

CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (THE LASKER INCIDENT.) 



225 



after the passage of this act for and during the natural 

 lives of the persons entitled thereto. 



SEC. 3. That before the name of any person shall 

 be placed on the pension-roll under this act proof shall 

 be made, under such rules and regulations as the Sec- 

 retary of the Interior may prescribe, of the right of 

 the applicant to a pension ; and any person who shall 

 falsely and corruptly take any oath required under 

 this act shall be deemed guilty of perjury ; and the 

 Secretary of the Interior shall cause to be stricken 

 from the pension-roll the name of any person when- 

 ever it shall be made to appear by proof satisfactory to 

 him that such name was put upon such roll through 

 false and fraudulent representations, and that such 

 person is not entitled to a pension under this act. 

 The loss of the certificate of discharge shall not de- 

 prive any person of the benefits of this act, but other 

 evidence of service performed and of an honorable 

 discharge may be deemed sufficient. 



SEC. 4. That the pension laws now in force which 

 are not inconsistent or in conflict with this act are 

 hereby made a part of this act, so far as they may be 

 applicable thereto. 



SEC. 5. That it shall be unlawful for any attorney, 

 claim agent, or any other person to demand, or receive 

 a fee greater than $10 for services rendered in behalf 

 of a claimant under this act, to be paid when such 

 claim is allowed. 



SEC. 6. That section 4716 of the Eevised Statutes is 

 hereby repealed so far as the same relates to this act 

 or to pensioners under this act. 



SEC. 7. That the provisions of this act shall not ap- 

 ply to any person while under the political disabili- 

 ties imposed by the fourteenth amendment to the 

 Constitution of the United States. 



This measure was taken up in the Senate, 

 May 28, and the details of it were thoroughly 

 discussed. Several amendments were offered 

 and rejected, but the following changes were 

 made: Service for fourteen days, or partici- 

 pation in battle, were made requisites for the 

 granting of a pension. Every one entitled to 

 a pension by service, or widow of one so enti- 

 tled, who has arrived at the age of sixty-two, 

 or may hereafter arrive at that age, and be de- 

 pendent or disabled, shall receive a pension, 

 unless the disability was incurred in aiding or 

 abetting the late rebellion against the United 

 States. Six new sections were added to the 

 bill, providing pensions for those enumerated 

 in the classes specified in the pension laws 

 who have served three months in the United 

 States Army or Navy during the civil war, were 

 honorably discharged, and have since, without 

 fault of their own, become disabled while de- 

 pendent for support upon their own labor ; 

 providing for an increase of the rate of pensions 

 for widows and minor children of soldiers and 

 sailors killed or disabled in the civil war ; pro- 

 viding that widows and minor children of any 

 individual pensioned for a disability contracted 

 in the military or naval service of the United 

 States, who has died, or may hereafter die, 

 shall be entitled to a pension in their own right 

 without proving that his death was due to his 

 service, and in cases where the children are of 

 unsound mind, or physically helpless, the pen- 

 sion shall continue without limitation of age ; 

 providing that dependent parents receiving a 

 pension of $8 a month shall receive $12 ; and 

 providing that in applications under the gen- 

 eral pension laws the fact that the applicant 

 VOL. xxir. 15 A 



was regularly enlisted and mustered into the 

 service shall be prima facie evidence that he 

 was sound at the time. June 24, the bill was 

 passed by the following vote : 



YEAS Allison, Blair, Bowen, Butler, Cameron of 

 Pennsylvania, Cameron of Wisconsin, Conger, Dawes. 

 Dolph, Frye, George, Hale, Harrison, Hill, Ingalls 

 Jones of Nevada, Lamar, Lapham, Logan, McMillan, 

 Mahone, Manderson, Miller of California. Miller of 

 New York, Mitchell, Morrill, Palmer, Pike, Platt, 

 Plumb, Hansom, Kiddleberger, Sawyer, Sewell, Sher- 

 man, Van Wyck, Wilson 37. 



NAYS Bayard, Beck, Brown, Call, Cockrell, Coke, 

 Colquitt, Edmunds, Fair, Farley, Garland, Groome, 

 Hampton, Hawley, Jackson, Jonas, Jones of Florida, 

 Maxey, Morgan, Pendleton, Pugh, Saulsbury, Slater, 

 Vance, Vest Walker, Williams-27. 



ABSENT Aldrich, Anthony, Camden, Cullom, Gib- 

 son, Gorman, Harris, Hoar, Kenna, McPherson, Sa- 

 bin, Voorhecs 12. 



*The House was not ready to accept the bill 

 as it came from the hands of the Senate, and, 

 after concurring in some of the amendments, 

 allowed the measure to drop, July 5. 



A bill to increase the pensions of widows, 

 minor children, and dependents of deceased 

 soldiers, from $8 to $12 a month, was consid- 

 ered in the House, but made no progress; an- 

 other providing pensions in case of disability, 

 passed the House, April 21, but was not con- 

 sidered in the Senate. 



The Lasker Incident. On the sudden death 

 of the distinguished German Liberal, Eduard 

 Lasker, in New York, Mr. Ochiltree, of Texas, 

 offered the following resolutions in the House, 

 and they were passed January 9, 1884 : 



Resolved, That this House has heard with deep re- 

 gret ef the death of the eminent German statesman, 

 Eduard Lasker. 



That his loss is not alone to be mourned by the 

 people of his native land, where his firm and constant 

 exposition of and devotion to free and liberal ideas 

 have materially advanced the social, political, and 

 economic condition of those peoples, but by the lovers 

 of liberty throughout the world. 



That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to 

 the family of the deceased, as well as to the minister 

 of the United States resident at the capital of the 

 German Empire, to be by him communicated through 

 the legitimate channel to the presiding officer of the 

 legislative body of which he was a member. 



Prince Bismarck refused to transmit the reso- 

 lutions to the German Reichstag, but returned 

 them to the Department of State. March 10, 

 the following resolutions were offered in the 

 House, and referred to the Committee on For- 

 eign Relations: 



Whereas, It has come to the knowledge of this 

 House that a communication from it to the Parliament 

 of the German Empire, entirely friendly in its intent, 

 respectful in its character, and sent through the regu- 

 lar channels of international communication, has been 

 arbitrarily intercepted and returned to the Depart- 

 ment of State of the United States by the person now 

 holding the position of Chancellor of the German 

 Empire ; therefore, 



Resolved, That this House can not but express its 

 surprise and regret that it should be even temporarily 

 within the power of a single too-powerful suoject to 

 interfere with, such a simple, natural, and spontaneous 

 expression of kindly feeling between two great na- 

 tions, and thus to detract from the position and pres- 



