The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-14
Decrease of Five and n Half Millions
Not So Many Large Pensions.
DEBATE BEGUN IN THE HOUSE
G.. A. II. sPREFERENCE" BILL RE-
PORT SEVERELY CRITICISED.
Admission of COnfederates to All Sol
diers' Homes Urged by Vir-
ginian-Debate in the Senate.

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 a wide range. Mr.. Grosvenor,
of Ohio, and Mr.. Hepburn, of Iowa, de-
nounced report presented to the last
G.. A r. Encampment criticising the course
of themselves and other members of Con-
gress on the veteran preference" bill,
which was defeated at the last session.
They explained that their opposition TO
the bill was due to the incorpor alton In
the bill of a clause which had not been
indorsed by the G. A. r. placing veterans
of the Spanish war in the preferential
class Mr.. Rixey, of Virginia, caused some
thing of a stir on the Democratic side by
advancing a plan to open the doors of ma
tional soldiers homes to ex-Confederates
and furnish federal aid to State Confeder-
ate homes. Mr. Richardson, of Alabama,
was the only Democrat who joined MI.
RiXey in support of it.
When the pension bill was taken up Mr..
Barney, of Wisconsin, who was in charge
of it, explained that the measure carried
$3.50 S46 4S0 as against s145, ,245 23O appropriat-
ed for the current year. The estimates
for the payment of pensions decreased
from S144 O0O,O 600 to $lSS, 100000. He was asked
by Mr.. Richardson, of Tennessee, why
the amount for pensions decreased s., 500, 600
while the number of pensioners was said
to be larger Mr. Barney explained that
this was accounted for by the Iact that
the arrearageS were decreasing and the
number of large penSiOns-thOse from 500
to $75 a month-also decreasing. In
reply TO another question he stated that
the commissioner of pensions believed that
the high tide of pension payments had
been reached and the amount required
probably would remain stationary for some
years.
Mr.. Bell of Colorado denounced the
practices of the pension sharks. He de-
clared that they were impOrtuing soldiers
OF the Spanish war and those who had
pensions. He said that in some cases
soldiers who thoroughly examined at
the time of their discharge and found to
be perfectly sound Welded to these impOr-
tUnities and applied for pensions within
month after their discharge. He made a
strong plea for justice TO the soldiers. not
only of the rebellion, but of the Spanish
war, contending that to secure justice for
deserving veterans pensions for the un-
worthy should be opposed. As against the
soldier in the civil war who had not aD-
piled for pension until recent years, he
thought the present commissioner was too
strict. but in the matter of ferreting out
fraud he thought Commissioner Evans had
been uneXcelled by any of his predecessors.
Mr.. GrosvenOr assailed the report of a
committee of the @. a. r., made to the
Grand Army Encampment at Cleveland,
last summer. The report placed at the
door of certain members of the House and
Senate (amOng them himself the failure
to pass what known the pref
erence'' pension bill. MIR. Grosvenor char
acterized the report as unjust. unfair and
untruthful." Mr.. GrosvenOr said that dur
ing his long service in the House he had
always supported cordially every general
and special bill for the benefit of his COM
rades in arms. The objection 10 the bill.
he said, that IL contained d provision
which would have given preference over
the old soldier of the rebellion TO a quar-
ter of million men who enlisted in the
Spanish-AmeriCan war. He did not think
the provision just. and explained why he
could not support il in the shape IN which
IL appeared
Mr.. Talbert. of South Carolina. delivered
n general speech on the subject of pensions
70 show the growing extravaganza and
fraud OF the present system. Tie thought
the practice of passing special pension bills
should be abandoned.
Mr.. Hepburn again brought up the report
made TO the O.. a. X. encampment I'm crit
icism OF members of Congress who
voted against the veteran prefer