"CLEABFIELD. REPUBLICAN,"
GOODLANDEH & LEE,
OLBAHPIKLD. PA.
ESTABLISHED IN IStt.
The larjrjeat ClrcuUtloa f uy Newapftpcr
In North Central Pennsylvania
Terms of Subscription.
It paid ta tdvftaoa, or within t onthi....S9 OO
f ptid ftftar I ftDtl bator A atnthi S 60
If pU after tba aipirailon of A aionthi... 3 OO
EateB ot Advertising,
rrtnilent irrt.imnU,pjr qanraof tOlinaier
laM, X timi or lout. 91
Fur often ubMqiwnt Inaortlon ot
Adminiptratori' ond Kxtoutori' notloea t 60
Auditor! notlMt I 0
Cftutloninnd Ktraa. 1 60
Dlitolntion notiooi 1 00
Profoiaionk,) Cardi, 6 linoa or Uan(l yr. ft 00
fuoeal notls!, par lino 10
YEARLY ADVERTISEMENTS.
1 iqiiira t.fS 00 I oolamn ,..$! 00
I qunrefl..,. ......... 5 00 I nluronM 70 00
iqoarof.H SO 00 1 column.. 120 00
O. B. OOODLANDKR,
NOKI, E LEU,
1'ublifbert.
garfla.
" wr'cTARNOLb,
LAW t COLLECTION OFFICK,
CUHWENSVILLK,
.26 Clearfield County, Penn'e. TSy
vnoi. . BiranAr. evens .canon.
MURRAY & GORDON,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW,
CLKARK1ELD, PA.
aajr Office lu Ple'B Opera llouae, Moo rid floor.
:SII'T4
FRANK FIELDING,
ATTORNKY-AT-LAW,
Clearfield, Pa.
Will attend to H bualneal entreated to him
piumptly aud falthrully. ftovll 73
- WILLIAM 4. WALLACB, l4VID L. 1IIU.
a. Bar r. wallaci. jurm w. whiolkt.
WALLACE & KREBS,
(Buioeeaor. to Wallace A Fielding,)
ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW,
ll-U'TJ Clearfield, Pa. '
a". g7 k r am e r ,
ATTORN EY-AT-LAW,
Kul Eatate and Collection Agent,
I'I.EARFIF.I.n, PA.,
Will promptly ttt.od to all legal ba.laeia oa
trailed to hie care.
r-OOoe with John II. Fulford, opposite the
Court liouao,
aprll 1-Oui
iombpb i. u'axALLr. main. w. B'ci'Bur.
McENALLY & McCURDY,
ATTOKN ISYS-AT-LAW.
ClearUeM, Fa.
0hita bminoaa at (on Jed to prompt withj
liialitr. Uffloo oa Sooond alroct, aboro ;h First
Nation. Dank. Jao:l:70
" q7 R. B ARRE TT,
Attorney and Counhflor at Law,
clkarpikld. pa. .
Having realgood hi" Jurii;ohip, haa returned
tli prtwtioes of tbo lav tn hia old office at Clear
field, Pa. Will attood thooourU of Jefferaon and
Klk ooantloi whan apoeialtj TOtaford In eonoootinn
ith raaident ooanso).
J:U:TJ
WM. M. McCULLOUGH,
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
Clearfield, Pa.
Sar-Offloe In tlio old Weattro Hotel balMlng.
I .'(tal buaioeaa prompt.; tit untied to. Rral oatata
WMigm ana tola. J' a
A ,'W .WALT E R8,
ATTORNKY AT LAW,
Cleartkrld, Pa.
t.Offlno tn flnihani'i Row. dofll-1;
H. W. SMITH,
ATTORNEY-AT-LA W,
,il:l:7 lieartleld. Pa.
WALTER BARRETT,
ATTOKN EY AT LAW.
ClearAeld, Pa.
.etrOffir. In Old Weitern Hotel building,
corner of Beeond and Market Rti. noT31.es.
ISRAEL TEST,
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
lloarSold, Pa.
rOBce In the Court llou.e. J;ll,'(7
JOHN H. FULFORD,
ATTtlRNEY AT LAW,
ClearUeld. Pa.
tflr-OfEei oa al.lkat itreet, opp. Cuurt Hulu.,
J.n. s, I71.
' JOHN IT." C U T TLE,
ATTOHNEY AT LAW.
.nd Heal Batata Atjeut, Clearfield, fa.
Office on Third stroot. bot.Uborri wainot.
AtrHpetfaHy offora bli itrviooiln lolling
md buying landa In ClanrnaU and adjoining
toantlaa i and with an oxporUnaa ot Ttr twantf
faara aa a anrToyor, Sattora himaelf that ba can
randtr aatlalaoUoa. Lab. inram,
J. BLAKE WALTER8,
REAL ESTATE BROKER,
AND lK ALKR in
Saw ljog and jHiiibort
OLEAKPIKI.D, PA.
(II oe in Qraham'l Row. 1:15:71
J. J. LINQLE,
ATTORNEY - AT - LAW,
1:11 ttaceoia, Clearfield Co., Pa. jr:pd
J. S. BARNHART,
- ATTORNRY -'At LAW,
llelletoiite. Pa.
Will praetiet In Clearfield and all of the Courti of
tbe XAtb Judicial diatrtot. Krai oalato naatncaa
and ! taction of olaima nada fpaolaltlaa. nl'7 1
DR. W. A. MEAN
PHYSICIAN 4 SURGEON,
Ll'TIIKKHllVRU, PA.
Will attend profeiilonal o.lla promptlr. auslo'70
DR. T. J. BOYER,
PHYSICIAN AND SCROKON,
CBoe on Market Blreel, ClearUeld, Pa.
nromoe houra: I to 12 a. n., and 1 to S p. n
t jQ II. ." M.SCUEURER,
110MCEOPATUIC rilYSIClAN,
Offlea In mld.nea oa Market ft.
April 14, 171. Cle.rn.ld, Pa.
" 7 XTfrkLiNE, m d.T
PHYSICIAN 4 SURGEON,
HA VINO located at Pennfleld, Pa., offer, ble
profeeelonnl eervioe. to the people of that
pinoe ami eurrounaing oonntrj. ah onite prumpiij
BtMnaed to
DR. J. P. BURCH FIELD
Lata Surgeon of the 83d Raglnant.Panntylranla
Volunlaora, having ratarnad froaa Iht Armj,
offara hla profoialonal arvleaa to tbaeltfiana
. of Claarllold ananty. .
jfJaVProfaiaional ealli promptly nttanded to.
Ofiso on Beeond atraat, formarlToeenpiad hy
ur. wooda. aprt, oo-u
DR. H. B. VAN VALZAH,
Cl.RARKIP.l.l), PP.NN'A.
OKFK'KIN MASONIC IH'ILDINU
9 QSe. kouro Frum II to t P. M.
Ma; 11, l75.
DU. JEI'KKIiSON I.ITZ,
WOODLAND, PA.
' Will promptle attend all eallt In the line of hi.
pruie.inn. ttov.lv-711
D. M. DOHEBTT,
ASIIIONAm.lt BARflRh A HAIR tlKKPMtn.
( LEA KFI F.LI), PA.
Phnp to roitB foraierlf oeenpled bj Kaugle
i Market itrteu
Jnlj 14, ti.
HARHY SNYDER,
(fomerlj with Lew Bcliuler.)
I' BARBKR AND IIA1HDRRRSKR.
. Rhnp on Market ft., oppoalta Court IInuM.
I OHn low.l for every enelonier. taa, le, t.
WHOLESALE LIQUOR STORE.
( A l the aad of the a.w bridge,
) WKT CI.KARPIMLD, PA.
I Tie proprietor of till e.l.bll.kmrnl will bur
Me liuor. dlnet from el.ttllere. P.rtlM baring
loei tbll bouM lll be inr. to jM a pore art loir
a email margin eto.e one I. Hotel knpera e.a
fnral.krd aitb Irqiore on r.uonable terme
"are .Ibm and brendiee dlreel froai 8eel.r'i
ln.r;, at Rata, N. Vork.
i limiRHIl K. FOLRt'llft.
I Clearteld, Jaae It, I IT t If.
IllKTK e. dk KINBl AHl.t-M- KIK.
prtntod a large aaeaker ml ike aea
BILL, aad will a. u,. reeelpt at twante.
