The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-31
THE PENSION EVIL
 WILL BE AN:ISSUE Pension Legislation Usually
 Gets Votes ONE MAN FILIBUSTER Money Bills Introduced Because of Nearness of National Campaign. Southern Democrats Oppose
 Omnibus Claims
Bx JONATHAN WINFIELD

1 of the lesser features of the coming cam paign. Close behind the ever present and | omnipotent question of the tariff, and economy lot will be said from the res-
 trum of the.stump concerning the practice
 of vote winning through the private pen sion bills.
 A determined fight is being made and will be continued in the Senate by a small coterie of southern democrats who oppose the practice of Congress awarding pen- sions to veterans or near veterans whose claims have been rejected by the pension office.
 One of the chief grounds for attack on these bills is that the passage of one of these omnibus measures too often requires the correction of desertion records, 50 years after the great civil war closed. and awarding pensions 10 men believed not to have deserved them.
 Pension legislation is always big poiit- ical drawing card. When it comes to set ting votes out in the rural districts the man who can show big pension list 70 his credit Is mighty liable to have the drop on the congressman who has fought pension bills.
 Lots of pathos and human interest. too
 
 when 1t comes to discussing annuities given to the fast disappearing and tnin- ming ranks of limping veterans.
 Last session and also during this session the venerable General Sherwood, repre- sentative from Ohio, sprang into promi- hence on his Dollar a Day pension biii and some of his speeches on this measure were given more publicity yeven than story of fusion of the Taft and Roose- welt forces would get.
 There is little question but what the Legislation which directly affects individ- uals, such as the omnibus claims Dill and the personal pensions bill, to say nothing of the blanket pension measure which carry a bulk appropriation for distribution by the pension office, may be regarded as more important politically than almost any other measure which deals with the citizen body of the country without refer ence tosindividuals.
 Although it is early In the campaign the pension Legislation has already loomed up in the halls of Congress. The regular pension appropriation for this purpose has been passed by the House and carries with it an appropriation of something more than s400O,000.
 Right on the heels of this measure a personal pensions bill was brought up on the floor, and while it ultimately was passed, it was sanctioned by the House only after one of the most spectacular one man filibusters eyer witnessed in the lower branch.
 Representative Roddenhery of Georgia was the hlibuster. For two days he let no technical point of procedure escape his eye, when 1t came to obstructing the pas sage of the bill, and when the House h- nally brought him under a gag rule of 10 minutes he took every opportunity or fered to discuss every amendment offered to the bill, merely talking against time. Mir. Roddenbery took the stand that the regular pension appropriation should be supported, but that too often personal pension bills were put through for noth- ing more than to correct desertion records and award undeserving soldiers annuities.
 Very often in the course of discussion on these pension billsa sectional feeling, the existence of which Is often denied, breaks out. The southern democrats are always accused of being actuated by prej- udice in the stand which they invariably take In the consideration of private pen sion claims But most of them are found In the aye" column when 1t comes to passing the regular pension appropria- tions
 Because of the nearness of the national campaign more than anything else. possi- bly,, a greater number of pension olilS, both public and private have been intro duced this session than have been 0Her an in some time.
 An estimate made by one of the Senate officials short time ago showed that the aggregate of pension bills In both Houses of Congress since the beginning of the extra session of the present Congress Is 29o1 Practically all of these are priVate bills
 This estimate was made because many of the southern democrats in the Sen.lte are about to declare war on the omnibus pensions claims bills Out of the mem bership of the Senate but seven democrats and one republican have introduced no pension measures Of the remainder, each has introduced at least one sucn of'i, and Senator Curtis of Kansas holds the record for the number of bills put in He stands sponsor for 277 of these measures. | The men who have introduced no private | pension bills this session are Senators | Bailey of Texas, Clarke of Arkansas, Davis of Arkansas, Lea of Tennessee, Percy of Mississippi Smith of Georgia, Smith of Maryland, democrats. and Sen ator Richardson of Delaware, repuoll- can.
 | With Curtis in the lead and coming from | a state where the overwhelming percent age of G. A R. sympathizers among the | voters is admitted, the list compiled shows | Gugeenheim of Colorado with ls4 to his | credit, Pcnrose of Pennsylvania with ilS, 1 smith of Michigan. 103, and Kern of h. | diana, 94.
 | The statistics show that the republicans are much more liberal in introducing pen l sion bills than are the democrats. 6eo hay | inv been introduced by the minority Of | the Senate and 2s5S having been sponsored by members of the controlling party.