Newspaper Page Text
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON, D. 0., JTJNE 24, 1SS2.
6
RIGHTS OF THE SOLDIER,
MANLY SPEECH OF A VERMONT REP
RESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS.
Col. Joyce Defends the alen ivlio Saved the
Xntinn from Slanderous Assault, mid
Points Out the Duty or the Got
eminent An Unanswer
able Argument.
In the last number of The Natioxat.
Tkibi'KE brief mention was made of the able
and eloquent speech delivered in the House
by Col. C. II. Joyce, of Vermont, in support of
the bill providing for an increase in the cler
ical f.rce in the Pension Bureau. Such is tho
widespread interest in the, subject that we
print a complete abstract of Colonel Joyce's re
marks, and commend his patriotic utterances
to the earnest attention of comrades all over
the land.
Mr. Chairman : ITeroic achievements, manly
courage, un.-elfish patriotism and noble devo
tion, even unto death, in the cause of one's
country, have always commanded tho rosjiect
and admiration of mankind and covered the
hero with glory and honor.
In all agoo and among all nations those who
in the hour of danger havo periled their lives
in defense of their country have been honored i
with titles and orders, with processions and ;
triumphs, with rewards and pensions, wane
Hvincaiul with statues and columnsand monu
moni'si when dead. History informs us that
orators, sculptors, and poets have vied with
each other in sounding and perpetuating their
fame, and in handing their names and history
down to posterity for example and emulation.
The brazen pillar and marble shaft are reared
to mark their final resting place, and to Ml
the weary and anxious pilgrim that the soil
wherconlic stand is holy ground.
It is the imiwisn and spontaneous tribute
of affection and n-sctt-nce which a grateful ,
country pays t her unvoted sons
The natural instinct of mankind have always
prompted them to honor the memory of the
Harriot and hero.
The silent cities of the heroic dead have
everywhere been held sacred. Art has adorned
them with the. most beaut iful momuments. and
over them genius has uttered those sublime j
sentiments of universal gratitude and venera- , march, in tho noisomo camp, and amid the
tion which men have ever cherished for those ; cruelty aud reeking death of tho loathsome
whose asho they contain. J prison-pens; they faltered not until the last
Greece had her monuments and tumuli; j ditch was reached, the authority of the Gov
r.ome her pillars and statins; Egypt her pyra- ernment vindicated and established, slavery
mids; England has her towers, her squares, and j wiped out, and the Union restored, and the
her Westminster Abbey: Trance her columns ' proud banner of the Republic floated in triumph
of victor?' and her Jlotc! des Inraliiles: while ' from Lake Champlain to the Rio Grande, and
here the hero, whose sword wins the battle for from the stormy water-, of the Atlantic to the
the free, receives just and grateful recognition j golden shores of the Pacific,
by the Republic, political preferment and These broken-down and decrepit old soldiers
honorable distinction from the people, and an are th wards of the nation.
enduring monument in the hearts of his fellow- J
citizens. This patriotic and generous policy. '
adopted and followed by ail nations, is based
upon the theory that every good citizen is
always ready, and that it is his bounden duty. !
to not only contribute of his means to the sup- ;
port of the Government, but to voluntarily
give his services and his life, if need be, for his t
country. j
The 'service which the soldier renders may '
he voluntary, but it is not a service which he
lnsv irive or withhold at pleasure, but one!
which, if not oHcr'-d. may be compelled by the j
strong arm of the Go ernment. i
The recognition bv ihe state of the distin- j
gnihcd military services ol its citizens hi its j
sunnwt and defense in the form of a pension
though sometimes granted as a charity, or as
an act of grace, is generally given in fulfill
ment of some promise made by the Government,
or inducement held out to the soldier either at
the time or alter his enlistment. It is not
given to every man wiio performs military ser
viec. however distinguished aud meritorious
that service may be, but to those only who re
ceive wonude or contract disease while in tho
line of duty. The purpose and design of the
Government is to make the soldier good, as far
as money can do it, for the injuries lie received,
or. in other words, to make up to him as
luutrfi as he could have earned at his trade
or vocation if he had not boon wounded or had
not contracted the disease.
Uuitcxthis rule, and in my judgment it is
both just and magnanimous, no man is entitled
to a pension tor military service except those
who have received disabling woundsor injuries
during the war, and the widows, minor child
ren, aud dt pendent relatives of thor-e who were
killed or have since di 1 from the eilecls of
such service. This is tho humane policy recog
nized and acted upon by every civilized coun
try on the gjobe.
In this connection I desire also to say that I
would not create a civil pension list by grant
ing pensions to men who r.re uninjured in tho
civil service of the Government. They go
into that service voluntarily, aud cannot be
compelled to enter it against thair will, and
can leave when thev please. W hen they as
Mime the duties thev take all the risks and are I
pa'd for doing so. 1 believe pensions should
only be granted to men who have boen injured
in The military or naval service of the country ;
and without stopping here to elaborate the
pomf, I will simply say that in my judgment
wcare not called upon in granting pensions to
break down the barriers set up by our fathers
betwe-n the military and civil service, and
launch out into a sea which I fear would prove
shoreless and bottomless.
The soldiers whose names are now on tho
pension-rolls and those whose claims arc now
awaiting action in the Pension Oflice, as well
as those now pending before Congress, arc not
receiving or asking for charity, or a gratuity,
but their claims are based upon a solemn prom
ise made to them by Congress at the time of
their enlistment, or immediately thereafter,
that in case they were disabled tho Govern
ment would protect them and their families
from want and starvation.
When the war broke out in April, 1661,
there was no law upon the statuto book giving
pensions to volunteers, but following the great
unwritten law of nations, based upon justice
aud humanity, Congress, as early as July. JPG1,
passed a law entitled "An act to authorize the
employment of volunteers to aid in enforcing
the law aud protecting public property."
