Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1878 — PENSIONS. [ARTICLE]

PENSIONS.

Debate in the House of Representatives ou the Hill Restoring Ex-Pensioners to the Rolls—Mr. Hlaine Creates Another Surprise. [From the House Proceedings.] . jkt tb.9 expiation, of the morfling 7 ..h<jur, J&. Withers called up for consideration the Senate bill amending the laws granting pensions to soldiers’ tftid sailers of the w* of 1812, and their widows. The committee reported ah amendment to the section authorizing the restoration to the pension rolls of all persons now surviving heretofore pensioned on account of service in the war oflßl2 or of any of the Ihdian wars, whose names were stricken therefrom on account of disloyalty, so as to provide that all such persons should be restored whose disabilities had been removed or who had made application for such removal. Mr. Ingalls said there were not more than 100 men affected bj thia provision of the bill. was no possibility of national unity Without having such obliteration complete, the bill should be passed. It occurred to him as a small thing for a great nation to admit to its counsels those who Were leaders in the rebellion, and exclude from the benefits of that Government the poor old man who had received a pension of $8 per month, and could taid Hemd Bcftotthatbe wka fijipoado to restoring these old men to the pension roll, but such amendment might be taken as a precedent for the compensation df property lost during the rebellion. ° IngaJ!s eaid he was opposed to the whole survivors of the war of 1812, who served in the military or naval service for fourteen days. He was in favor of pensioning those who were wounded and disabled in the service, but could not favor granting pensions to persons merely because AW entered the servi®. f # J Mr. Mohffl iftid he feared fids bill was the fore runner of what was to come hereafter, and would tesnlt in taking large Sums of money from the treasury, ,t, r, Mr. Oglesby opposed the restoration to the pension-rolls of those persons whose names were stricken therefrom on account of disloyalty, and moved to strike it out. He argued that the men whq fought for the Goveruraent in

1812 should have been the last to attempt to destroy it In after years, Mr. Blaine said every soldier who served in the war of 1812 must have beeixat lea*t6o years of age when the rebellion broke out, and they were Inow nearly 80 year* of age. It was impossible that these men could have done anything active against the ' Government of the United States during the late war, and it Waenot to be expected they would ijteak their family ties hud come North when the war broke out. He (Blaine) had not laid awake at night considering hoy? to restore men of the rebellion to privileges, bqt.these old men did their part in upholding the country in the war of 1812, and he wdnld -hot exclude one of them from the pensioshroUM. Men who were engaged actively in the rebellion had been pardoned, and many sos „tbem were now holding office and drawing ‘ large salaries from the’Government of the United States. They- were doing so by the vote nf thn Snnnfnr frzan Illinnia (Qglpsbv) Mr. Oglesby—For the services they are renjgartLiv- f i ! ."1- fl L Mr. Blain*- Yes, tin y«re in office all through ,'jpy sad anticipar tien js that they are pretty nearly cmjlroliiiig this Govertfceht. But he could not say that old veterans south of the Potomac who fought and bled in the war of-1812. Should be excluded from the generosity of the Go vernmert. Mr. Oglesby said it -was wise statesmanship to remove the political disabilities of those engaged in the rebellion who had asked to have them removed; Somd of * the men who had their disabilities removed were now rendering valuable service in the Government* Ninety-nine one-Iranrlredths of the men who were in the rebellion had come forward and frankly asked to have their disabilities remoyed. But there, another class of persons in the South who would not ask to have their disabi’ities removed. These vary persaflls who were pensioned could be restored to Se roll* by coming forward apd having their sabilities removed. In reply to Mr. Blainp that the pensioners were too old to render active service in aid of the rebellion, he said that age did not affect patriotism; age did nojt affect courage. Mr ..Blaine salfi he had in his eye now men who'affer - thp war, and Congress, looking a€ tile fourteenth amendment, said : These, men intend to be citizens. We will give back to them jhat, winch is above pripe. Wc will give back citizenship, afid’ open to them every honor of the Republic; Was it possible that the son who i had taken an active part in the rebellion against the Government should have all restored to him? But the pocr old father, who did nothing more than sympathize With his son, could have nothing back. The widow of Gen. Zack Taylor was on the pension-roll. Her son took an active part in the rebellion. Was her name to be stricken from the roll because she bound up the wound of Dick Taylor, her son ? Mr. Kirkwaod said im for-one was perfectly ‘willing to take hilMWf any odium which might come from restoring these old men to the pensidn-rolls. He thought a great Government like ours could forgive past offenses. Mr. Blaine said if Congress was going to legislate so as to exclude old men and widows from the generosity of the Government, it was taking a ground which dishonored the magnanimity of the Government. Mr. Ingalls said an attempt to array the American Congress against a few old men was indicative to his mind of the spirit whicu would lead a man to strike a woman or kick a baby. The bij d was passea ais amended, by yeas 47, naysß-—Messrs. (Wis.), Edmunds, Hamlin, McMillan,'’Morrill and Oglesby constituting the nayp. g