtessiOn was fair sam
pie of the debatesL which ran over three
days in the House.
Mr. Taibert, OF South Carolina, who
last year became famous for calling for
Il quorum when the House was c0nsid-
ering private pension bills, got the floor
and made speech, which he did not
print in the Record for that day, but held
for revision. He claimed that he was not
hostile to paying pensions on their merits;
but reviewed our system, claiming that 1t
was enormously eNtravagant, and making
arguments in favor of reforms. He espe-
ciiliy objected to the passage of private
bills, which, by the way, have been greatly
cut in number in recent Congresses. For
example, the Fiftieth Congress passed
l,OlJ private pension bills; the Fifty-hrst,
1.3SS, which was high-water mark; the
Fifty-Seyenth Congress, the last, however,
passed only T1S, and this reduction was
largely due to Mr. Talberts objections
Col. Hepburn, of Iowa, and Gen Gros-
venor, of Ohio, made some remarks in
the way of personal explanation, complain
ing that they had been blucklisted at the
National Encampment at Cleveland last
year for voting against the sc called sol
diers' preference BILL and explained that
they had done so because it would prac'
tically have given preference to Spanish
war veterans over soldiers Of the civil war
when the services i'll the one case Were
incomparably greater than the other. Col.
Hepburn specially amplihed the injustice
OF filling the Departments with young men
who saw their service in the Spanish war,
in preference to other citizens, and espe-
cially old veterans.
During Tuesday and Wednesday, under
cover of the Pension Appropriation Bill,
the general debate ran on, in Committee
of the Whole, and long speeches were
made ON various subjects. The particular
topic discussed, having some remote re-
lati0n to the subject. was the proposition
of Mr.. RiXey, of Virginia, to admit ex-
Confederate veterans to the National Sol
diers' Homes, and by Mr.. Otey, also of
Virginia, who proposed to appropriate an
amount equal to 10 per cent. of money OBJ
tanned from captured and abandoned prop
erty in the South. to be applied for the
benefit of disabled eX-Confederate soldiers.
\ long discussion cnsucd, showing that
these propositions were made simply for
home consumption, and they We're both
very generally opposed by ex-Confederate
veterans themselves who are members of
Congress from the Southern States.
In the course of the debate, on one side,
Mr.. Jenkins, of Wisconsin, offered an
amendment which provided that. in the
case Of application for a pension, it should
be presumed in favor Of the person apply
ing that his disability was not the result
Of his own vicious habits, and, further
more, that his acceptance as Il soldier or
s;lilor by the United States would be ac-
cepted as prima facic evidence that he
WAS sound, mentally and physically, upon
his enlistment. This amendment, how
ever, was ruled out upon point of order
that it proposed new legislation.
Finally, on Wednesday evening, the
emptiness of the whole performance,
aside from the opportunity to put speeches
on various subjects, was shown by the
passage Of the bill as reported by the
committee, without the formaiity of u roll
call. The House then adjourned over to
Saturday.
The House held short session on Sat
urday, devoted to miscellaneous matters;
the one occupying the most time being the
proposition to increase the clerical force
of several of the committees.
In the Senate the principal work Of the
week was the discussion of the bill for
the creation of Department of Com
merce, reported from the Committee on
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