The very title of the act clearly indicated
what the purpose or intention of Congress was
in its paseHgc.
That act, among other things, provided
" that any volunteer who may be received into
the service of the United States under this
act, and who may be wounded or otherwise,
disabled in the service, shall be entitled to the
benefits which have been or may be conferred
on such persons disabled in the regular ser
vice; and tho widow, if there be one, and if
not the legal heirs of such as die or may be
killed in service, in addition to all arrears of
pav and allowances, shall receive tho sum of
100.
Here, sir, wc see that almost " before a man
went into the field, before the great mass of
enlistments was made, the public law declared
that if the soldier was disabled in the service
he should be pensioned, and if he was killed
or died of disease contracted in that service,
his widow, his orphan children, or, if ho was
not married, his dependent father and mother
should be entitled to the pension or bounty
prescribed by the law."
"So that tho contract, whatever it was) was
entered into in view of the fact that thcro
was provision made for the unfortunate con
tingencies of death or disability contracted in
the service."
This act of July, 1SG1, was followed by
others affirming and extending the principle of
pensioning the disabled soldiers of the war,
and their relatives, as embodied in that act,
and at the close of that terrible struggle, when
most of this great pension debt had been in
curred, so sacred was it considered by tho
jicople, and so anxious were all parties that it
t-hould be paid, that the Legislatures of thirty
of the then thirty-six States crystahzed therr
acknowledgment of its sacred character, and
the oblicitioii to pay it, into the form of a
constitutional amendment, which declares that
"the validity of the public debt of the United
Stated, authorized by law, including debts in
curred :or the payment of pensions and boun
ties 1-r services in suppressing insurrection or
rebellion, hhall not be questioned."
2vow. sir, relying upon the promise of the
Govern oient, solemnized by constitutional pro
vision ami legislative enactment, these men
enlisUt? and fought, while thousands died, that
they might preserve the choicest boon of
Heaven to men and transmit to their descend
ants the freest, happiest, and best Government
ever instituted upon earth. They fonjrht that
universal freedom might prevail and that a
nation's pathway to liberty and life might be
paved with the shackles struck from four
million of bondmen. I contend that the
Government having made this contract with
these men and they having fulfilled it on their
part to tho very letter, it is the duty of Con
gress to honor this obligation, no matter what
it may cost. If the Government honestly
owes these old soldiers pensions, as I claim it
docs, the question how much it will cost does
not enter in this branch of the discussion at
all. If we owe it we must do as all honest
debtors do, pay it.
Sir, we cannot aftord, becaus" wo have the
power, to repudiate a debt which was con
tracted under the solemn sanction of law, in a
conflict which threatened the integrity of the
Union and the life of the Republic, and which
we have sworn rhall never be questioned even
if we were base enough to desire it.
And. sir. we shaJl not repudiate it; the
patriotic people of this country, who are now
enjoying the fruit of tho great services of these
men, will never permit it.
They desire to have it paid: they arc anx
ious that every soldier who received a wound
or contracted disease hi the lino of his duty
shall receive a pension proportioned to his dls-
ability, and KepnOUcans and npinnerais will
lllill II.tllllA HUT. k1 I lll' illfctl- 11 lilt' ll.l.-M. ,1111
appropriate the iat dollar rather than that one
brave soldier shall suffer or that one penny of
this sacred debt shall be left unpaid.
That the magnitude and proportions of this
pension debt have far exceeded our expecta
tions no one will deny; but that does not, in
my judgment, relieve us from our obligation
nor justify us in repudiating it.
This fact should only inspire us with courage
to look the question mi u. ire in the face, and
strengthen us in our endeavors to provide the
means, and in our determination to honor it to
the last farthing.
As far as I am concerned I am not to be
frightened or intimidated by the croaking we
hear that it will bring us to bankruptcy and
our children to beggary if we pay our poor,
wounded, and crippled soldiers what we hon
estly owe them.
When the Union was menaced and the laws
trampled down by armed men; when the au
thority of the Government was threatened and
her power defied; when the Old Flag was in-
suited and spurned, these bravo fellows left
home, and fireside, and lovrd ones, and gal-
lnntly bared their bosoms to the storm of trea
son and rebellion.
With stout hearts and strong arms they met
the enemies of the Republic amid the red blaze
of war and the carnage of the battle-held,
against whistling shot and
e'n.inmiir 'Sltcil.
, , ,,
against hunger and sickness, upon the weary
.i.........-, - ---..
" Fr four long years the combat deepened; j
for four long and anxious years the destiny of
the Republic hung trembling in the balance; i
finally victory came, and justice, amid the loud I
acclarm of all good men, stood forth triumphant J
in America." I
"Glorious consummation. A nation saved and j
a race redeemed. Swift the echoes flew, carry- j
ing the glad tiding to the struggling millions j
throughout the world," that henceforth in
united Christian America freedom would be
the recognized birthright of man.
In esc are the men, the heroes of that con
flict, who. enfeebled bv wounds and wasted by
dise.w, ask Congnss to give them their honest
due that they and their families may escape
the almshouse and be saved from tho cold
charities of an unfriendly and unfeeling world.
Seventeen years have passed since the close
of that terrible struggle; the heroes who took
part in it are growing old, and the day is not
far distant when a bugle-call will reverlerate
through the morning air which will call the
last of them forth to answer to their names
upon tho rolls of the Great Commander of
Heaven and Earth, and to form upon the
standard emblazoned with the martyr's golden
cross.
Year by year their weakened ranks are grow
ing thinner as they are passing silently away,
and even now it may bo said of many of them,
alas, too many
On Fame's eternal camping-ground
Their Mien. teoH are .sjin-ad.
