Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-18

After the members Of Orman Post
Grand Army Of the republic, had
completed the routine business at
their last meeting says the Abba Re
publican they listened to an address
on the pension question by Congress.
man Kendall, who was present by IN.
vitation. Mr.. Kendall has labored
lindustriously for the veterans and at
the conclusion of his speech, Conrad
Hickenlooper offered i resolution
which was adopted unanimously and
with much enthusiasm, thanking him
for the services he had rendered. We
quote part of the address,:
am deply grateful to Orman Post
for this opportunity to confer with
it's patriotic membership upon sub
ject in which we are all profoundly
commemorative reward which our
generous government should bestow
upon It's faithful defenders for their
service rendered during the civil
war. For many years I have been in
Etensley interested in more liberal pen
sion legislation for the men whose suf-
fering and sacrifice preserved the re-
public when it was threatened with
destruction by the war Of the rebel
lion. AS you all know, my father was
private soldier In tho great war for
the union, and though he passed. many
year; ago to his long reward, the
cause Of his surviving comrades ap-
peals to me with peculiar persua-
siveness.
When was q candidate for con-
gress in 1908 I declared in my cam
paign that if elected would exert my
utmost energies toward securing the
enactment of law allowing to every
honorably discharged veteran who
served ninety days or more on the
field. a pension Of dollar a day for
the remainder of his life. believed
then, and subsequent experience has
confirmed the opinion, that such
provision would be not merely a meas
ure of Justice to the soldier, but
matter Of economy for the govern
ment
Accordingly, about month after
I entered the office l now occupy |
introduced into the house the following
bill:
BE It enacted, ETC., That from and
after the passage of this act every
surviving volunteer soldier OF the
army of the United States who serv-
ed in the field for period OF three
months, between the first day of April
1861, and the first day Of August, 1866,
and who has been honorably dis
charged from said army, shall be en-
titled from and after the date Of his
application therefor, and during his
natural life, to pension of Il per day.
to be paid out of any money In the
treasury appropriated for PENSIONS.
"Sec. Q. That applications fof pen
sions under this act shall be accom-
panied by evidence identifying the
applicant as the person whose name
appears in the records of the organt-
cation to which said applicant claims
to have belonged, and shall be veri-
fed as the law requires in other ap-
plications for pensions.
"Sec. 8. That any person who shall
receive pension under the provisions
of this act shall be held to have re-
linauished all right or claim to any
other pension after the date Of filing
the application herein provided
Under the rules of the house this
bill was referred to the committee on
invalid pensions, which refuse1 to re-
port it either favorably or adversely.
It is we'll understood by those famil-
lar with the situation at Washington
that with one or two exceptions all
the members Of that committee VINO
saw service in the union army, are
antagonistic to any legislation Of the
character proposed. The chairman
Hon. C. A. Sulloway, of New Hamp-
shire, in an address delivered IN the
house on June rs, 1910, speaking for
himself. and presumably for his asso-
ciates, said:
Hundreds Of bills covering general
pension legislation of all kinds and
character have been referred TO the
on invalid pensions.
Among these were several so-called
dollar-a-lay bills. That there has
been no demand for legislation OF this
kind by the soldiers OF the country, as
a body. can best be answered by quot
ing from the official records of the
Forty-third national encampment OF
the grand army Of the republic.
This country owes 1t to
its brave defenders to care for them
in their declining years and to give
those who are in need such comfort
as is possible, but it should not place
upon the pension roll thousands of
men at thirty dollars per month, who
do not need and who are not asking
for a pension
NV investigation Of the subject
has been very through, and my cor
respondence relating to it has been
very extended Notwithstanding the
confident assertion Of the chairman
of the committee that no demand ex-
lists for the enactment of a dollar-a-
day bill, have not encountered
single soldier or civilian outside OF
congress who is opposed to the meas
ure. Our existing laws are SO con-
fl;cting and confusing; so m-ch form
atty is required for the execution;
so many extravagances are tolerated
in their administration; such vari-
ETY. of technical defenses has been in
vented to defeat just applications,
and such tedious delays haze charac-