The National tribune., 1910-01-27
WASHINGTON

to their memory. there comes also a
desire that the General Government,
because of peculiar suffering, hardship
and special circumstances, should rec
ogni2e the surviving prisoners Of war
| by special pension. You hav. rIade
your desire in this respect practical hy
preparing bill, of course general in its
character for the purpose. one of which
has been presented in the House of
Pennsylvania. and a duplicate of it in
the Senate by Senator Penrose, of
PENNSYLVANIA
The Pension Bill.
This bill in the Goth Congress was
referred in the House to the Committee
on Invalid Pensions, of which Hon
Cyrus Sulioway, of New Hampshire
was Chairman. During the short ses-
sion last Winter there was hearing
before the committee, at which there
appeared i'm its behalf and advocacy ].
f. Holliger, S. ". Adelspcrger, Rode
baugh, Whitesell and Mason, of Ohio;
John McElroy, of The National Trib-
une; Williams and Whitten. of Wash
ington, ID. c.; AdJt-Gen. Walker, Par
sons, Fortescue and Bricker of Penn
sylvania; Goulden and Dull. of New
York, and your Commander. These
comrades all Travelled and maintained
themselves at their own expense, charg-
ing nothing to this Association. At this
hearing no argument or opposition was
made against the merits of the bill
The only objection came from the hon
orable Chairman of the committee, who
suggested that the bill should have been
referred to the Committee on War
Claims. This view your Commander
respectfully opposed, and urged that
the Committee on Invalid Pensions had
r Of = I,e
While we will not now extend argu-
ments on the pension question, yet let
it be observed and understood a pen
sion is not granted by the Government
as a legal claim, as a claim, indeed for
which the Government is legally liable,
as claim on a contract, or for dam
ages. In the compact of Governments
there are, indeed, correlative obliga-
tons, allegiance and protection. Not
enlarging on elementary principles, the
citizen in his allegiance supports the
Government. The Government supports
the citizen. The Government by the
enactment of laws secures the citizen in
life. liberty and property. When the
Government is aSsailed it calls the citi-
zen to support. In this support the citi-
zen may be killed, wounded or injured;
in actual hostilities the citizens prop
ertT may be injured or destroyed. For
such injury to person or property the
citizen has no legal claim to be indem-
nified and made whole. Hear me, to
make plain these principles from his
tory and precedent After the War of
the Revolution those Americans who
We're loyal to the British flag, called
Royalists, claimed to have sustained
damages to person and in destruction
of property, and asked the British Par
Lament to indemnify and reimburse
them for these injuries and losses. The
younger Pitt reported against these
claims, and denied the legal liability of
the British Government. But when
the claimants asked by reason of their
loyalty and services the generosity of
the Government Mr. Pitt supported
their appeal, and the Parliament ap-
propriated some 40 millions for their
relief. So after our Revolution Prince
ton College asked indemnity for losses
sustained by Washington's battle there.
While the claim was denied as a legal
liability, yet the Government as a mat
ter of public policy to an institution of
learning, made an appropriation. The
hazard of bearing the vicissitudes and
ravages of war, without the right to
demand indemnity, was one of the con-
ditions on which society originally en-
tered into the compact of government
An opposite theory would make the
burden Of Government too grievous to
be borne. the Committee on War
Claims would not, 1t is submitted, with
all Difference to the honorable gentle
man who made the suggestion, be the
proper one to take charge of the bill.
This Association in supporting the
request for pensions makes no raid on
the public Treasury, nor do it's mem
bsrs come as mendicants asking aims
But, conscious of faithful service on the
march, in the field and in actual battle
they think and claim, by reason of pc
culiar conditions, they suffered in the
interests of the country for months
hardships that left on many disabilities
that are surely carrying them to their
graves.