And (lnr Miurl- with sim-nin round
The bivouac of the dead.
Yes, noble men. honored patriots, you are
gine; no sound but that of the archangel's
trump shall henceforth penetrate your narrow
cells; you will lie hereafter in the hearts and
grateful memories of your fellow-men. anil to
the end of time the remembrance of your cour
age and devotion shall be preserved ; your
monuments will be more enduring than mar
ble and brass, and will constitute, in after
vear. the landmarks to national honor and
national glory
Mr. Chairmau, to the remnant of that Grand
Army who are yet spared to ns, to the men who
bear upon their bodies to-day scars lrom a hun-
dred battle-fields, tin- Nation owes a debt that
monoy can never pay.
But, sir, one thing wc can do, we can keep the
sacred promise we made to them in the morning ,
of their manhood and strength, wc can ease
them of their burden, and smooth their path
way to the tomb, by opening the doors of our
groaning Treasury and relit ving their wants.
This I am in favor of doing aeeording to tho
terms of the contract and the spirit of tho law
aud Constitution.
Iet us now examine this subject in the light
of the facts as they are presented to us by the
Commissioner of Pensions, and ascertain, if
i possible, what we have to do, and then go to
work like men and endeavor to accomplish it
That the amount of money necessary to meet
these pension claims is large, we are well
aware, hut if they are to he paid, wc may as
well know the worst and prepare for it.
That no other government on the face of the
earth ever paid such pensions as we do is true ;
but wc adopted tho policy early in the war,
when patriotism was at the zenith, aud it is
now too late to retrace our steps.
To repeal our pension laws now, or attempt
to evade our contracts, either express or im
plied, would bo the grossest outrage upon tho
soldier, and the basest dishonesty on tho part
of the Government.
There is no honorable way out of it only to
pay; and I fully believo that the. people aro
ready and willing to pay every honest pension
claim, and that in their very hearts they will
loathe and despise the man who attempts to
avoid them by pleading poverty or the statute
of limitations.
When we are talking about the vast sums of
money appropriated annually for the payment
of pensions, and which we must continue to
appropriate- for tho next twenty-five years, wo
do not stop to consider what a gigantic and
colossal conflict we passed through.
We, for the moment, forget that during that
Avar we enlisted 2,iiO.O!J!t men into the Army,
and more than 12T,000 into the Navy.
Wc do not take the time to examine tho rolls
in the War Department, which disclose the
terrible fact that during that war .'5:T,000 men
were either shot dead upon the. battle-field or
died of wounds or disease in the hospitals.
In addition to this, and as bearing upon tho
question of the number of pensioners who will
be likely at some time to get on the rolls, it
may he stated that 2S.",ol." men were discharged
for'di.sability, arising from wounds or disease,
before the expiration of their teim of service,
so that, as shown by Senator Ingalls in his lato
speech in the Senate, if every man who was
shot in battle left only one dependent relative,
you had, at the close of tho war, counting those
who were discharged for disability, (20,ol5
prima-facie pensionable cases.
Of this number :W7,b'b'l claims have been al
lowed by the Pension Bureau down to June 'M,
18S1, leaving 232,MS1 who have, not yet claimed
a pension and probably but few of whom evor
will.
Now, sir, while upon this point, I desire to
get the attention of the House and the country
to some further facts which I have carefully
gleaned from the report of the Commissioner
of Pensions. On examination of his report I
find that on the 30th of June, 18K1, there were
upon the pension-rolls the names of 2113,830
pensioners, classified as follows: Army invalids,
153,025; Army widows, minor children, and
dependent relatives, 76,flri3; Navy invalids,
2,1H7; Navy widows, minor children, and de
pendent relatives, 2,008; surviviagsoldicrsand
sailors of the war of 1812, 8,8i)S; and widows of
deceased soldiers and sailors of that war,
20,029.
Computing tho whole numbor of cases al
lowed aud rejected, and the new applications
filed, itseems that the penrion-roll was increased
during the In.it v. ir 13,028 names.
At the rlo- year the value of the an
nual p ii' ion i pensioner on the roll av
eraged .$107.01, fl-iilc tho aggregate annual
value of all pensions was $'2?,7(9,!f7.ii.
The annual payment!, however, exceed this
sum by several million dollais; that is, the
total amount paid during the year, exclusive
of arrears due in pensions allowed prior to
January 2o, 137M, the date of tho parage of tho
arrears act, was .lf),72.i,M7.r,2, which is ac
counted for by what is known as arrears of
pension, or accrued pension covering the period
since discharge in tho case of a soldier, and
since the soldier's death in case of a widow.
The amount appropriated the past year to
meet the payment of pensions was F0,.'lO2.:tf)(i.fiS,
exclubivo of tho amounts for mlarics and
expenses of the pension agents, and the fees of
examining surgeons.
Down to June :50, lSl, there has bcon filed
in the ension Office since tho commencement
of the war in lfil, 7S)t:.l'22 claims, of which
number ll.112 wore allowed, and upon which
has been ptid the sum of ".00,.'M5,Ot-!.21.
There were on file in the Pension tturcan on
on the .TOth of June List X1t,:V2;t claims, of
which number f7,u7-$ were filed during the
previous vear.
During the same time 41, loo claims were
allowed and M.-St rejected, making in all
."ill,:! 1 1 claims which were settled and ended, so
that therrt wr, an increase of .vr,-0 during the
year, leaving at the end of the year o."l,i0; still
on file and unxdjnsted.