I. eeata. mail a nap, ta a. adOrera. m,U
CLEARFIELD
GEO. B. Q00DLANDEE, Proprietor. , PRINCIPLES, .NOT MEN. TEBMS-$2 per annum in Advance.
- - .. - - -1. "-- - " " 1 . 1 - - - - I-.-.
VOL. 50-WHOLE NO. 2174. CLEARFIELD, PA., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1876, : NEW SERIES-V0L. 17, NO. 23.
Card.
JOHN D.THOMPSON,
Jaatloe of tba Peaea and Bcrlraner.
Curwenavllle, Pa
.OolioetIoDi nada and money promptly
paidoror. fhiiuu
RICHARD HUGHES,
JI'KTICg OF Till PEACH
FOB
Ittctitur Toirnaifp,
Oaeeola Mill. P. O.
All oflolal bntlnen entraited to bltn .III be
pronptlr attended to. mob29, 7A.
CBO. ALBBBT BBffBT Al.aaBT.M....T...W. ALBBBT
W. ALBERT & BROS.,
MaBufaetnrore A extanitro Dealer. In
Sawed Lumber, Square Timber, Lo,
WOODLAND, PKNN'A.
sar-Orden eollelted. Bill, tiled oa abort notlee
and raaeonalile terml.
Addreil Woodland P. 0., ClnrDeld Co,
Pa.
.15-It
W ALHKKT A BROS.
FRANCIS COUTRIET,
MERCHANT,
Krenchrille, Clearfield Couuty, Pa.
Keep, eooatantly oa band a full aaaortment of
ury uoooi, tiaraerara, urooeriea, ana .r.ryroing
BRually kept tn a retail itere, wweB will oe eom,
tor oaan, ae eneap aa .leewner. in in. ooumy.
Pranehrllle, June 7, 1M7-IJ.
THOMAS H. FORCEE,
BBALBB IB
GENERAL MERCHANDISE,
URAI1AMTON, Pa.
Alio, oitanilve Btannfaotarer and dealer In P-qaare
Timber and rJawad Lumber ot all Btotu,
eTOrderl lolleited and all billa promptly
tiled. rjyin'a
R E U B E N H A C KM AN,
House and Sign Painter and Paper
Hanger,
Clearfield, Penu'a
Will eieeate Jobs In hli Una protuptly and
tn a workmanuka manner. af r,m
G. H . HAL L,
PRACTICAL PUMP MAKER,
NBAR CLKAKKIKLU, PKNN'A.
wPutnpa nlwaya on band and nada to order
on abort nonce, ripoa twrod on reaconabie terma.
All work warranted to render aatia fact ion. and
delirered If deaired. myJ6:lypd
eTa. bIgler &Tco.,
e DBA1.IU IN
SQUARE TIMBER,
and manufacturer! of
ALL KINDS OF lAWliD l.Ullli:H,
l-7'7l (LKARFIELD, PENN'A.
JA! s bTg r ahamV
dealer In
Real Estate, Square Timber, Boards,
611INI11.KS, LATH, A PICKETS,
D:10'73 ClearUeld, Pa,
JAMES MITCHELL,
dkalbb ta
Square Timber & Timber Lands,
Jell'7l CLEARPIKLD, PA.
" JAMES H. LY T L E,
lu krataer'e nulldltifr, Clearfield, Pa ,
Dealer tn Orooattaa, Provlalom. Vegetablei,
Fruita, Flour. Feed, etc., etc.
nprl4'7ft-tf
J OllS A. BTADLER,
DAKKR, Market Bt., Clcmrfleld, Pa.
Frnab Bmd. Ruak, Rolla, Plea and Cake
on hand or made to ordvr. A general aaaortment
of Confectioner tea, Fro! In and Nut a In Block.
lee Cream and Oyriora in araton. Balooa nearly
oppoalta the Poatofflee. Prieet moderat.
Barrb 10-76.
8. I, SNYDER.
PRACTICAL WATCHMAKER
AMD DIALBR III
WatchcB, Clocks and Jewelry.
Qralam't Rom, Jnrl Stmt,
CLEARFIELD, PA.
All kinda of repairinc la my Una promptly at-
anaea to. April zt, iot
latvery IHtnble?.
THE nnderalgnad bgi laara to Inform the pub
lie that he If now fully prepar1 to atvioinrao-
eate all la too wayoirarniahtnjr, H..aae, Huggtee.
Lfaddlea and l)arnaaa.on tba aborteat nutioa and
n reaeonilile terma. Reaidanoeoo Loouat itreet.
aaLwaaa Third and fourth.
UKO. W. OGARIIART
llaarfiald. Fab. 4, 1874-
MITCHELL WAGONS.
The Best is the Cheapest I
Thorn ei Rilly haa reeeiTed another large lot of
"Miieoeii nafrona, wnicn are among the Tery
beat manufaotnred, and which ho will eel I at the
moat reaeonahle ra!ee. II ii atook tneludoa alinoat
all deaorlpllona of wagona largeand ainaJl, wide
and narrow trerk. tell ani ana them.
aprB'74 THUMA8 KEILLY.
ANDREW HARWICK,
Market Hlreet, Clearfield, Pa.,
HAnUPArTtTRRR IS!) riBAl.tR IN
HARNESS, PADDLES, U III I) LBS, COLLARS,
and all kinda of
NORSK FVRNISMSQ GOODS.
A foil atoek of 8addlera Hardware, Bruabae.
Combe, lllenketa, Robea, etc., alwaya on band
and for sale at tba low ait oaah prioea. All kinda
of repairing promptly attended to.
All kinds of hides taken In eirbanre for bar-
neat and repairing. All kinda of harden leather
kept on baud, aod for a. It at a snail profit.
C If r field, Jaa. IV, 1870.
jJAIZKASCHWAllTZ,
(Ute Geo. Evans A Co.,)
MILITARY UNIFOltMS
AND
. EQUIPMENTS,
NO.IIIBS MARKET HTKK1:T, Pill I A.
Pandi, Comp.nlee, Ac, farnl.hed. P.mplee,
photograpbi and flelf mee.uriog dlreetloni lent
ire.
MERCHANT TAILORS A CI.OTIIIK11S,
1101 MARKET STREET,
Jal, 14, li t, Pblla.
JN1)ERTAKIN(J.
Tba andaraigned are now fully pm.arod to
arry an oaoineae tn ,
lMi:itTAKIAt;,
AT REASONABLE RATES,
And rffpMtlall eollelt tbe p.lroBege of laoee
Beetling euob ecrrieef.
JOHN 1 HUITT.MAN,
JAMES U. LEAVY.
Clrarleld, Pa., Peb. II, 1174.
JJANIEL GOODLANDEH,
t.llTIIHRBHI'KII, FA,,
Dealer In
DRY GOODS, NOTIONS,
HOSIEUT & GLOVES,
HATS A CAPS aad BOOTS SHOES,
Tobaeoo, areroriee end flab, Kalle, Hardware,
(.ueen.ware and tllaeaware, Men $ aad
Beya' Clotblag, Drnge, Patnla,
Oil., nVbool lloobe,
ft large let of Patent Medielaea,
Caadlee, RaU A trti Prnlu, Cbeeaa and Craik.
era, Koel aod Kin. Powder,
Floor, Grain snd Potatoes,
Olerer aad Tlaota. Seed,
Sole Leatber, Moroeeoe, Lielnga, Bladlage aad
Thread, Sboaeiakera' Tool, aad
Bbee riadiaga.
a greater ariy ef goede la aar More la tba
atr. AN for aale ear. low for eaeh ar eoaatra
prodaea at tbe Cheap Comer. Map I, H7,
TUK PENSIOX BUREAU.
SPEECH
or . t
HON. GEO. A. JEMS,
OP PENNSYLVANIA.
On the Amendment Authorizing the
translorot tbe reuBion iiureau ot
the United States from the In
terior Department to the
War Department.
Delivered III the llouae of HepreeentaUvee,
Waeblligtoli, I). C March link, I HI (I.
