The Washington herald., 1907-01-12
PENSION BILL PASSED
Only Civil War" Objected
To in the Senate.
sMOOT DEFENDED BY HOPKINS
Illinois Senator Declares That Utah
Man Is Apostle of a Better Mormon
Iygamy Asserted-House Member
Works In Interest of salary.

/ Ine senate passed the McCumber ser
vice pension bill yesterday without a roll
call. and with no votes against it. The
measure will give every man who served
ninety days, and is sixty-two years old.
a pension Of Sl2. II over sixty-five he
/ will get SIS. and if over seventy his
stipend will be SO month The bill will
cost the country about $4,000. 600 a year
An amendment proposed by Senator
Hale was adopted forbidding a fee to
any claim agent or attorney for getting
a pension for any beneficiary Of the act
| Another amendment was adopted giving
| a service pension 10 men who served
sixty days in the Mexican war. The
/ benefits of the act do not apply to any
veteran who already has pension Of any
kind from the government.
! Senator Teller, In urging that survivors
/ Of the Mexican war be taken care of
/ said that an increased pension charge Of
| double the amount would be mere bag
atelle. "A world power should see that
/ It's veterans are properly cared for"
| he exclaimed. I'VE were not made "A
world power by the Spanish-American
war, but when we maintained the right
/ Of the American flag 10 float over every
mile OF American territory The Spanish
war was a small one. but It has been
| large in cost. What the aftermath will
be no one can foretell. but If we are TO
take possession OF Cuba and continue the
control Of the possessions in the Pacific,
under the expenditure of the past ten
| years, 1t viii not be long until the
| charges are greater than those growing
out Of the civil war"
Mr. Teller said he was not prepared 20
| indicate what the expenditures in the
philippines had been. They had been esti-
mated by the late Senator Hoar five years
ago. TO be $3.50 100000 He had heard them
estimated al Sl000O0000 a year since the
country had raised the flag over the
Philippines. He could not see how any
one who stood for that condition should
object TO liberal pensions.
WhRt should War BE Called.
An interesting feature Of the debate on
the bill occurred in connection with its
title.
Southern Senator'S took exception 10 the
words War Of the Rebellion" Mr.. Car
mack moved to strike out these words
and substitute civil War" although
that, he said, would not be his definition
of the war"
Mr.. Money thought the War between
the States would accurately describe IT,
Mr.. Carmack agreed. Mr.. McCumber re-
piled that he would be glad to adopt the
suggestion of the Senator from Tennes-
see and use the term Civil War" but
/ he thought War between the States"
would be carrying it too far.
Mr.. Teller sharply resented the sug-
/ gestion that the war be called a War
/ between the States, for some Of the
border States furnished soldiers for both
sides There were.' he said, Missouri,
Kentucky
Tennessee" suggested Mr.. Carmack
And North Carolina" nterposed Mr.
Carter, Of Montana.
Senator Patterson said IL should be
called the War Of Secession.
Mr. Teller continued 10 insist that the
States in rebellion had organized into
confederacy and resisted the Union Mr
Money replied that it made no difference
to him what name was used.
Il was I'm he Confederate army" he
said. Il have been called a rebel. II
don't regard it a term of oppr0brium. /
was rebel. So was George Washington.
He was a shareholder, too. So it makes
no difference what term you use.
I met ex-senator Blair, Of New Hamp-
shire. the other day. lie was on crutches. 1
asked him What are you doing with
those sticks?
why it was due to you Confederates. /
You hit me three times, said Mr.. Blair
told him I was hit once.
Both Glad of 1t.
Well. said NIr. Blair. Aren't you
glad of itg' l told him I thought I was.
and We shook hands and agreed that
every man who was worth being hit was
there on one side or the other"
Mr. Bacon said that the term rebel"
had been used in an odious sense. What |
is odious must necessarily be offensive" d"
he exclaimed. "and such it is to me-"
Mr. Carmack said he had not expected /
to precipitate such discussion, but ad- /
verted to the fact that Senator Lodges /
history was authority for the statement |
that in the early days Of the republic the |
right Of the States 20 secede was not /
questioned.
Senator Scott brought the discussion 10 1
an end by contributing hUman-interest 1
story of q West Virginia citizen who fell 4
fighting for the Confederate cause at /
Rich Mountain and was buried with the /
Confederate flag wrapped about his coffin /
Forty years later the body of his son /
was brought home, having fallen at the /
battle of San Juan, and was buried be- |
side his father. with the Stars and Stripes /
thrown over his coffin. Mr. Scott sug-
gested that this historic parallel ought /
TO suggest to Senators that the war was 1
over.
Mr.. Teller defended the term rebel" |
He said Ito rebel IS the dearest privilege /
Of the human race. What matters it that /
you were rebels then; you are not rebels 4
now"
The debate closed with mutual express
sions of cordial good Will, and the first
sectional debate in the Senate in a long
time apparently ended with increased /
good feelings. The service-pension bill |
was then passed.
In smoot's Defense.
The Senate listened attentively for near
ly two hours while Senator Hopkins, of
Illinois, defended the minority report |
from the Committee on Privileges and
Elections. declaring Reed Smoot entitled
TO his seat in the Senate. The four Sen
ators who joined Mr. Hopkins in the
minority report are all Republicans
Messrs. Foraker, Beveridge. Knox. and
Dillingham;. They will address the Sen
ate later in support of Smoot.
Mr. Hopkins discussed the origin of the
constitutional power conferred on the
Senate to expeI a member for cause. He
expressed the opinion that this power
contemplated only those acts committed
by a Senator while member Of the SEN
ate which tended 70 bring the Senate into