During tho year special agents, sent ont by
the Commissioner of Pensions, investigated
about seven hundred cases, at an expense of
.f2'2.7ir.12. and which will result in a future
annual saving to the Government of fcifi Kl,
and the net future savings of which will
amount to $2-ifi,.pS2.21. As already stated, we
have, up to this time, paid more than five hun
dred millions for pensions, and if, in addition
to onr present roll, we take on the survivors of
the Mexican war, and their widows, at tho end
of seven years onr pension list for the next
twenty-five years, computed upon that basis,
will amount, in the aggregate, to the sum of
$i,:n7frwit."iPa.
As 1 have already shown, by tho laws of
every civilzed nation on the globe, and espe
cially under our own, every soldier who is
wounded or contracts diseaso in the military
service of his country is entitled to a pension
proportioned to his disability, and to have
thai pension commence from tho date of (ho
injury or the soldier's discharge. The chair
man of the Committee on Invalid pensions
faiily expressed that idea the other day in his
speech when he said a " oension is due tho
,.,.-......,,
'"'"" '
the Government declares bv the sol-
dier s oisciiarge inat tnc uiriouuy minis uuu
I from further service, provided tho injury
..... ... ..
continues and impairs his ability to labor.
The pension is the sum th Government pays
to make the man each month equal in his
ability to labor to what he would have been
had the disability not hern incurred. On the
very day the injury drhes him from the Gov
ernment's employ his right to demand a pen
sion exists, and if it were possible to psrfcct
his proofs then hi pay would begin at once.''
Now, sir, it was for tho purpose of carrying
out this theory, as embodied and set forth in our
early pension law., and of doing an act of plain
and Minple justice to a most worthy and deserv
ing clas.s ol our fellow-citizens, that the arrears
act, founded injustice and equity, was passed
on the 2.")th of January. 1370, and tho supple
mental act of March 'i of the same year. It
wiio for the purpose of removing a bar to the
prosecution of a pension claim which I contend
never should have been placed in tho soldier 'd
way. If he is entitled to a pension at all, I
hold that it should be given to him whenever
he furnishes the proof that satisfies tho Pen
sion Rureau that he ought to have it, whether
it be one year or ten years after he receives
the wound or contracts the disease.
This is just what this mnch abui;d and
misrepresented arrears act doc. Congress c mid
not have done less and kept faith wi'"
soldiers; it can and should now d
by repealing that clacse in the act
limits the time for the filing of claims
1, 1880. If that clause in tho act was s
out, then c.-.ry man who could pr
claim to a pension, it any time, would
it from the time of his discharge or f
time he was disabled by wounds or
This would be fair, equitable, and ah
reference to the earlier pension
find that this theory of granting p s.
to date from the time of the soldier's d' ;
or discharge, was plainly recognized
forth in every act, although coupled
pro i.sion. in some of the statute.-, that
to carry arrears the application must
on or before a day namd in the act.
It has been often said that the arrc
was rushed through Congress without
gat ion and without being duly considci
great it mistake could possibly be ma
years Congress had been flooded with j
from all pvr.'s of the country signed by
and civilian, urging and begging for
sago of .such a law. It was thoroughly c.,v......
and considered by tho ( oramitlee on Invalid
Pensions of this House, and agreed to by every
member of t lie commitr-e, both Republican and
j Democrat, except one, and he only objected to
it because the committee's hill proposed tore
store men to the pension-roll who had been
dropped for participation in the rebellion. It
is true that it passed under a suspension of the
rubs, but it certainly is not subject to criticism
on tliat ground, became that is about the only
way we can ever get anything through this
House, so successful have, we been in construct
ing our rubs so as to prevent all nccessarj and
legitimate legislation.
And when the bill wont to the Senate It was
discussed for some time, every Senator had
time to examine it. and I have no doubt voted
upon it understandingly and with a full knowl
edge of all the facts. I voted for the bill be
cause I belieed it was right, because I behoved
it was founded in ju.stiee, and 1 havo never
changed my mind, and 1 am not now lo be
frightened, "or intimidated, or driven into vot
ing for its repeal because it will cost a few
millions more than some of us supposed when
it was paused.
And, sir, even if I had been originally op
posed to its passage, I would not now consent
to its repeal, which would result in cutting off
a portion of the claimants after thoir more
fortunate comrads have been paid.
Sir, my f.dviec to the men who aro croaking
about this act is to stop this whining and
growling about the. amount of money lb will
cost, and stand up like good citizens, honor the
paper of the Government, pay every old soldier
what is honestly due to him, and receive the
approval of mankind and of their own con
sciences. Tho settlement and payment of pension
claims is a matter of fact and not of sentiment.
Its importance to the people of this country
cannot be overestimated. It involves tho whole
question of our revenues, and presents for an
swer the bold inquiry, how shall wc raise the
necessary funds to meet this annual charge for
the next twenty-five years?
The. idea of a" depleted exchequer and conse
quent inability to meet this requisition van
ishes when wo turn to the report of tho Secre
tary of the Treasury and Jl mi that the reve
nues of this Government for the Inst fiscal year
amounted to the almost fabulous sum of $300,
7ft2,202.57, and that the receipts of the present
year will far exceed tho last, while our expend
itures, including tho principal and interest
payments on the public debt, aggregated only
4-2tJ0,712,8H7..', leaving a surplus over one hun
dred millions, or about double what will bo
needed for the payment of pensions the current
year.
We learn also from tho samo source that dur
ing the last year there was paid into the Treas
ury in taxes on spirits and formented liquors
nearlv $61, 000.0(H). and on tobacco $ 12,000,000,
making in all $123,000,000, or nenrly three
times as much as our annual pension charge.
