The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-06-23
INTERESTING FIGHT
OVER PENSION BILL
Opposition to S150 Monthly
for Mrs. Schley
is CUT BY THE HOUSE
Passed Senate Solely on Account of
Eloquent Speech of Senator Ray
ner-Insurgents Voted for
Bill in the Senate
nx ropERIcK cLIFFoRp

ny a0O SLAE ~ JIM
Washington. June 22.-(Special)-Wide-
spread attention recently was attracted
by the controversy in the House and
Senate over increased pension for the
widow of Rear Admiral Winfield Scott
Schley, the hero of Santiago whose death
last winter is said to have left Mrs.
Schley IN a condition approaching desti-
tuition. The pension bill is still pending
in the House.
The customary pension paid by the
United States to a widow of a naval Of
ficer of the rank of read admiral is $50
a month. A bill was introduced some
time ago in the Senate by Senator 1sador
Rayner of Maryland, providing for the
payment to Mrs. Schley of a pension Of
$50 a month. This amount was pared
down to the customary $50 month by
the Senate committee on pensions. but
when Senator Rayner called up the bill
and made an eloquent address In favor
of rejecting the amendment of the COM
mittee the Senate restored the bill to its
original form. authorizing the payment
of $3.50 a month to Mrs. Schley. Later
the unamended bill was passed by unan-
imous vote. The bill then went to the
House, where the pension again was re-
duced to $50 a month by the House COM
mittee.
The sentiment against the giving of
this increased pension is very strong in
both houses and since the action of the
lower body's committee the Senate OBJ
lection is again showing itself. Senator
McCumber and Senator Hepburn led the
fight against the $50 pension in the Sem
I. tt.,xr ~
this unusual amount would be a discrimi-
nation against the widows Of other army
and navy officers whose services though
less spectacular, were no less heroic than
were those of Rear Admiral Schley The
same sort of objection is raised in the
House and in view of the fact that the
House is inclined to keep an unusually
tight hold upon the purse strings of the
treasury in this session of the democratic
ascendancy. Mrs. Schley's chances of re-
ceiving an increased pension are SLIM
1t is admitted that Senator Rayner car
ried his point and gained the $50 month
pension almost entirely on the strength
of his speech 1t is seldom, indeed, in
these days. when legislation is framed
and enacted by almost mechanical pro-
cesses, for a single speech, however elo-
quent to effect the fate of a bill, par
ticuarly as regards the expenditure of
ing to a body in which sat q republican
majority with a tendency toward liber-
ality In the bestowal of the public money.
! No such audience. however, awaits the
member who will argue for the increased
pension in the House of Representatives
and the bill Is more than likely to be
passed carrying merely pension of $50
a month.
An interesting feature In connection
with the passage of tie bill in the Sem
ate is that more senators refused to vote
upon the measure at all than voted for
1t and an analysis of the vote plainly
shows the attitude of the body on a dis
elimination against a large number of
officers widows by voting a pension in
crease to the widow of one.
Those who voted to reduce Mrs. Schley's
pension were the standpat members of
the old guard. including Senators Root
and Lodge while those who did not vote
at all typified the semi-moderate MEM
bers Those who voted in favor of the
increase and succeeded in passing the
bill were the nsurgent radicals, such as
Ashurst and Lea.
The argument conveyed in this align
ment seems to have acted as a censure
upon the actions of the Senate. for about
a week after the Schrsy pension episode
the widow of Rear Admiral Crowinshield
was voted the customary pension of $50
a month without a murmur about in
creasing the amount
The last large bill of this character
passed by the Congress was one grant
Ing a pension of $1,000 year This was
done in 1887 and. In TIE words of Sem
ator McCumber, there was too much
strong opposition to 1t and so much feel
ing because of the injustice done all the
other officers and the widows of all the
other officers in the great civil war that
Congress has not since that time dared
to vote such an enormous pension to
anyone"
That $4,000 pension was granted to the
widow of Cen John A. Logan, who. 1t Is
claimed, was In circumstances not nearly
so reduced as those of Mrs. Schey. At
the time of the granting of the pension
to Mrs Logan there VAS a fight on the
same issue and a report was brought in
showing that out of 70 pensions granted
to widows of army and navy officers, in
Guiding major generals, brigadier gem
erals admirals and rear admirals, only
three pensions had been as high as $50
month.
An attempt was made later to grant a
large pension to the widow of General
Hawley That pension was finally cut
down to $50 month and passed in that
form. The widow of Rear Admiral Rob-
ley D. Evans receives pension of only
$50 month When the array OF statistics
are presented to the House 1t Is reason
able to presume that Mrs. Schley will
receive no more than $50 a month
While there Is no legislation governing
the matter. custom always had led Con-
gress TO grant a pension OF $1,000 a year to
the widows of Presidents. Mrs. erover
Cleveland, widow of the late democratic
President was the last Presidents widow
to receive this pension. No opposition
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