252 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (BILLS PASSED.) 



and chances of this mortal life. I do not mean 

 to say that that is not a reason why our grati- 

 tude should be applied to them, but I say it 

 marks a clear distinction that we ought to ob- 

 serve unless we mean to destroy this bill for 

 the benefit of those whose legs and arms are 

 gone, which I can not impute to the Senator 

 from Mississippi, a distinction that we ought 

 to observe, and not embarrass one thing that 

 we all agree about, I hope, by another that is 

 not so clear. 



" Now, when you come to the question of 

 pensioning people who have served their coun- 

 try in war because they are now in need, what 

 difference do years make? Why should not the 

 soldier of the Union of 1861 to 1865 who is now 

 indigent, and in trouble and distress, be just 

 as much entitled to the gratitude of his country 

 as the soldier of the Mexican War who is now 

 indigent and in trouble and distress, I should 

 like to know? I am unable to see that time 

 has any thing to do with that question. I should 

 be glad to have somebody explain how it can 

 have. 



" We did pension all the survivors of the 

 Revolutionary War fifty or sixty years after- 

 ward, because they, like a great many other 

 things that happened at that time, as long peri- 

 ods of years went on, became mere monuments 

 of national glory, a few people scattered here 

 and there that the country was able and glad 

 to decorate them with this honor, as well as to 

 provide for them in their old age. I repeat that 

 in my opinion there is no distinction in prin- 

 ciple between providing for the indigent sol- 

 diers of the war for the Union, if I may call it 

 so others call it the war between the States, 

 the civil war, and so on there is no distinc- 

 tion in principle that can be made between the 

 Mexican soldiers and the soldiers of 1861-'65 

 if you put it on the ground of necessity. But I 

 say in either case that the question that is be- 

 fore the Senate on this House bill as amended 

 is an entirely different one from the one pro- 

 posed by the Senator from Mississippi, and if 

 I did not know his patriotic impulses 1 should 

 suspect that the effect might be (as I am afraid 

 it may be, though the purpose may be a legiti- 

 mate and parliamentary purpose) to destroy 

 this measure for the people who stand before 

 our eyes, maimed for all their lives in the ser- 

 vice of their country, to have this little addition 

 to their support, by getting up a question of 

 this kind." 



Finally, Feb. 28th, an amendment was adopt- 

 ed to strike out all after "duty," and insert the 

 following : 



Shall have lost one hand or one foot, or been totally 

 or permanently disabled in the same, or otherwise so 

 disabled as to render their incapacity to perform man- 

 ual labor equivalent to the loss of a hand or a foot, 

 shall receive a pension of $24 per month ; that all per- 

 sons now on the pension-roll, and all persons hereaf- 

 ter granted a pension, who in like manner shall have 

 lost either an arm at or above the elbow, or a leg at 

 or above the knee, or shall have been otherwise so 

 disabled as to be incapacitated for performing any 



manual labor, but not so much as to require regular 

 personal aid and attendance, shall receive a pension 

 of $30 per month : Provided, That nothing contained 

 in this act shall be construed to repeal section 4699 of 

 the Revised Statutes of the United States, or to change 

 the rate of $18 per month therein mentioned to be 

 proportionately divided for any degree of disability 

 established for which section 4695 makes no provision. 



The bill was then passed by the following 

 vote : 



YEAS Aldrich, Allison, Blair, Cockrell, Confer, 

 Davis of Illinois, Dawes, Hale, Harrison, Hill, Hoar 

 Ingalls, Lapham, Logan, McDill, McMillan, Miller 

 of New York, Mitchell, Morrill, Platt, Plumb, Eollins, 

 Saivyer, Sewell, Sherman, Vest, Voorhees 27. 



NAYS Barrow, Bayard, Beck Call, Coke, Garland, 

 George, Harris, Jonas, Maxey, Morgan, Pugh, Walker, 

 Williams 14. 



ABSENT Anthony, Brown, Butler, Camden, Cam- 

 eron of Pennsylvania, Cameron of Wisconsin, Davis 

 of West Virginia, Edmunds, Fair, Farley, Ferry, 

 Frye, Gorman, Groome, Grover, Hampton, Haw ley, 

 Jackson, Johnston, Jones of Florida, Jones of Ne- 

 vada, Kellogg, Lamar, McPherson, Mahone, Miller 

 of California, Pendleton, Ransom, Saulsbury, Saun- 

 ders, Slater, Tabor, Vance, Van Wyck, Windom 35. 



March 2d, the House concurred in the Senate 

 amendment, and March 3d the President ap- 

 proved the bill, and it became a law. 



Bills Passed. Apart from the measures al- 

 ready considered, the regular appropriation 

 bills, and bills of a private character, the fol- 

 lowing measures were passed at the second 

 session of the Forty-seventh Congress and re- 

 ceived the approval of the President : 



To provide for the erection of a monument to the 

 memory of Maj.-Gen. the Baron de Kalb. 



To permit grain brought by Canadian farmers to be 

 ground at mills in the United States adjacent to Cana- 

 dian territory under such rules and regulations as may 

 be prescribed by the Treasury Department. 



To extend the time for filing claims for horses and 

 equipments lost by officers and enlisted men in the 

 service of the United States and for other purposes. 



To reimburse the State of Oregon for moneys paid 

 by said State in suppression of Indian hostilities dur- 

 ing the Modoc War in the years 1872 and 1873. 



In relation to certain fees allowed registers and re- 

 ceivers. 



To amend section 3362 of Revised Statutes. 



Prescribing regulations for the Soldiers' Home, lo- 

 cated at Washington, in the District of Columbia, and 

 for other purposes. 



To amend an act donating public lands to the sev- 

 eral States and Territories which may provide colleges 

 for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts. 



To authorize the construction of certain bridges and 

 to establish them as post-roads. 



To increase the fees of witnesses in United States 

 courts in certain cases. 



Authorizing the Commissioner of the Freedman's 

 Savings and Trust Company to examine and audit cer- 

 tain claims against said company, and to pay certain 

 dividends barred by the act of Feb. 21, 1881, and for 

 other purposes. 



To amend section 3780 of the Revised Statutes. 



To encourage the holding of a World's Industrial 

 and Cotton Centennial Exposition in the year 1884. 



To amend sections 6 and 7 of the act providing for 

 the publication of the Revised Statutes and the laws 

 of the United States, approved June 20, 1876. 



Providing for the termination of articles numbered 

 18 to 25, inclusive, and of article numbered 30 of the 

 treaty between the United States of America and her 

 Britannic Majesty concluded at Washington, May 8, 

 1871. 



