The National tribune., 1909-07-22


That committee drafted bill, and un-
der date of Oct 81, 1908. mailed a copy
to every Grand Army Post in the Depart
ment with an earnest appeal for support:
Approximately there are go Grand
Army Posts in Pennsylvania of that
number only 96 took any action upon the
bill, rs giving earnest and unqualified APP
proSal. IS either disappr0vej or made sug-
sestions, wholly impracticable, while
more than so per cent. of all The Posi-
in the Department, failed TO approve the
With only IL per cent of the Grand
Army Posts in the Department supporting
The State pension bill aud - per cent OK
them indifferent or opposed TO is. enact
meht, VINO VIII say that the Legislature
was not wholly Justified in defeating this
Grand Army bill: Aud set, with the lead
ers Just as much opposed to the bill! in tia
House as they were in the Senate. thru tbs
earnest, honest aud uiiiriRg Efforts ef Hon.
Wm. Stuart Reybrrn. a State p,nsioa bill
passed the House by the vote 1f lsS "A
favor of to only two votes cast as.irrs t.
which bill provided pension OF 50 .
month to all Pennsylvania veterans of the
civil war whose iEcUuie was not in excess
OF 5000 year-a blessed pension to- the
most needy cf all our comrades
There can be no shadow of doubt that II
the same earnest and fearless and honest
effort had been made in the Senate by those
whose sense Of honor ought to have COM
peilel them TO such Il determination that
Mr.. Reyburn made in the House the bill
would have passed the Senate and been
sent to the Governor for his approval.
Bosses Opposed the Biii. f'a''
Having made the statement thai the po-
Iitical leaders dccreed The defcat OF the
State pension bill, il i, due 10 them. to my
comrades and to myself that the basis for
that statement be given. t'ndcf date of
April .. 1909. Senator Biewitt who had
the confidence of she political leaders OF
the State OF Pennsylvania. wrote ne:
There IS much opposition III tbc Senate
to the reporting ont of the State pension
bill. The bosses are against Il. This nav
as well be understood. | am sure sthst /
have done everything that wbife man,
could do to assist in getting *fzlndirs OF
this bill: ! am confident that ~ pcr cent
Of the Senators favor the bill. for they
have told me so, but being dominated ny
a higher power. they will not break lines
when orders are given TO the contrary. ''''e 8
All. comrades. il there had been given
just one hast from Blcwett's horn the Op-
position of the 'bosses' would have tumbleds
10 the ground just a. surely as The walls.
OF Jericho cTumbled to the Gust before the
blast of rams horn in the hands OF q
fearless foeman centuries ago. --.sF. -tft
1t is not surprising that about 425 Grand
Army Posts of the Department failed 10
injorse the bill sent to them BIZ the con-
mitiee for approval, because within six
weeks from the time il mailedrits- bill to;
every member of the Legislature and to the
Posts the State Pension Committee radi-
caliy revised its own bill. and it would
therefore be unjust to condemn the Posts
for their failure to approve the draft Of
the bill sent to them when il is taken intt
consideration that the committee Itself So
completely revised its own bill as to prac-
ticaIly make a new bill, thereby rejecting
the bill il asked the Posts to approve.
With this new bill before. il the State
Do, nat in tIar Sht1rn
Jan. 6, 1909. and requested the attendance
of Senator Edward L. Blewitt and Hon.
VIM. s. Reyburn, who had been chosen to-
take charge of the bill in the Senate and
House respectively. The bill was carefully
considered by the committee, together with
the department Commander and the 'Sen1s
! ator and Representative named. and it was
modified and changed to meet existing con-
ditions, and. SO amended. copy was fur
nished to Senator Blewitt and Represents
tive Reyburn- to be read in place in the
Senate and House. 9 ia
The Bill Before the Legislature.
On Feb. the bill was read in place IN
the House By Representative Reyburn, and
referred to the Committee on Pensions and
Gratnities, and that committee on Feb: o.
gave hearing TO the friends of the Grand
Army bilf and to the supporters of four
other State pension bills that had been
prepared and submitted TO the Eegislatnrs
X. bill, but for some reason yet to be ex-
plainej the bill was never read in place
TO the Senate.
most patient hearing was accorded to
friends and supporters of all FIVE bills be.
fore the House Committee on Pensions and
Gratuities, and on the next day the CONF.
mittee, by unanimous vote, reported the
Grand Army bill to the House with a fay-
orable recommendation.
On that day, Feb. TO- 1909, the bill was
| II "a
tions. where il remained until March 8, u
fatal delay of just one month, when q
hearing was given TO the State COMMITTEES
on Pensions of the G. A. R., after which
the bill remained pigeon-holed until March
10. That inexcusable delay IN reporting
the bill led the Committee on Granting
Pensions and Gratuities, at the earnest
solicitation Of Mr.. Rcyburn, to act in tho
matter, which by unanimous vote re-
quested the Committee on Apprepriatfons''
to report the bill to the House:
Whereupon the committee so reported
the bill with several amendments, the first
of which was to include as benefciaries
all those who had served a period aef 90
days or more in the war for the suppress
sion of the rebellion, and to- excftltfe- all
veterans from the civil war whose income
from all sources whatever was m excess
of $500 year, andin that shape it passed
the House by q vote of 1S9 to 2, and was
messaged to the Senate. The general bsr.
lief is that these amendments to the Dill
were made for the express purposej OK
killing the bill.
Defeated in the Senate.
In the Senate the bill was taken charge
of by Senator Blewitt. who was, .unsuc-
cessful even in getting the COMMITTEES. on
Appropriations to report it TO the Senate
the vote for reporting being % for report
to lS against, and SO it was defeated, 1t
requiring a constitutional vote of 26 in
the affirmative to constitute majority OF
the Senate Senator Blewitt, himself a.
member of this committee, under date OF
April Q, 1909. wrote to me, as L have al
ready said: -
"There is much opposition in the Senate
to the reporting out of the State pension
bill from committee. The bosses are against
it, This may as we'll be understood. l.
am confident that so per cent of the Sem
ators favor the bill, for they have told me
so. but being dominated by higher power
they will not break ranks when orders are
given to the contrary" 500, ,s.ff...-,.,,-s,
l wrote him in reply that there was no
more opposition to the bill in the Senate
than in the House. where Representative
Reyburn, by honest and manly efforts, re-
gardess of bosses, carried the bill to its
passage by a vote Of 1S9 to 2.
Had the same persistent zeal and honest
efforts been made by the State PENSIONS
representative in the Senate that were
L., Sorto tiuoc in tha House the