Now, sir, to what better use could this monoy
be put which is raised from the traffic in in
toxicating liquors than in paying pensions to
our wounded and crippled soldiurs? While the
Government sanctions and legalizes this terri
ble evil the money received from it should bo
put to some good use. Let it go to pay the
pension list, and with tho balance build
churches and school-houses, until tho people
are educated up to its total abolition.
The rapid growth of our country since tho
war can best bo measured by the immense In
crease of our productions and of our foreign
commerce. In 1800 our total exportsand imports
amounted to only $7G2,'28b,.r)50) while in 13S0
they had run up to tho enormous snm of
$1,580,172,003. In 1SS1 we produced gold to
the amount of .3b,500,000, and $-12,100,000 of
silver.
In 1S80 wo raised 0,000,000 bales of cotton,
l,75-t,-149,435 bushels of corn, 458,(507,013 bush
els of wheat, and 407,859,033 bushels of oats.
During the samo year wo exported cattle
worth $14,000,000; corn, $60,000,000; wheat,
.:190,WG,000; flour, $15,000,000; cotton, $215,
5:;i,r,91; beef. $ 12. 000,000 ; lard, 33.000,000,
and pork, fcs.OOO.Oini. . .
Jn HW we had 10,000.000 invested in the
manufacture of cotton goods: in IriO we had
t,"-?--, 000 000. In 1S10 the product of our woolen
niamifactorir s amounted to$WS.finj ; in 180
to .2.1t."N7,671. In 15S wo produced only
FOO.OOO tons of iron; in ISO we manufactured
7.2oT,100 tons; had $2.50.!71.n3l capital in
rcsted in the business; employed MO.-vr.-a uien;
paid them wage- to the amount of $"". 170,7"),
and the iron produced was worth $2!i..V7,oH.
And thee. sir. are only a few items t.tken fioni
the balance-sheet of our national progress sinco
it was sittled at Appomattox on tiie 0th of
April, l&w, and the declaration mnde that this
is a Nation, and not n confederation of sovereign
and independent States.
When we look back upon the grand achieve
ments of tho last twenty years, ami forward to
the sublime possibilities of the future; when j
.ve realize tho dangers tvo have iwwe.l and tho .
sacrifices we have made, wc are led to exclaim,
What but too patriotism, tho courage, and I
stubliorn seal of our gallant soldiers rj-ndered
niible such a victory: and what but their
loyalty and untolrl sufferings raised nur country
totheproud position she occupies to-day?
In view, then, of our gigantic growtn ami
tho immense increase of our resources, due in
a great mejssure to the men who now a?.k of
you, not charity but justice, I have no fears
that wc shall ever find ourselves unable to
meet this sacred obligation.
1 believo we have now, and shall continue to
have, money enough to pay off our pensioners,
even if we do, in spite of croakers and dema
gogues, put upon our rolls within the next tivo
years the name of every soldier to whom a
pension is due. My convictions r.pon this sub
ject are firm and my opinions wll settled,
and I am ready here and now to place myself
on record upon this great question.
I believe that every solrticr and sailor wno
was wounded or contracted dist-nsp in the mili
tary or naval service of his country in tho lino
of dnty is entitled to ref-riverom the Govern
ment a pension proportioned to his injury, and
that he is entitled to receive thnt pension from
the dato of his injury or diseharjjo from the
service; and in case of his drath, resulting
from such injury, his widow, minor children,
or dependent relatives should receive the same.
If this proposition is correct, then every
hour the Government delays paying these pen
sions, after they are fully proved, it commit
a breach of its solemn contract. If this propo
sition is correct then it is the dnty of the Gov
ernment to do all in its power to settle these
claims and pay them off at the earliest prac
ticable moment.
Now, sir, what are the facts with regard to
this matter? .
Out of the whole number of claims filed in
the Pension Uureau since April, l'-fil, there aro
now remaining unexamined and unsettled in
that or.ice 2Sr,000.
These cl-iims, which have been on file from
one to fifteen years, are many of them due to
poor needy nin, who with their families arc
actually scifl'-ring for the money which the
Government unjustly withholds from them,
and which it nmld pay at any time. If a Imsi
ne;s man should conduct his affairs in th man
ner this pension lnisinrss hr.s hem carried on
he v.onld le called foolish as well s dis-honcd.
Colonel Dudley, tho head of the Pension
Bureau, with the present limited number of
cl'-rks, has been able since he took charge of
the oflice ia July last to so organize his force
as to greatly increase the number of claims
disposed of wit inn ttie last six or e von monrn
nd even if his present force is not iacrer.?etl, !
ho hopes to be able to keep up -ith enrrrnt
business and work ofi tho 2ob,000 ponding
claims in from six to eight yearn, but thosn
leas sanguine fear it will take him fcin, and
perhaps eleven.
Now. sir, I am opposed to compelling Colonel
Dudley to work away with his present force
rmr -r this mountain of claims, but am in favor
rr .nbling his effective, force; if not in nnm-
at least in brains and working capacity,
at donblo the number of cars mny bo
3lv1 of; and rhi., as I understand it, is pre-
r what tho Commissioner of Pensions
es, and what the Committee on Invalid
ions and the Select Committee on the Pay-
; of Pension.., Bounty, and Back Pay have
iimended to tho Committee on Appropria-
;and which is incorporated into the exeni-
legislative, and judicial appropriation bill.
ic plan is. as 1 have already intimated, to
;ly increase the force in the Pen? '.on Bureau
iiithorizing the appointment of three or
hundred special examiners for fiVld-work
at least as many more for the work in tho
e, all of whom shall poysrs-s talent and
city sufficient to examine and pass upon
e pension claims; and then, if necessary,
ease the nnmbr-r of lower-grade clerks
cient to prepare the csir.es and kocp a force
t least seven or eight hundred men at work
iiaminers. This increase of force in the
sion Ofilce necessitates an additional forco
aie hundred and sixty-six in the Surgeon
erals OHice, one hundred and sixty-seven
lie Adjutant-General's Oriico. twelve in tho
ot tne .secretary oi var, eigiiu in mo
Second Comptroller's Office, twenty in the
Second Auditor's Office, and twenty in the.
oflice of tho Third Auditor. This additional
force is all providod for in the bill making
appropriations for the legislative, executive,
ami judicial expenses of the Govennent now
pendinc.
