Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-10
PENSION BILL IN SENATE
Tentative Agreement for Vote on Service
Measure Friday.
VOTE ON RAILWAY EMPLOYEES BILL TO-DAY
MIR. IaFoIIette Says Railroad OmciRIs
Are Urging Wen 20 Make Protests
Against Any Action by
Congress,

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-After a gem
eral discussion tentative understanding
was reached in the senate today justifying
the expectation that vote on the general
service pension bill will be taken next
Friday. The measure received no vital
criticism, but many concentrations. SEN
ator McCumber spoke at length in sup
port of the measure.
The remainder of the day was devoted
to the discussion of a bill limiting the
hours of railway employees. which measure
is to be voted on under agreement tomor-
row.
The Brownsville matter was postponed
at the suggestion Of Senator Foraker, who
gave as the reason that Senator Tillman.
who is indisposed. desired to address the
senate on the subject.
Vote on Railroad Bill To-day.
In view of the fact that the senate has
agreed to vote at o'clock tomorrow on
the bill limiting the hours of service of
railway employees. considerable time was
devoted today to that measure. Senator
LaFollette gave notice that he would
move to take up the bill Immediately
after routine business tomorrow.
The discussion was opened by Mr.. La
Toilette, who declared the measure had re-
ceived the endorsement of the national
organizations of all classes of railway en-
ployes and that the opposition now being
manifested was from employees who had
been coerced by the railroads to present
protests.
The discussion was participated in by
Senators Bacon, Dolliver. Patterson, Hey
burn, Gallinger and Beveridge.
In support of his contention that the
hn
last session in developing opposition to the
bill, Mr.. LaFpllette read set of resolu
tions condemning the bill, presented to a
lodge of railway employees, the name of
which he withheld, by E. T. Lamb, d.
vision superintendent of the Southern rail-
way. The lodge applied for information
on the subject to II. r. Fulter. legislative
representative of the railway employees ma
tional organization, and had not endorsed
these resolutions.
A long record of accidents was read by
Mr.. LaFollette, showing In all the train
men involved had been on duty from sew
enteen to forty-three hours, continuously.
When the forty-three hour record was
given Senator Beverage wanted to know
the road on which the accident had occur
red. He said he was shocked, he be-
lieved every other senator was, that any
road would keep a man on duty forty-three
hours.
Senator LaFollette said for obvious rea-
sons he would not give the name of the
road, and explained that it developed that
in many cases the men themselves were
responsible for the long hours.
Service Pension Bill Debated.
Receiving the right of way for his ser
vice pension bill in the senate today, Mr..
McCamber said that there were few per-
sons who will not concede that at some
period after the close of the civil war
general service pension bill would be en-
acted The amour Of pensions being paid
to the young veterans of the Spanish war,
Mr.. McCumber said was entirely out of
proportion.
Mr.. McCumber estimated that the added
cost because of the increase in his bill
would not exceed 100000 annually al
though he gave the estimate of the commits
sioner OF pensions as $1O,714,000.
Mr.. McCumber secured unanimous con-
sent TO take the bill up Friday.
Senator Warren suggested some steps be
taken to get the present bill on its passage
80 that we can do something more than
make speeches"
Saying he was not at war with the pres
ent legislation, Senator Galllnger main
tanned that we as a nation have been ex-
tremely generous to the men who served
in the army. In all our wars, he said
100000 men had been enlisted, and of these
50 per cent had served in the civil war and
81 per cent in all other wars. A total of
g, 800, 900 had been paid in pensions, of
which 50 per cent had gone to civil war
veterans Mr.. Gallinger advocated a fat
rate of $l2 per month to all veterans of the
civil war.