The National tribune., 1908-05-07
The SHERWOOD BILL.
Gen. J. Warren Keller (0hio) Attacks 1t
In the House Of Representatives,.

! oS"' - WoitS" nSuSi \puwJ hNoShS ~
In the House Of Representatives,.
The following are parts of Gen. j
i Warren Keifer's speech in opposition
to the Sherwood Bill:
/ Mr.. Chairman, / will confine myself to
the consideration of certain bills adver-
tised as pension bills. My colleague
| (Mr. Sherwood) has chosen, under the
! pretense of advocating more liberal pen
sion laws. to assail the Grand Army OF
the Republic, it's Commander-in-Chi
Mr.. Burton, and The National Tribune, a
leading soldier paper published In
/ Washington City, and of wide circula-
ltion in this country. And he has also. In
I various ways, attacked the patriotism of
l this House ara of individual members
thereof for no supporting his bills. And
he has included in his attacks military
homes and their management. Neither
the Grand Army of the Republic. nor its
Ommander-in-Chief,n nor the Tribune or
its editor, nor this House or its men,
bers, nor these institutions need any de-
| fense at my hands against such attacks.
but as certain bills. enormously called
pension bills" are made the excuse for
| the unwarranted assaults, their true
tcharacter should be stated. l shall
speak plainly of them and of their de-
fceptive and political character.
| The attack on the Republican men,
bers of the House for not supporting
and passing his bills and the threatened
consequences at the coming Presidential
election for not doing so will be a suffi-
/ cient excuse for my speaking of them
/ without reserve and plainly of the
1 methods adopted to secure their ap-
parent approval from veteran SOL
| diers of the civil war, not one of
whom would approve either bill after
knowing its true character. The
Lott ft..t,f ff.
| his bills is, 1 believe. without precedent
! in Congressional history.
| 1t is too late in the history of pension
legislation to aSSail Congress or its MEM
| bers or any party for lack of liberality
| in passing pension laws. My colleagues
zael in trying to aid the Democratic
party on the verge of a Presidential
campaign must have inspired him to in
troduce and exploit, through the press
and by correspondence and by speeches
here, to be sent out to the country, his
bills as pension bills when they are not
They were evidently only introduced for
political purposes and not for enactment
into law.
They are without merit and will not
have the approval of anybody who un-
derstands their real import and purpose.
That there may be no mistake as to
their character, I will refer to them
somewhat in detail They are not dis
similar. Neither is, nor purpOrts by its
title to De, pension bill. Each under
takes only to create or enact soldiers
roll. The first bill, H. r. 403S, intro
duced December 3, 1907. referred to the
Committee on Military Affairs. is enti-
tied:
"a bill to authorize the creation of the
volunteer service roll"
The other bill. H. r. 1925, introduced
December II, 1907, referred to the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions. is entitled:
"A bill to authorize the enactment of
veteran volunteer roll"
Neither bill makes any provision for
pensioning anybody. Both the bills.
though separately, have been proclaimed
methods to the old soldiers as tho
bills to pension ''all old veteran soldiers
of the civil war at 81 per day" We
shall soon see that If each bill as drawn
was enacted into law it would not pen
sion anybody at any amount; and that
the volunteer service rolf mentioned
in the former, and the veteran volun-
teer rolf mentioned in the latter bill
would result in having two inyidious
and shamefully unjust rolls from which
would be excluded the larger part of
the disabled, most worthy, and longest
serving veterans of the civil war, many
of whom were wounded in battle and
served with credit much longer in the
battle front than most of those who
would be eligible to be entered on either
roll. No veteran soldier of the Regu-
lar Army. nor of any other than the
civil war. nor any sailor or marine of
any war is to become eligible to either
roll.
The author of the bills. in his recent
speech here (February rs, 1909, de-
soldier who appears ito speak few
words for 175,000 veterans of the civil
war" in favor of his bills, giving to
every veteran who served Is months at
the front 81 per day" What of the
,633,339 disabled veterans of the civil
war now drawing pension for disabili-
ty? We shall soon see how absolutely
misleading this statement is. 1 quote
further from his speech:
This movement is the most formida-
BILE movement among veterans since the
close of the war There never has been
taneous movement of the old soldiers
without any organization whatever.
This Is the only measure that takes care
of the veteran soldiers. All other bills
that have been enacted by Congress was
passed thru committees appointed by
the Grand Army of the Republic operat-
ing thru committees of Congress. This
bill is not a political pension bill. 1t is
bill that recognizes only service and
merit"
He then follows with an attack upon
the Grand Army of the Republic for
having a salutary order that requires
Grand Army of the Republic Posts tnot
members) when acting as such toi
have
Petitions, memorials, and resolutions
by Posts in regard to pension legislation
forwarded to national headquarters thru
the department headquarters. and that
Posts be forbidden to make separate
and Independent application to Congress
for legislation upon the subject of PEN
sions-"
This order is in pursuance of a reso-
luton first adopted in 1884, and re-
peatedly since by the National Encamp-
ment of the Grand Army Of the Re-
public, and published in the usual way |
in general orders of the commander-in-l |
chief, as often before, without regard |
to my colleagues pretended pension |
bills, and without any knowledge of |
them or of their misleading character. !
The purpose of the attacks seems to be |
to try to demonstrate that the Grand /
Army of the Republic and its pension
committees and friends have not the |
old veteran soldiers interests at heart |
that only my colleague champions
their rights.
Then The National Tribune is assailed |
for recently printing this order, and the !
present Commander-in-Chief of the |
Grand Army of the Republic is viciously /
because. as is assumed. he does
BILL" and because Gas the speech al
Ieges) he should have allowed the old
boys of 81 to '65. the right of direct
petition, at least" Neither he or the
order denies the "oid boys" the right of
direct petition. Then, in contradiction
of his declaration. that the approval of
one of his bills iS a spontaneous move