Mr. Joiiks. Mr. Chairman, by th
pcrmiwiion of tlio Committeo on Aipro
ii iutions, I ahull, in tlio prngross of the
consiuoration ol thin bill, oner an ninonil
mcnt, authoricing tlio tntnafnr of the
Pension Huronii of tlio United Hlntos
from tlio Interior Department to the
War Department, anil I rise now for
thepnrpose of explaining the provisions
of that amendment and the proposed
economy that would be acconiplmhud
by this transfer. It may ho stated thst
probably throe-fourths of a million dol
lars can be savod by tlio tninster of this
Bureau, and that ils business can bo
donomore intelligently, more diligently,
and more purely than it is now. My
ynrposo will be to suite the fucts to the
louse, and it I so show 1 shall expect
to roeoive the support of those who bo
lievo that economy, diligence and puri
ty should rhuracterir.o the administra
tion of the Government.
Hut, Mr. Chairman, before 1 enter
into the consideration of tho transfer
itsolf 1 desire to submit to tho House
some views in respect to certain allega
tions concerning tho law, all important
to those whom 1 as one havo tho honor
e)ecially to represent here. As the
Chairman of tho Committee on Invalid
Pensions and as members ot that com
mittoe wo leel it to bo our duty to see
Unit thoso who are committed to our
charge shall not be wronged. Aa tho
conduct of all mankind depends some
what on their abstract uclicls, it is nec
esHitry that those abstract bchcis, if
they be flagrantly wrong, shall bo recli
ned. I he necessity tur this occurred
to mo, nnd I suppose probably to ovory
other person who has given it any at-
tcntion ut an, on tlio 1st any ot March
some two weeks since. J u the Dresonco
of this Houho there was under cousid
oration and discussion a certain bill
concerning pensions, lu (hat discus
sion 1 insisted that an invalid pension
was a oeut a debt ol the highest order
and one that no nation could refuse
to pay, unless she stood distinctly on
the ground of unequivocal repudiation.
To demonstrate that tact will be my
first lubor in this discussion. I now
assert that an invalid pension is a debt.
in orucr to call tlio attention ol tho
House to the discurwion that occurred
on that day, I sonj to the Clork'i desk
tq bo read, remarks mailo bv tho lion-
orahlo gentleman from Iowa Mr. Kus-
sorij, wnicn I nave marked.
'1 ho Clerk read as follows :
Again, tb. greeting of thee, acneloni bow aa-
der eoneideraliou wa aa aot of aor.relga gratuity
by tbe Uorernment in recognition of tbe eerrteaa
euppoeed to bar. wn rradert by tbe pmeloner. ;
and every pen.iener 1. oueatanlly at tb. dieor.Uoa
of hie Government a. to the amount of hia eom
penaallon and aa lo tbe eontinu.no. of bia peneioa.
Mr. Jenks. I ask tho I'lork to read
also from tho remarks made by tho
nonoraoiogonuenian Irom llhnoisMr.
Iltirlbut tho passage I have marked.
1 lie L lerk read us follows :
Pirat, air, I doelro gentlemen to eonalder her.
that tber. ia not and oaanot ba any an.b thing ae
a erated right, a eotimercil traneactioa belweeo
th. oounlry and too., wbo an tb. reoipieata of
lla bounty. Er.ry nation baa the rigbt Inherent
ly to ennimaad the eerrioee of lu eitiieaa jnat
whenever It calla for them, to call for tb.ir ll.M,
to demend tb.ir Dlnney ; and tbelr meaaur. af the
eitiun'e daty ia only limited by the neoeeaitlea of
the oonntry. There la no eontraf t of doli.ra and
oenla lo that. So whoever may reoder eervloe la
a military capacity lo tbe a.tion aimply doaa bia
plain, nnmi.l.kable, nndenUbl. duly, aod what
ever reward tba nation may give him fur having
done tbat doty la in thelioeof frM gift and gree
.nd not In th. Iln. ef eontra.t. And anlil abia
tijne 1 never beard any man talk of any aunh
thing na a eontreet between th. aoldi.r aud tba
nation giving bim the right to a peoeion.
Mr. Jenks. I ask the Clerk also to
read from tho remarks of the honnra
hlo gentleman from Now York Mr.
Townsend tho passago I marked.
The Clerk read as lbllowi :
Now the committee that matured tbia hill waa
the Committee on Revolutionary Penaiona and
tbe War or IKIS, We matured a bill relating
wholly to the penalonera of the War or IHlt We
brought tbat bill into tbi. Ilonae, and If II had
brea ten in lla application to tb. penalonera of the
War or lull I ah.ll (.el I waa doing here, aa 1
Telt I waa dolog In tbe committee, my duty to ihe
m-oalonere and the eoantry in an. Lining that bill,
llut not upon the ground that tb. pen.luner haa
the rigbt with the muaale or a pl.tol to demand of
tbe cuunlry a pen.loB. tiond ilod I are w. to
hare that doctrine prcaented ber. or anywhete
elee that a penelvner baa the right to make auoh
a demand of tbe eoutitry 7 Not at all. It la flot
opoB any euob ground. It waa npoo tbe ground
that tneeo men bad rendered elllrlent Barrier, and
it became the country to be liberal le them In
turn. The aervioe waa all rendered before th.
pension waa granted. '
Mr. Jenks. From these extracts it
will be seen that threo gentlemen of
oxpcrienco, learned in tho law, and
from whom personally nnd as lawyers
1 should have the highest rospoct, have
asHcrted that an invalid pension is not
a debt ; that it may bo grunted or with
held at the pleasure of the Government;
that there is no obligation to pay it;
that it is simply a gratuity. .Now, if it
ba n gratuity, we may at any moment
cut off these pensions ; wo may rofuso
to pity thorn from any moment that it
may occur to the legislative branch of
tho Government that it is for tho inter
est of tho Government so to do. Ii
that bo so, it is a most liititl truth for
those pensioners who have boon de
prived of their limbs in tho causo of
their country.
Now, in order to refute what seems
to mo to bo a most flagrant fallacy, I
proposo lo discuss tho iicntion at this
time ; becauso, first, I think the Pension
Jlureiin, which we seek to transfer, lias
been laboring under tlio sanio fallacy,
has been of tho opinion that thev mav
grunt or refuso a pension as they see
pncr, aim tney may expodito it or
delay it as to them may seem conven
ient, that they may grant ittoanoliti.
cal friend or deny it lo a political oppo
nent as may seem nest lor party pur
poses. It is to refute this vlow, and
that the people may comprehend what
is a right and what ia a gilt, that I
pmposo now to discuss this as tho first
question in this bill,
A contract, as wo are led to aupposo
from our early legnl lucubrations, is an
agreement for a sufficient consideration
to do or not to do some given thing ; a
firemise for a consideration, an offor
or a consideration accepted. This
constitutes a contract aa differently ex
pressed by different authors. Now, if
the Government before the aoldior en
tered the army, told that aoldior that
it lie should enter and become disabled
he should be paid a pension, that would
be a contract, il the soldier entered the
army and wat diaabled. I apprehend
tbat cannot be disputed. .
First, in 1778. before the Revolution
arr War had made its crippled and
uisanieu soldiers, mere was a rosnlntlon
passed in tho Continental Congress
which to be Biiro might not do oinuing
as a law. but is certainly binding in
good faith. I road from Mr. Huff's
Pension Manual :
The ConUnental 0oocr.ee by a acrleo of ieaoln
llnna paired Aoguat IS, 17TA, provided that every
oommieaioaed and Bon-commiaaloned offloer aud
nrivet. in tb. army wbo should loan a limb ia aay
engagement, or be otberwieo eo diaabled in tb.
aervio. of Slat.a, In tbo war then .liating with
th. mother country, aa to be rendered Incapable
"afterward of g.lniag a livelihood," allould re
ceive during life, or the ooullouaaoo of aurh diaa-
hility, one-half hi. monthly pay after bia pay aa
a aoldior ebould eaaaa.