Since July I, 1F70, P,f08 cases of all classes of
pension ciaims have been investigated by the
Pcndnn Bureau, and out of this number 2,1-v?
were dropped from tho rolls, and 1,075 were
rejected.
Why those pensioners were dropped, or why
JIimo claims were rejected, is not stated, but it
is certainly not fair to presumo that thry wer
all found to be frsdulent.
Many of rhem may have been dropped or re
jected "for other reasons, and probably were.
We have now on the pcn;ian-rolls tho names
of 2O."J0 pensioners and pending claims
amounting to 20U.000 ; making in all .t34.'3i).
Now, out of this vast number the Commis
sioner of Pensions during tho past fiscal year
can.'d to bo investigated 003 cases, and out of
these only'iOS were dropped after the most
thorough and searching scrutiny.
It seems to me that these figures, insto.id of
being alarming, furnish ground for congratu
lation, when only 20b e:,es aro found to ho nail, !
from all cansea, in a transaction involving the,
distribution of $."0,UOO.Ono, among more than,
half a million men. The present Commissioner '
of Tensions, since he took charge of the bureau,
has done everything in his power, not only to
prevent the. allowance of fraudulent claims,
but also to detect fraud, if any exists, in thoso
already granted or now pending.
If Congress will do as I hae suggested with
refi-renco to tho Ilurcau of Pensions and tho
Adjutant and Purgcon-denei-al's Ofiicc-, then
one man will be able to do what it fakes filtf-eu
or twenty to do now in furnishing these sol
diers' records in the pending claims, and they
can all he settled and .settled honestly by tho
Pension Oflice in three years, besides disposing
of the current business as it shall come in.
This, sir, is what I should ho glad fo sco
done, and what I am now ready to vote for.
I would do this because I think it right and
just, and because I believe that every fraudu
lent pension paid is a standing insult and out
rage, to every true soldier. It is not nece."-?'iry
for me t inform this House that my friendship
for the bravo men who carried our flag to vic
tory and preserved this giand Republic is strong
and enduring. II y warmest sympathies go out
lo them and my heart swells with pride when
ever I sco (hem. To the men with whom I
servod 1 am hound with bands of iron and
hooks of steel; and I will do all in my power,
by voice and vote, to soe that their good nanio
is preserved, and that justice and equity is
meted out to them as well as to the tiovern
ment. I want to see every soldier who was in
jured in the service receive a pension, and I
want to see every shirk and coward and rogue
driven out with the stamp of public indignation
on his forehead. n
Sir, as we contemplato to-day the grandenr
and glory of our country, and the noble devo
tion and sacrifices of our bravo men, let mo
beseech you to be to them not tender only hut
reverently just and merciful. When in the
very morning of youth and manhood they took
their lives in their hinds and went forth to
battle for Cod and the right, you promisod
them protection and succor when wounds and
disease should render them fceblo and helpless,
and now when
Grlm-vianged war hnth smoothed Ids wrinkled
front,
And all the clouds which thon lowered upon our
country
Are in the deep bosom of the ocean burled,
and when tho broken remnant of that grand
army, which in
Tlie front of freedom's battle charged the foe,
come to you and beg for justice, I entreat you
to listen to their prayer and turn them not
empty away. Applause.
RAISING THE SIEGE.
Coniimud from lzt page.
ing, when we were ordered to fall back down
the mountain."
General Pcttur, advanced to the snpport of
Moore with three regiments, the Twentieth,
Thirty-first and Forty-sixth Alabama. He
says : " On the way I met squads of Monro's
and Walthall's brigades, and when abont .'500
yards from tho Craven Ilonsc I fonnd that
point carried by the enemy. The two
brigades that had held that point had fallen
back. Here I found Bnsadlcr-Uenerai m-
thaU. with the remnant of his eoramanrt,
formed at right angles with the left erf tho
TQ gallantly fighting to stay the advance
- ... T, . j ,- ii.! bn bad
'" ""' J- "- "- " "C ,,
lost a large part of ht3 command; tM ms
nmmnmrron was entirely cxhaustfd, and
that he ccmld not hoM the position. Findinz
that nil the fighting was cm the. left, I moved
my command, though right in front, by filing
to tho left
mTtrcTTiY trr ran motjktat rihk
to the rock bluff. So soon as formed my
command wjts facud by the rear rank, moved
forward, Tclieving "Walthall's brigade, and at
once engaged the enemy." Pettus now
visited Moore, whose position waa about ono
hundred and fifty yards from his right,
extending to the large rocks in tho road
above the month of Chattanooga Creek, and
a connection was made, lxstwecn the line.n.
"The A facts," says Peltus, "were commnni
catod to General Jackson, with the request
that he come forward, look ab the line, and
give ns orders; bnt he did not come m per-
" . . . ' ., . ., ... i.
nom, tmt sent orders tuat tne Bosnian mrai
beheld. Meantime the enemy made repeated
.i.,.i w,r ,i ,i.n.,tTP
assaults upon my left, next to the bluff, hnt .
they were bravely met and repulsed by the
Twentieth Alabama and fonr companies of j
the Thirty-first. After my command had
been engaged abont two hours General
"Walthall, having formed the remnant of his
command and supplied his men with ammu
nition, returned to the fight on the left, and
we fought together until relieved. It should
be remembered that during the day the fog
was very dense on the mountain side. The
enemy made no attk on my right or on
Genorr.l Moore's line, hut the attack n the
left was continuous. Finding that the pur
pose of the enemy was to force my left, at
the suggestion of Frigadier-General "Wal
thall, 1 ordered the Twentieth Alahsma to
move forward, keeping his left well up fh
bluff, and drive tho enemy from the higher
ground they then held. The order was
executed in gallant style, the higher ground
was gained aud held during the fight.
