The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1911-12-19
MIR. HamiltOn's Pension Speech.
Extracts From congressman's Speech Which
Have Been Quoted Everywhere.


gresham Hamilton, Of this congress
sionsl district. in the Lower House.
Friday. The speech was applaudeJ
by both the friends of the proposed
dollar-a- day pension bill and the OPP
position:
Mr.. Chairman. 1 was bonn in
town about 23 miles from the bir,h-
place of the immortal Stonewall
Jackson. That great Gan spent his
boyhood and his early youth in the
county of my nativity. My people
and my ancestors were OF the like
belief with BIN regarding the great
Civil War. Notwithstanding, 1 am
glad OF tn. fact that my first risi n @
in this House of Representatives is
in feeble way. to say, without dis
paragement to him or his brave fol
lowers, something for the benefit IL
those alike brave soldiers who op
posed him in that conflict.
IL am further proud that those
In authority in this Chamber. upon
my entrance here. saw fit 20 place
me upon two committees in which I
may to some extent be of benefit to
these men.
81 have listened carefully to the
speeches winch have been made
here today and have come to the
conclusion that all Of us, or practi
cally all OF us, whether we SIT upon
the right or upon the left of this
middle aisle, are in favor of grant
ing relief to these brave men who
fought the issue successfully in that
war applause.
81 believe can say that in the
district which 1 have the honor to
represent upon this floor there are
many Confederate soldiers VIII,
would Justify me in the action which
L take for the benefit Of their OBJ
ponents in that war. (Applause.)
Needs Speedy Action.
Mr.. Chairman, it occurs to me
that what we Iced ow-and I was
forcibly reminded of it by the
speech of the gentleman from Hi
nois (Mr. Prince) is not only liber-
al action, but speedy action. have
an extract here from the rep ort Of
the Commissioner of Pensions for
the year ended the 30th of June
last, which provides some sta, Ting
hgures bearing upon this question of
pensions 10 that report he states
that there were then living 529, 1874
OF the survivors of the Civil War
who are now upon the pension list
"All the others of the more than
1000, 900 engaged IN the contest
have made their passage over the
unknown sea which separates the
living from the dead
HE further states that during
the same fiscal yeal more than So
600 Of these brave men answered To
the last bdgle call and ore no more
upon the earth, and that the aver
age age OF the survivors is 70 years.
When we consider these facts know
ing that a man Of 20 wears has
reached the allotted time which
God has given as the AVERAGE
length of life, when We know tbat
every year their chances for life be-
come lessened, then we know that
if the mortality in the year 1o11.12
was 30, 900 because Of the Increased
age Of the survivors, it will be ut
least $4,000 in the current year 7
say that this Congress cannot act
too speedily in this matter. IAN
Plause.) Between the rising and
the setting Of the sun CT every dav
more than 80 Of these men pass
away, and between the rising Of two
suns more than 100 of them ara
gone, and since the falling Of ibe