Hence, before the .Revolutionary War
nnd mano its cripples, there was a
promise by the Govornmont to those
wno woro disabled in tne cauce 01 lib
erty thattbeyshould receive a pension
If that promise ia binding upon the
nation alter they woro organised undor
the present Constitution, it is a contract
as to thoso soldiers, we will see now
whether that was ratified by the Uni
tod .States. In 1790, after the organiza
tion of tho Government, tho Congress
of tho United States pasaed an act, ap
proved .April 30, 1790, ""for the regula
tion and formation of tho armios of tho
United States." That act provided
That If any eommlaaloned oflloar, noB-eommio.
ioned oAoer, private, or muaioian aforeaajd, aball
b. wounded or diaabled while In the line of bia
doty In publlo eervic., he aball be plaoed on tbe
Hat or Invalida of the l!Bilcd Statee at snob rate
of pay and nod.r aueb regulation, aa aball be
direviea oy in. rraaiaeui 01 tne unitea Plate, tor
tb. time being.
That was in 1790. Thus at that
timo tho resolution of tho Continental
Congress was ratified in the passage of.
tho general army bill, and it was prom.
iscd tbat any one disabled in tho lino
ot Ms duty as a soldier should bo paid
a ponsion. It that promiso was ac
cepted bv tho soldier, and bo was dis
abled, wits it not a contract, and has he
not a right to demand bis pension 7
In order that thoro nover should bo
any misapprehension on this subject,
and that overy won inlormod man
should know bis rights, prior to every
war, with vory lew exceptions, a simi
lar resolution or law bos been enacted.
Such re-enactment took place before or
in the early stoges ol every great war.
In anticipation of the War of 1812 with
Groat Britain, and for tho vory purpose
of inducing enlistments, there was
passed an act npproved January 11,
1M1J, entitled "An act to raise an addi
tional military force." It provided
That if any elnoer,non-eommla.loned offioer.tnu.
aiaiaa, or privat., aball be diaablad by wuode or
olberwiM while In tb. Iln. of bia doty In public
ocrvice, be ahall be pieced oa tb. Hat of lovallda
of the I oitod Slat., at aoeb rata of pen.ion .ad
und.r aucb regulationa aa are or mey be directed
by law, .0.
So that we find prior to the Revolu
tion an act of this kind was passed, and.
prior to mo w ar ol inn it was reiter
ated. But it may be pleaded that tho
statute ol limitations applies as to all
these acts. Since 1805 many statutes
of limitations have been passed depriv
ing pensioned soldiers of their rights.
It bus been assumed repeatedly by this
House, that theso soldiers are not en
titled as of right to pensions ; that thoso
are a more gratuity. At a proper time
wo will consider whether these limita
tion acts ought to aland upon the
Btututo-booka, or whether they are a
disgrace to our legislation. At this
time 1 will say nothing more about
them. But I assort hero broadly that
with very tow exceptions the rule is
that every invalid pension ia a debt,
and a debt tbe nation ought not to re
pudiate.
In 1S62 it became necessary, as was
supposed, to reiterato tho aamo legisla
tion, ilonco, wo find that on the 14tb
of July, 1802, an enactment of this
kind was passed, which is to be found
in tbo Statutes at Large, vol. 12, page
a.iu. Aimougt) tins principle had been
assorted frequently and broadly in
many enactments and re-cnactmonts, it
was tho intention ot the Government
that this mattor should be placed be
yond doubt. It was intended that no
soldior in tbe army should doubt or
hesitate for a moment in the heliof that
if be wore disabled in his country's
service he should not bo consigned for
tbo roslduo ol Ins days to penury and
pauperism, or in case of death his sur
viving family subjected to tbe same
late, llie provisions wus enacted in
order that he might feel at caso ; that
he might rest in the confident bolief
thnt if ho sacrificed his all lor his conn
try, that country would provido for
t nose wnom no run behind, nonce, in
18G2, before many invalid pensioners
bad boon made, this act was passed :
That If any oUloer, nonommlailoned officer,
ina.iriao, or prival., of Ihe army, looludlng regu
lere, volunteer, and militia, or any officer war
rant or petit officer, anurlok.B, aeamaD, ordioary
Maroon, Inlille maa, mariae, clerk, land. man,
pilot, or olh.r p.reoo In lb. Navy or Mario.
Corna, baa been ainoe tbe 4th day of March, ISfll,
or ahall hereafter be, diaabled hv ronton of anv
woeod or diaenae contracted wbil. le tbe m.Ih
of tb. tailed Statee le the line of duty, be aball,
upon maaing oue proot ol tne loot according to
aucb ronna and regulationa aa are or may be pro
vided for, by, or le pnrauaace ef law, be plecod
upon the Hat or Invalid nenaionera of tbe Colled
Statee.
i ma aci was to a largo iiegrce pro
spective. 1 be great mass of thoso who
uro now pensioners wero then able-
bodied men. I'nder tho provisions of
tins act mey stepped into tho ranks.
They had tho assuranco of the country
whoso honor they had always regarded
as holy and sacred that il they wero
disituied or should dio in tlio service ol
their country they and theirs should
bo providod for.
.Mr. llurlbuL What is tbo dato of
tho act which tbo gentleman has just
read 7
Mr. Jenks. July 14, 1802 ; prior
certainly to tho time when tho great
mass of our pensioners had becomo
such.
Mr. How itt, of Alabama. 1 f the gen
tleman will allow mo, I would remind
him that in tho proclamation of Presi
dent Lincoln, issued In 1861, calling for
voluntoers, a promiso was made that
such as might be wounded or should
contract disease in tho wnr should havo
pension ; and Congress afterward
ratified tbat promiso.
Mr. Jenks. Tho facts are as tho
honorable gentleman from Alabama
Mr. Hewitt states thorn. Tho pon
sion law of 1862 was not passed hotbro
tho first soldier went into tho army :
yet prior to that timo the soldiers had
tho word ol a man they had reason to
trust, that if they should go into tho
scrvieo they should bo provided for.
Shall that word he disgraced horo on
tho floor of this Congress 7 Shall wo
disregard that contract in viow of which
they wont into tho army? They obeyed
the call of their country ; and in that
viow they did only their duty, it is
true, oa tho honorablo gentleman front
Illinois Mr. Hurlbut haa said : but it
was a duty tbe performance of which
was dangerous, and it waa norformod
under tho promise that this provision
wouiu oe made, uare wo repudiate
that promise, and aay that it is not a
contract T Shall we My to a man who
asks for a pension, "You are tbe ac
ceptor of a gratuity ; you aro a mendi
cant ; we can grant yon this or refuse
it at our option, and no one can chargo
as with Injustice T" In tbe name of
iWlHKl invalid pensioners of the Uni
ted State, I repudiate this doctrine
If their pension certificates are to be
. 1 ,
regarded as badges of mendicancy ,they
would spurn tnom irom mom and nun
litem in your lace, j
They aro their right ; and when
sit in my committee adjudicating
whether a pensioner bo entitled to a
ponsion or not, l ao Ji on the principle
that tho clainfant comes there askif.g
for his legal right, aid I am bound to
grunt it if he brings himself within tho
provisions of tho law. Hence, 1 hope
it may never bo Again asserted on tlio
nonr ot this iious., ana more pamcu
larlv bv what wouli soom to be con
certed action, for lb sooner was it a
sorted by one than H was followed by
others, tbat It waa not debt.
One of tho honorable gentlemen at-
signs as a reason that bo had nover
beard or such a tbitg. 1 ho fact that
he bad never heatdof such a thing waa
no argument why it did not exist, bo
cause if we were to test Cue existence
of what is trno hy what any man knows,
tho truth on earth or in the n inverse
would bo extremely limited.
Another reason ossignel was that
they only did theirduty, ni when the
Government promisod thorn Uib if thoy
did their duty, aro they not entitled to
it 7 A man may only do ais duly
when ho performs his daily labor for
uib cmpioyor unuer obligation to pay
him 7 The fact that be is doing his
duty is 'no argument against it ; and
wo insist an invalid pension is a debt,
and should be so recognized by tho
Government, and in tbo organisation
of Courts for the adjudication of such
claims wo should take tho same care as
in tho organisation of any ot her Court
in the United States, it this businoss
is not fairly and honestly dons, dil
gently and economically done, where
it, ia periormuu now, let ub place it
where it will bo.
So much for this question which has
consumed more timo than l intended.
I will pass now to tho consideration ot
tbo main question before tho llouso,
and in order that it may be fully com-
prehended, I will send up tho hill and
ask tho Clerk to read it as a purl of my
reuiarKB. it m uiirouuccu u au antetiu-
mont to tho bill under consideration by
tho courtesy of tho Committeo on Ap
propriations. It is House bill No. 2590,
trutislerriiig tbo Bureau ol l'cnsions
from tbe Interior Department to the
n ar Department.