Abont eight o'clock at night Clayton's hri-
commanded, by Colonel Holtzclaw,
relieved "Walthall's brigade and the Twenti
eth and Thirty-flret Alabama of ray brigade.
Soon after this I received orders from the
brigadier-general commanding to withdraw
my command across Chattanooga Creek.
Tho loss, as giTen in Jackson's report, was
as follows:
Killed. Wotmded. Capt'd.
"Walthall's brigade . 8
Moore's " . 4
Fettus's " . 9
Total .... 21
91 8-15
18 229
33 9
177 1033
Making a total loss of 1,231, or about one
third of the force, as the wounded fell into
the hands of the assailants.
Whilaker refers to the assault npon the
line at the Craven House as follows:
" Steadily and firmly advancing, my brigade
reached the base of Lookout's lnYId, project
ing point. Its profile is delineated from
beneath against the sky. In good order my
bold command nor became one line, swung
round the cTesfc, tho right heiwg the pivot,
with the flags of the Fortieth Ohio on the
left and the Eighth Kentuck- on the right
floating fVee and triumphant.
TWO VAST ARM IICS LOOKED TPOK t'5.
""With beating hearts we heard the soul
stirring vivas of our country's friends, and
responding boldly we charged upon the ral
lying eolumn of the rebol3. A portion of
Gen. Geary's division meeting overwhelming
opposition from the rifle-pita in the orchard
before reaching the "White ITou?e, and having
no cover, were falling back. The enemy were
sending reinforcements from the sumiaii of
the innu'xin over a depression in the cliff,
some 300 err -100 yards to our rear on th
west side of the mormhim; the Eighth
Kentucky, Cwlonel Barnes, was halted oa tha
crest of the ridgo with orders to deploy
skirmishers to drive the einmy Iraek and to
hold the cnH5t at all hawirds. This was well I
done. Tho Kmety-sixth Illinois and Frffcy
first Ohio were ordered forward to awafl trw
rifle-pits in the rear, while th Fortieth Ohio,
Ninety-ninth Ohio, and Thirty-fifth Indians
assailed them on the Hank. The8 disposi
tions were made at double-qnick timo, and
wc were past the right of the front line.
Bohfly the ehargo was made, th enemy re
! pijrjng stubbornly, and in portions of the
field a hftnd-to-hand contest ensued. The
force on my right, under Colonels Champion
and Wood, swept down between the Whits
House and the summit; the other regiment-
.... , . ...
passed the fknici, and we drove them along
the sides and down the mountain half a mila
beyond the White House. My brigade aud
a portion of General Geary's division pur
sued, and held the ground against reinforce
ments of the enemy until we were relieved
near nightfall." It win be observed that
General "Whitaker refers to the Craven
House as the "Whit House.
Gen. Geary, after paying a glowing trib
ute to the courage of every brigade under
his command, and referring to the rugged
naturo of the ground over which they now
had to pass and the deadly work of the
sharp-ishootcrs on both sides, says : "Stretch
ing over a largo plateau and down the
monntnin side towards the valley from the
baae of the precipitous rampart of rocks,
which like a promontary bears
TIIE CLOTTD-SOAmxa PKAK or rOIiST LOOK
OVT on its apex, was a systematically arranged
chain of fortifications, outer and inner, like
a honey-comb." 'While winding around the
base of the peak the Twenty-ninth Penn
sylvania had a brief but victorious con
test wifik a regiment that attempted to g.iin
position on its flank. Major Roynolds
kept his shells flying from his Moccasin
batteries, and suddenly tho column reach
ed the plntom where "Walthall had
formed for the final conflict. Gear3' says:
"Tho artillery ceased as Ireland and Coh
ham's left, with wild, prolonged cheers
charged the fortifications. The enemy
offered a stout resistance, hut only for n
brief period. Ireland pressed them hotly in
the face of their fierce volleys at close quar
ters -rrhile onr men fell rapidly, and Cobham
poured ia his flanking fire from the ever
advanced right with such telling effect that
they sullenly fell hack from work to work,
driven successively from each strong lodg
ment to another by a continuance of pres
sure on front and flank." The two guns
previously referred to on the crest of the
mountains now opened, hut it being impos
sible to depress them sufficiently, they did
little damage to Geary's troops.
snnLLs tveks thrown by hand
and hnge boulders were thrown, hnt the line
pressed forward, swept ronnd the northeas
terly slope of the mountain, charging the
retreating foe.
AVhile these events were going on near the
mountain Osterhatis and Grose were press
ing forward from below to accend thomoun-
tain further towards the east to cover the
' ndvance of Carlin's brigade of tho Four
teen th Corps, which moved ont from Chatta
nooga to join in thft movement. The four
regiments of Grose's brigade, the Fifty-ninth
Illinois, Ninth and Thirty-sixth Indiana,
and Twenty -fourth Ohio, led by that gallant
officer in person, in ascending the mountain
with Osterhaus's division, pushed to the right
nd at about three p. ra. joined YVhitaker on
tho plateau, near the Craven House, while
the Povcnty-fifth and Eighty-fourth Illinois,
under Col. "Waters, seized and held the main
Chattanooga road.