Tho Clerk roud as follows :
Bt if ..ort.ol U f. Smatt and ouee Venre-
eMfatt'vea ofie Vniud Staff o Ammem in Con
or aeaeweed, Tb.t from aad .Her July 1. IS77-
the I'en.ton Bureea oT tbe tailed 8l.t... with all
ita dutiea, fund., eocounto, elelma, record., booka,
papera, property, and appurteoanoea, ah.ll b.
tran.ferred Irom the Department of tbe Interior
to toe ieporimeni 01 war.
BKCTlua 3. That the Secretary or Wur aball el-
erelae .11 Ih. power, and dierharg. all tb. dotiee
heretofore eiereiaed end porformed by Ibe 6e.ro
tary of lb. loUrior in relation lo pen.ioocra and
the I'.nelnB Bureeu ; and all acoouut. .hall be
aubject to adjuatment hy th. offlcra of IhoTreae
ury now having cbnrge of tbe departmeot of ae
oounta of aaid Bureau and tbo pen.ion egrnte aad
agennlca.
Mac. a. That on and after tbe dele aroreaaid,
mere la hereby eatabliahed to tb. W.r Uepart-
ment an moe to be known a. tb. Pen.lua Oi
and th. Secretary of War .hall d.1.11 from tbe
eommleolonod olno.ra f tb. army aa offioer to
take charge of oaid office, andadmiaialer II. .Lire
und.r regulationa to b. mad. and promulgated
bt th. Secretary ef War i tbe offioer eo del.iled
ahall, for thetime be may be d.lail.d totboeherg.
01 tn. 1 enalon omce, b.v.tbep.y and allowance.
ot e voioDoi, .no an.u perlorm ell tb. dutiea bow
performed by tbe Commieeionere of Peneieaa.
Hie. 4. Tbat on and alter the date aforeaald.
th. office of penaion .gent and peaeioa egeneiee
for tbo di.buroemeat ot the pen.ion fund aball be
aboll.bed aod dieeo8liBUd ; and on and after the
payment or tbe quarterly p.ymeotdue penaionera
on id. io u.y ol Jone, 10,7, ail luoo. remaining
In tb.ir band., aball be paid into tbe Treeenry
of Ihe toiled Stat.a.
Beo. a. Tbat th. dutiea neretfore performed bv
die penaion agenta agrncira aball be perfnrmed
un tier the direction of tbe Sacretarv of War bv
th. Pay Ileparlment of tbe armr i and the Secre
tary of War la antboriaed lo daleil auoh foroe oT
eommiaaioned officerr ae may, lnrour,h knowledge
and exptrienoe of diaburalng dutiea, be aoited
and ncie.aary to prrform aucb dutiea ; tbe oAoero
eo deteiled to give bond la aoch Bum aa .ball be
epprovaa oy tne oeerelery or war for tbe ralthrul
diMharg. or their dutiM.
Bar. S. That th. Secretory or War ia hereby
eotborlBed lo re-organia. and ve-edjo.t th. aev
r.l diviaioaa ef the IVnaioa Hume, end detail
otfioore and .taployea to do lb. work lo Buob a
mann.r m aball aoaduo. lo tho good or the eer
vie. Any officer aulhomed to tnre.tig.U any
au.pceud attempt to de'raod tbe U.Uod Ht.tM la
or .nesting Ih.edminletralkon of any law rd.tlvo
to penaiona, and lo aid ia proaecailng any peraoo
impllctad, Bh.ll hav. the power to auuhtcroatbe
ia tbe oourae r auoh Inveetigattea.
See. 7. Thai tbedelaile of oommiaaionod officer.
endor aectiooa o aod 0 of tbla act mar b etteeded
tooffioeraoo tb. retired lk.t or th. army i and
aaoa onicera wnue ao carving eb.ll bar. th. pay
and allowaBcee ef otter, ol like grade on tbe ac
tive Hat.
Sac. I. That oo or before the let dar of July.
1.77, tbe Heeretary or tbe letcrlor ah.ll cauae Ihe
Peneioa Rnreaa ia all lu parte and dalles to be
m iuii reauine.e lor tne iranaier mentioned IB
aeetioo 1, .ud tb. earn, ahall be made and aom
completed at tbo earlieat practicable dale within
.w u.ye, .oa ail acta or parla Ol acle laoonatalent
herewith ere h.raby repealed.
Mr. Jenks. The provisions of this
act as a rule aro general in their terma
without going into detail ot adminis
tration of tho olllcc. it was t Hough t
expedient, and it also seems wise, to
leave tbo working out ol tho dctuils,
alter tbo general plan shall havo boon
laid, to administration.
iho bill hits boon drawn on that
principle, und with the exception of
the seventh section and the fourth nnd
tilth fu'i'lins. which we will consider in
tho course of our remarks, wo need
ouly to say that it provides for tho ro
movul of tho Pension Bureau and tho
conduct of it in tho Wur Department.
j no aovemu section, wlucb is now
n its character, provides that those in
the half pay service of the Govern
ment may bo employed in the duties of
that oltice. It gives tho menus by
which many now paid by tho Govern
ment may bo utilised. Tboro can now
bo employed in this pension olllce il
transluiTod to the army, tho half-nay
olllcors from tho grado of captuin down,
and ono half, at Toast, of all that iB now
pnid out in carrying on tho pension
ollico will bo aaved in this way, wbilo
it will afford employment to thoso who
are now unfit for field duly and are
now on the hull' pay list of the Gov
ornmont. Tho amount thereby saved
will bo one half of what is how paid to
tbo employes in this ollico. To what
ever extent those half pay ofllcors may
bo able to do the work of tho oftlco, and
it is claimed they may bo able to do it
to a largo extent, of tho three hundred
necessary they will at least supply the
place of one hundred and (illy, leaving
to bo paid one hundred and fifty full
paid pension ofllcors. It would reduce
tbe torco substantially one bundrod
and fifty in that particular and afford
employment to thoso now lu the hulf
pay Borneo ot tho Government.
The third and fourth aoctiona of tho
bill, for doing away with ponsion
agents, I will dispone of as wo go
along. These pension agencies seem
to be ono of tho most flagrant excesses
of the Govornmont.
In the consideration of this auhioct
I will rail tho attention ot the House
lo what may seem rathor a platitude
at first glanco. There are gonoral
principles so obvious thoy seem to have
lost all tbeir value irom their more all-
pervading abundance, Just as the sun
light in all 1U beauty and sublimity ia
forgotten in its magnificent beniflconce,
from ita mere exbuberance. With ref
erence to this Bureau, it aeetna to me
some of the plainest principles of our
Government Lave been lorgotton. In
our form of government the people in
herit their rights, and directly or indi
REPUBLICAN,
rectly grant to tho Govornmont Its
powers. Tbey are the principals ; it
is tho agent. Thoy aro tbe creators ; it
ia tho creature. Under certain, now
era of attorney, if I may so stylo them,
known as constitutions, State and Na
tional, they grant certain, powers to
others to act lor them. These coiisli
tutions, ao fur in they grunt tho iww
era, authorize those acting for tho peo
ple to do cortain duties, when tbo per
sons to whom the bowel's arc granted
have been quuhbeu in a given way.
But anything that is not within these
grants is an assumption wrongful and
nagrant.
Tbo Army, and Navy, tbe Terri
tories, and tho treasures belong to the
people. It anything bo left without
nu uwnur it id euujoct to tne common
law right of occupancy; and that in
stinct pervades almost the wholo hu
man race, that if a thing he lying open
without an owner any person coming
along may occupy it and bave a good
title to it. Now, with reference to
this, it secma aa il the people aro en
tirely forgotten and as if tho territory
ot tho Govornmont, to a great extent,
and its troasuros aro presumed by
tboso in powor in this Bureau to be
open to general occupancy, and that
they can acquire title to everything
tney can lay bands upon, becauso tbey
havo forgotten thejioople bave any
definite ownership. This principle vin
dicates itself in that the employes of
a corporation do not conceive so clear
ly of the privilege of ownership exist
ing in it, and take from it more freely
than they would Irom a private indi
vidual. In a groat Government we
find persons doing deeds and commit
ting crimes against the Govornmont in
tho way ol appropriating property and
moneys which they would nover think
o: doing It they wore in the employ
ment of an individual.