The fog which settled down upon the
mountain in the afternoon rendered any
strategic movement upon the confederate
lines impossible. Ostcrhaus came up on.
the left, followed by Carlin, and line of battle
wzs formed extending down the eastern
slope.
TTitrn nlinv tnf-ir bcsilss the ton-mosfe
,,.,.?, -, ,-, i,i, r.,i,,ir
Tjeak hid its head m the clouds. Front half-
; - ,
past twelve till one omy desultory tiring
was kept tip, and from that time on the
front line was changed by reliefs from all
the brigades on the mountain. Carlin
reached the vicinity of the Craven House at
seven p. m., and relieved Cohham. Oster
haus relieved Ireland, and Gr03e marched
into the front line, relieving "Whitaker.
During the night the confederate forces fell
hack down the mountain and crossed Chat
tanooga Creek on their way to position on
Missionary Eidge.
In closing his report of the capture of
Lookout Mountain, Gen. Cruft saya: "The
storming of Lookout must rauk as one of
the great achievements of the war. It was
a complete success throughout. It was com
paratively bloodless, but this was the resulk
of the dash and intrepidity of the soldiery
engaged. Dptachnients from three armies
fought here side by side, engaged in a com
mon purpose, only emulating each other in
the amount of peril and labor each should
encounter. The spectacle of the assault on
the west side of the mountain was sublime,
and ono which i3 not re-witnessed in a life
time. The exploit will become historical
and must take rank among the noblest feata
of the arms of any nation.''
General Geary footed up the results of the
day's operations as follows: Captured from
the enemy 1.940 prisoners; 125 rebels killed;
3ii) rebels wounded and left ou the field;
2,00 stand of arms; two cannons with
limbers and ammunition; five battle-flags;
50 officers' swords; 1,000 intrenching tools.
The loss in killed and wounded in Geary's
division was 133, and in "Whitaker's brigade
52; total, 190.
EXPLOIT OF TIIE EIGHTH KENTUCKY.
Early on the morning of the 25th "Whitaker
called for volunteers from the Eighth Ken
tucky to scale the cliff that overhung the
ridge and take Lookout Point. It was not
twelve uit one oiuy urai
known what force was there. Captain "Wil
son, Company C ; Sergeant Davis and Private
William "Witt, of Company A; Serecants
"Wagers and "Wood, of Company B, and
Private Bradley, of Company I, promptly
Gteppcd forward. It was a hold undertaking,
but these daring men accomplished it, fol
lowed by the regiment. Their flag, the gift
of the loyal womn of Estill county, Ken
tucky, was unfurled to the breeze amid tha
wild cheers of the dauntless men whose
yalor had driven -1,000 men from the summit
of Lookout Mountain.
. v . .. .
AN EX-CONFEDERATE'S TRIBUTE TO
GARFIELD.
General G. "W. Gordon, ex-Confederate, in
his address in memory of Garfield at tha
Circuit Court at Memphis, said: " "While his
steps were in the dust, his eyes were on tho
stars. By courage, toil, talent, integrity and
Bobrioty, he fought his way, single-handed
and alone, from tho hovel to the "White
House. By these instrumentalities he passed
from the humblest to the highest station,
not only in his own country, bnt, I submit,
to the most noble, exalted and enviable posi
tion held by any citizen of the world. And,
although he ascended from a level so low to
an eminence so high, it did not dazzle him
nor lessen his humility. He was one of the
few men of the world's great history whom
prosperity humbles aud adversity strength
ens. I had rather possess the emotion, tho
culture, the oratory and the genius of Gar
field than all the blood-stained laurels that
ever Cajsar tore from the livid brows of fallen
kincs. or all tha jewels that ever Hannibal
' stripped from the frozen lingers of h;s
! ?1 "filtered knights. The wisdom, modera-
I tinn -itiH reform foreshadowed 1U ills Driet
administration were daily widening his in
fluence and popularity, especially with tho
people of th? South, and we hoped that ha
was hastening the day when we could all
feel and say we had but one sky, ono flag,
one Union, one country and one President.''
A BRUTAL PEIZE-FIGKT.
A brutal prize-fight took place near Smith's
Ferry, Pa., on the loth instant, between twu
noted roughs, Weeden and Maloney. Forty
one rounds were fought, when Weeden, who had
practically won the fight, was over-awed by
the roughs and consented to a draw. A dis
patch says : At the end of tho 41st round Ma
loncy's backers raised a yell of foul, which tho
referee would not allow, and the ring was takou
possession of by an excited mob, and two or
three impromptu fights were in progre5S insida
the ropes, amid which tho principals aud sec
onds joined hands in the centre. Weeden said
in a low voice to Maloney: "Owncy, aro you
willing to call this a draw? I dou't want to
kill a man." Maloney accepted the situation,
and the fight was decided to he a draw. Tho
timo of the battle, which was acknowledged by
all to bo one of the hottest that has taken placo
for sokio years, was seventy minutes.
With tho exception of a bruised right eyo
Weeden showed no marks of the ordeal ho
passed through, and it is believed would havo
been good for forty rounds more. Maloney,
on the contrary, was in a pitiable condition;
his eves aro both nearly closed, aud his noao
and "month are badly swollen. His faco has
been beaten bhwk and blue over its entire sur
face. During tho row at th? conclusion of tho
fight a man, whose name was uot learned, drew
mvnlvor from his pocket, which was dis
mg
of conveyance to Pittsburg, two rough-and-
tuinblo fights tooK pir.ee ootween parties oi ino
pugilists, aud pistols were flourished but no
shots were fired.
charged prematurely and wounded mm in tno
thich, though not dangerously. While wait-
t. T.im rnuiuiiu. iiiouiiiu a j. tn , , wi "i"...o