Now, the first fact I want to have
understood in retcronce to this Bureau
and I may say every where else, is,
tbat there la an ownership aa to tho
proporty 01 tho national vJovornmcnt
thnt nor treasures aro her own, and
not open to gonoral occupany at all
And 1 fear thia principle taaa been vio
lated by this Bureau, as I shall be
able to show as 1 proceed. In order
mat tne business or the Government
may be dono with facility it is divided
into certain departments. T hoso de
partmonts in themselves have no right
to any particular portion of tho public
territory or the public treasure. It fa
only in proportion as the work can be
best attended to tbat it should be as
signed to any particular department or
nttrcau. jow n tbo Department ot
war can do tbis duty which wo pro
pose to assign to it wun grcator intel
ligence, greater economy, greater dili
gence, and greater purity than where
it is now, it ought to be removed there.
And we propose to ehow that the bu
siness can be done more intelligently
more economically, more diligently
nnd more purely by this transfer.
un mis point i ask. tne attention of
tbe wbolo House. We have endeav
ored to obviate any possibility of party
opposition by fixing that tho transfer
docs not occur untiF 1877. In 1877 no
one can toll whether the administra
tion will be Democrat or Republican.
This may hit the ono party or it may
hit the other. But if it is right, I ask
that it ahall be dono. We fixed the
date of the transfer in 1877 that it
might have tho candid' consideration
of ovory member of this Houso. And
I ask you to join in effocting this trans
fer if to yon it seems right. If It does
not seem right, and it ia not right. I
am just as sincere in the desire that
you shall not do it as any man in this
llonse. But tn me it seem, tbat it
should be done.
Lot mo show how tho Bureau came
first to be placed in (ho Department
or tho Interior. In 1849 it bod been
conclnded to organise a now depart
ment to do known as tne uopartment
ot tho Interior. Duties were assigned
to thnt department. This pension du
ty was ono. At tbat timo it was com
paratively trifling ; and whon a man
has a small work to do, he is not apt
to consider vory carefully whether bo
is to have it dono in tho most econom
ical way or not; but if tho work be
comes vast in its proportions, then it
is oi importance that be should bave it
dono in tbo most economical way,
llenco this Bureau being small at tho
timo, was assigned as a more fragment
to mano work lor tho Interior Depart
ment. But this state of things does
not now exist. Tins jiuroau has be
como an important department. It
has an expenditure ol 0,000,000. It
providos for tho payment of 234,000
pensioners. An army of men stands
behind its awards. They rocoivo their
laiiy bread in many instance from it.
What was then transferred has be
como groat. What was then an in
significant labor, has swelled in its di
mensions until it is immense ; and
while it is a great burden it is also a
great honor to our country: and on
the other hand it is a groat shame if
we oo not eeo mat it la bonostly and
well administered. It was assiirned to
tho Interior Department only for the
purpose of making work for the new
department without any particular
reason wny mat assignment should be
made. Now tho labor haa increased :
and if it nUuruMy belongs to tho Wnr
Departmont and the lubor can bo
greatly reduced jjy trnnsfering it thoro,
it is our amy to make mat tmnsier.
Now, what arj the duties of tho
Pension Olllce 7 What does it do?
In tho first place it adjudicates or de
termines tho right ot cortain persons
to certain funds of tho Government ;
it determines the question of a dobt
between tho soldier and tho Govern
ment, and also determines tho propri
ety of granting gratuities in aomo in
stances, and aftor that is done it
pays out tho debts and gratuities. A
great proportion of the lubor of the of
tlco is that involved in tho adjudica
tion as to who aro entitled to pensions.
Tho (Treat work la tho granting or re
fusing of pension certificates.
J ow, in granting pension certificates
what quostions arise? Tho first is,
was the man claiming a ponsion regu
larly mustorcd ; was he wounded in
the service in the line of his duty ; was
he regularly discharged ? Is the ap
plicant tho man who was thus muster
ed; who was thus wonnded in the lino
ol bis duty and discharged ? One
question to be docidod is that of per
sonal identity. The question whether
a man was wonnded in the line of hia
duty ia a- mdilary question; the
question of his discharge is a military
ono. As a rule, the only one that
arises in the case that ia not a military
question ia that of personal Identity of
tne party, excopt certain medical ques
tions, which may be eithor civil or
military. W all know the difference
n value between an unskilled laborer
who geta from four to six dollar a
month and a skilled laborer who gets
three) or (bur dollar day. Th. sol
dier is the skilled, tba civilian tho en
skilled laborer. A word which would
be In a civilian's vocabulary an exotic
i. to the military man a household
word ; a question being military be can
decide it at once. The quoation then
ii whother tbia business can or cannot
be discharged more intelligently and
more quickly whon done by skilled in
stead oi unskilled labor.
There ia another thing to which 1
desire to call the attention ol the com
mittee. Betwoen tho 4th of March,
1875, and the d of February, 187G,
one hundred and twenty-eight employ
es oi tbe onlce nave been discharged
and ninety-six newunnointmonts made.
Now, if a man should be permitted to
remain in tne onrce until no acquired
experience, that system might work,
but whero it is a political office this can
not bo done. Every time there is a
change of political parties it ia proba-
uie m large proportion oi tue bkiiicu
labor will be removed and unskilled
labor substituted. In a court of jus
tice it would never be entertained lor
a moment to pormit a man unlearned
in the law to sit upon the bench except
in trivial cases; we always require
tbat a legal question shall be decided
by thoso learned in the law. Now,
why not apply the same rule to mili
tary questions in this case ? Ia that
court whose awards annually disburse
zo,uuu,oou too insignificant to ju.tny
tbe employment of skilled labor? It
would be more intelligently done. It
would also be more economically done.
n un roiorence to economy, among
the greatest sinecures that ever over
spread tbe country are the offices of
-m ii i-. A nvilbjr 111.: 1, miueu
to tho Pay Department of tbe army
might do the whole work, whereas
there are now fifty-eight penaion
agents at a coat to the Government of
over 1120,000. About 214,000 vouch
ors are filled and mailed quarterly to
tbe pensioners ; one man can fill 12,000
vouchers quarterly, multiply that by
twenty, it win amount to 1240,000,
and that is more than ia required to be
dono, for which the Qovernment now
ays, including contingencies, over
448,000.
These pension agonts, somo of them.
draw salaries and contingencies of over
115,000 a year. Their average salary
and contingent is 17,767, or about that.
tne amount ot their labor may be
illustrated by a statement I received
from a clerk of ono of those officers to
whose character for voracity a mem
ber of thia Uouao ia ready to certify.
He states that with a salary of fJ900
he did all the work that was done at
one of those agencies except signing
tne cnccKi, wnicn tbe pension agent
bimaclt might do in twenty minutes a
day and lor signing the check the
agent received ovor J6,600 annually.
Anomer agent in an adjoining city,
after paying all expenses for rent. fuel.
Ac, received 184,800 ot clear money.
Thore are fifty-eight of theso men, and
mcir average salary is over 17,000 and
odd. All tne expenses of the Bureau
and agencies and tho expenso to the
Government is over 4 per cent., and it
oouio prooaoiy be done lor 1 per cent.
it certainly can oe done lor Hall a mil-
lion loss, or probably three-fonrtbs of
a minion.
Those agenta are scattered like the
roots of a mighty cancer, all over the
land ; they aro eating out the vitals of
tne country ; they are planted every
where, and you will scarcely find a
Congressional district from which the
influence ot some snch officer docs not
come : and if hia stipend be decreased
he will go to the poll and cutoff their
votes and defeat tbe member who bos
tbe manhood to attack tbom. These
agents can well afford to spend some
thing for political purposes or to pre
vent or defeat any act that might be
pending. In 1874 an attempt was
made by a reforming Congress that
seemed lo be aoiiod with a temporary
spasm of reform to cut off this allow
ance ol thirty cents for each voucher.
it was attempted to cut off tho pay
ment of this fee at a timo when they
wore costing tbe Government about
114,000. The agents camo swarming
here, made a compromise with that
Congress to cut off five cents, leaving
twenty-nve cents still, what a tear
ful reform that was I
We ask somothing more Radical:
wo ask that they shall be cut up by
tho roots, 1114,000 and all, and that 20
men ahall now do what costs ao much
For that purpose I have introduced
this transier as a part of the appropri
ation bill, as a retrenchment measure,
Ho say that not only ran it bo done
more economically in thia rospoct, but
thoro ia another aspect ot the case to
be considered.
There aro made upon tho War Of
fice and the Surgeon General's Office
oat h year by tbe I'ension Bureau in
the adjudication of pension cases is de
pendent upon the War Olllce and tho
Surgeon General's Office for evidonce.
Any one wbo takes up a claim and
examines ft, can see in a very short
lime where tho evidence comes from
and what ia to be decided upon.
1 hia rnnsion llureau. located somo
quarter of a milo distant, lends fifty.
aix thousand written calla tor evidence
to tho War Office or the Surgeon Gon
oral a umee. it ia easier to ask Ques
tions man to answer them. I hisUikot
timo, besides the writing of ono hnn
drod and twelvo thousand letters, to
transmit tbe letters backward and for
ward and to look up tbe evidence.
Tho greater part of the work done in
the adjudication of those pension cases
is at this timo probably dona in the
war Olnce and tho Surgeon General a
I'tnoo.
Tho Surgeon General's Office has
but sixty-ono employes on this work,
and tho War Ofllco has but fifty-five,
making one hundred and sixteen em
ployes in both offices. Tho Pension
Bureau has three hundred and ninety
three employes. If you should go
own there to-dny with a pension
claim and ask why they do not act
upon It, their response will be, "We
are waiting tor eveidonce from the
War Office, or the Burgeon General s
Office." That is, throe hundred and
incty-three men in the Pension Bu
reau are made to wait on one hundred
and slxtoon men in the other two of
fices. Now, what woll informed econ
omist would permit such a atato of
things as tbat? Would be not put
them both undor tho aamo bead and
say that whenever there la any wait
ing there ahall be a redistribution of
force, ao that each office ahouid bave
its proportionate share of workmon?
apprehend the War Ollico and tho
Surgeon General's Office have too email
number ot employes for tbis work.
n my judgment there should be an
increase of force in the Surgeon Gen
eral's Office, sufficient at least to bring
up tbis business.
iiore la another thing in relerenoe
to tbia matter. If those offloero and
mployes were in the same depart
ment thore would be saved a great
deal of nnnejoessery labor of tbia kind.
r or instance, 1 hav. tiore tne case of
Honry Kllbourn No. 181,643. In this
case there wero throe requisitions for
substantially tba same evidence, or at
least what one single reqneat might
bave obtained. This case came to my
attention causually ; I was not looking
tor it at all ; but it came before mo in
my duties on the committeo. In this
case the Pension Bureau sent three
time lbr substantially tho same ovl
denoe. How did that occur? Proba
bly just in tbis way : Some man writes
to inquire why tho claim hu not boon
disposed of. It is easier to sil down
and fill a blank culling Inr iiuuv evi
dence than it would he lo examine the
records and see if the claim was in or
der for adjudication or not So tho
blank is filled, and the additional copy
of the roll aud hospital record must
be made
Now if this waa an isolated case, it
ia not likoly I would hav come across
it among the few cases .that camo be-
lore me. T went to the Hurgoon Gen
eral's Office and asked bow many such
applications in one year woro made
of tbat office. I received in writing
the reply tbat there had boon more
than thirty-eight hundred, or about 21
per cent. Now, if they were all in
tbe same department, this would be
avoided. There were over thirty-
aignt nunureo applications lor evidence
made of tbe Surgeon General's Office.
Ol tho W ar Othce there wore many
more. Probably in both thore woro
ten thousand cases where applications
were mane lor new evidence, in cases
where they already bad evidence on
record. Therefore, in tbis respect, we
see tout mis work would be more dili
gently done it this transfer should be
mado.
A notbor instance of lack of diligence.
Tbis seems to me to be an instance ot
flagrant wrong. If it was an isolated
instance I would not so strongly insist
upon it- But it is in tho interest of
common honesty and doconcy that 1
ask the House to consider another cose
which I havo bore. It is tbo caso of
John Murphy. Tbo chargo made won
something like tbis: That the Pension
Bureau, lest it should ran out of work,
was in tbe habit of granting n pension
below the grade to which the appli
cant waa entitled, in order to compel
him to niako another application, and
thua there would bo more cases for the
office to work upon, and thereby the
Pen.ion Bureau would be able to keep
its full force. That was tbe charge.
1 inquired a little into tbia case of
Jobn Murphy, which it was claimed
was one among many ol tho kind. 1
refer to this only as an illustration. I
have not boon ablo to find to what ex
tent this practice exists ; but it exists
to somo extent, whether with the in
tent alleged I cannot aay. In thia case
of John Murphy, No. 105,481, tho man
was blind. Tie sent in bis application
to the Pension Bureau in 1867. The
action of the Bureau waa tbis ;
tcmber 15, 1870, he was granted a pen
sion of 115 por month. Prior to that
the Surgeon's certificate, dated July
zo, inus, is, "aurgeon Ttandall reports
uisaoiiity total. TDBt hj, at tbe lime
tbe ponsion was granted the SurtrooD
had reported to tho office tbat tho ap
plicant was totally disabled. On the
day tho pension was granted it seems
the man was totally disabled ; be was
blind, wandenng about sightless and
in darkness. Vory soon after tbe pen
sion of f 15 a month was granted he
received notice from his attorney to
apply for an increaso, and ho does ap
ply accordingly; and on the 15th of
December, 1B7U, tbe grade "total" was
again returned. His certificate is then
increased in amount to 120 per month,
January 11, 1871. But thia is not yot
the final consummation by any means.
It is necessary to call the matter up
again, and require this poor blind man
again to sock his evidence in darkness.
Ho applies for an increase ; and he gets
it every timo. His penaion is then
raised to f 24 per month. Tbat is on
the 4th of Juno, 1872. First it ia f 15,
then f 20, and then 124.
Now, you would conclude that they
bad done with this man; that the aub
ject was about exhausted. But no,
gentlemen, they were not done by a
great deal. They had only just com
menced. They then sont out some
othor officer ot tbe service ; at least by
some moans thoy reduced his grade.
ii e nnd that on tbo I4tb or November,
1873, bis pension was reduced to 118
per month. Thus they took another
twist at tbis poor blind man. You
might suppose that this was tho end
ol the matter. But it is not Thoy
increased the pension again to $24 per
month. In accordance with a notice
dated January 5,1876, his pension ia
increased to 124, commencing Septem
ber 1, 1875. Thus we co the number
of different changes in thia pension
from tbo timo ot its granting.
Now, Mr. Chairman, ought thie thing
to be tolerated ? Ought an oftico that
performs its work no mora diligently
and bonostly than this be permitted to
exist undor a Government ot American
troomen wbo claim to be honest? I
say that somothing ought to be dono ;
and I have felt it my duty aa chair
man of tho committee to bring the mat
ter to the attention uf this Houso and
ask action upon it.
liut tho business is dono negligently
in anothor way. r or instance il von
look at the report of the Third auditor
ol tho Treasury you will find that the
amount of money disbursed by this
Department to Army pensioners is re
turned on pago 17 as (29,171,179. You
would expect that the return of the
i'ension liuroau would correspond witb
that. But it docs not. If you look at
the return of the Commissioner of Pen
sions you find that the amount paid to
army pensioners ia returned aa f 29,
162,708. It will be seen that there is
a discrepancy of somothing ovor f8,000
in tbe tlguroa. 1 do not charge that
this is the result of fraud : because I
do not intend to charge anything thnt
1 am not fully assured of. It may bo
1 ran a ; it may Do negligence I uarity
says call it negligence ; and I am dia-
Cosed to do so. But negligence of this
Ind in business matters require, repro
bation, and I ask that this House shall
award to thia Bureau that reprobation
wblcb It seems lo deservo in this con
nection. Let mo give you another illustration
of a aimilar character. If you employ
ed an agent who was responsible for
the disbursement of a largo amount of I
monoy, say thirty or forty million dol
lars, you would expect tho accounts to
be kept so that you oould tell just
where each dollar went The larger
amount to be disbursed tho more yon
would insist upon strict accuracy in
its disbursements and in the keeping
of tbe accounts. Now, in the report
of tho Commissioners of Pension! there
isan item of 12,885,189.18 disposed of in
ono single lump and in such a manner
mat no living man can tea) whore it
has gono, except on his more twe dixit,
without going ovor every pension claim
paid within the year.
lucre tue hammer lei!.
Mr. Randall. 1 ask unanimous con
sent tbat the lime of my colleague
nr. jenssj oe extended.
There waa no objection.
Mr. Jenks. In .lobulation of th
item I have jnst referred to, the Com
missioner, in an official communication!
makes the following itutomcnt
The difference between the aaiual amoaat ef
th. roll, $7n,J8MIV., nnd the amount die
beread, J.,o3,llo.ol, It Sr9M,l7.M which le
tbue eaplained :
I. Peymeau to paa.loB agenta for
Salariee- ,IU,7. U
for feee ea voaera......... 114.114 M
For peelege .. 1,141 04
or UatloBory ll.aso If
Fee oBoe eafe .7. M
I. Feyaeoate ta eaamlalag-eargeeaa il,lT Sf
Peelege aa report, to tbia effioe l,H II
3. The remainder waa paid aa ar.
rear, of penaiona oa ll.ttf .rig
Inal Army, 1.4 erlglael Navy,
11,410 iacraaM Army, ud HI
Inereaoe
Navy elalaaB allewad dartag the
seal jeer........M.l,Wa,l. II
Total...- J,JM,i7 M
. Very reapeetfally,
H. M. ATKINSON,
CaMieeieaer.
Iloa. Obobcb A. Jaaaa,
JeeM e AepreMatetfcee.
In ether words, there ia an item of
02,885,189. 18, which you cannot find
any account ot in any book without
going ovor every claim tbat haa been
paid. Now I do not oall thia fraud ;
thore may be fraud in it; but I do not
know it; and I do not propose to as
sert that there is negligence in it, neg
ligence of tho most Aagrnnt character,
Ihut demand attention al our lunula.
I might extend those illustralionn of
m.gligcnce almost beyond limit. .
But there ia something even worse
than this. There has been a steady
growth in the oxponae ot this Bureau
from tho time it did ita most efficient
work until the present time. For in
stance, in 1866 tbis Bareau granted
about fifty thousand original pension.
In that year the Bureau, from the beat
information I can get, was working
honestly and well. Last year it grant
ed what would be equivalent to 12,600
or 13,000 original pensions. In saying
"equivalent" I mean this: An in
creased pension claim is not ao labori
ous to adjudicate oa an origiaal claim.
From tbe best information 1 can get,
person can adjudicate from eight to
fifteen increased claims to each origi
nal claim. I take tbe lowost estimate
and divide the number of increased
claims by eight; adding the result to
tho number of original claims, tbe
amount is 12,800 adjudicated thia year.
The number ot clerks employed tbia
year waa four hundred and twenty,
that is duringtbe year ending 30th of
Juno, 1875. The number of clerks em
ployed in 1866. when fifty thousand
claims woro adjudicated, was one hun
dred and soventy-five. That ia the
labor bas diminished in inverse ratio.
and the force bas increased proportion
ally. This being ao would need expla
nation in this way, tbat tbe claim to
be adjudicated aa you get further away
Irom the time of tbe occurrence of an
event causes more labor because it
take, more evidence to do the work.
You have to call two witnesses to
prove a fact when at an earlier time
perhaps ono would do. Tbat will ex
plain some portion, but not one fifth or
one tenth ot tbo discrepancy, so we
must conclude there is a great deal of
waste labor in thia Bureau.
I called the Clork, and inquired of
what use waa the finance department
consisting of forty-eight, and he said
tbat if tbo Third Auditor of the Treas
ury was up with his work there would
bo no necessity for continuing it
Aotr, tboro are barnacles fastened
on this machine all over. It has boon
need as the place in which tbe politi
cian might put hi. prorVjfj whon tbey
came here alter he had been elected to
Congress. This is all wrong, and
should be obviated by this Congress.
But there is another view than tbis.
I wish to call the attention of the
House to the appropriation! lor differ
ent years. There baa been a a toady
increaso in the expenses of thia depart
ment in thia wise : Tho appropriation
of second of March, 1865, tor tbia
Bureau waa 237,920; on the 23d of
July, 1866, it was 1236,340, and on
March 2, 18G7, it was 1257,920. It .
still goes up from this on, as a rule.
Tbe next year there was a Presiden
tial election, and it you were looking
out right sharp for things you might
expect for that year the appropriation
would be increased, and in that ex
pectation you would not be disappoint
ed. The next year the appropriation
for this Bureau was 1349,240, an in
crease of nearly 1100.000 1 Tbat may
have no significance, and it mav have
a good deal. I am saying this not for
any purpose to attack tho Republican
party, but to attack its extension as a
political office, and to maintain tbe
nrincinlo that thia is an office which
should not be nsed for political pur
poses either by the TCcpnbhcan or Dem
ocratic parties. If it is so used, then
let us withdraw it as soon aa possible
from any auch temptation at least
Ibe appropriation tor this xJarcau
continued to increase until for the last
year it amounted to 1528,580. This
constant increase of appropriation re
quires consideration at our bands.
Whon there is loss work done there
are more employes, and with an ap
propriation more than doubled, is it
not the duty of the House to inquire
whether this Bureau is whore it ahouid
be or not 7 I ask you to consider it
bonostly as men and not aa politicians.
There is another feature to which i
wish to call the attention of tbe House,
which aoems to me to be a most flag
rant violation of law by thia Bureau.
The indications ao far have been case
of negligence, but what I am now com
ing to is fraud nothing more and
nothing less than ombeulcment under
tho statute and that is the misappro
priation and division of a public fund
from the purpose for which it was
granted to anotbor and different pur
pose. John Stiles was called before
tbo Committee on Invalid Pensions
and testified that he had boon omployed
in the service ot the Republican Con
gressional committee during tbe sum
mer and bad been paid out oi uie ren-
sion fond. This sttbsUnUaily was his
evidence. Mr. Atkinson, the Commis
sioner of Pensions, testified that Wil
liam Caffroy and others who had boon
omployed by tbe Republican Congres
sional committee had also been paid
out of tho invalid-pension fund. This
ia diverting a public fond from the pur
pose for which it was appropriated,
and tho statute says this shall bo visited
with punishment of not loss than ono
year in the penitentiary. But this is
not tho worst of it. II this woro all,
and there were nothing more, it might
be passed ovor on tho principle & mini
mus in law. But it ia a custom, and ia
proved to be a custom by the late
Commissioner of pensions himself. In
his testimony, page 8, he stated that
he understood from all parties that
this waa the custom thst bo did it on
tbat principle. Fmbesilemcnt a cus
tom) A enmo visited with penal servi
tude of ono year in the penitentiary bo-
come a custom I The people groaning
undor tho burden of taxation and diver
sion of a publio fund from its proper
purpose for party purposes I It this
be custom, it not our duty to see
that that custom ahall cease? It bos
become ao customary indeed that tho
party wbo gave the testimony scarcely
conceived that be bad done any wrong.
He has been guilty of an act, it is true,
which at law amounted to embezzle
ment, and yot did not in hi testimony
seem to be aware that he had perpe
trated any wrong. It is an outrage
that ought not to b. longer tolerated.
l now send up to tne uiorE to oa reaa
a loiter which came before me casually,
showing tbe necessity of thia office tbat
tbe officer paid out of Ita fund ahall
do only th work of the office.
Iho Clerk read aa follow:
FeLtow, Osaea Oodhtv, rtaw Tobr,
Sep tern Sot It, 17.
DbibSibi Yon re ef twlember It. 1.74, le
received, togthev with latter aad bleaks from Ihe
CoBmiee.eecr'o oenee at Wecalegte.
Mew la regard ta taeee hlaaka, that le for proof
ef marring., aad aaedtoel toatlmeey, ahowlag the
carte end came Ik. eoMler'e death, ale end I.
tie. frem the tame ef Ue dtoaharga, aad Ik. erigle
ef hla dieouet taey have all bee. tiled ewt ae.
Omtimud on Ftmrth page.
i