1st URGENT DEFICIENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT. MARCH 27, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. FITZGERALD, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 13768.] In presenting the accompanying bill, making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in certain appropriations for the Military Establishment for the fiscal year 1916, the Committee on Appropriations submits the following report in explanation thereof: The bill is based on estimates submitted to Congress in House Document No. 935, of this session, aggregating in all $8,807,094.11. The amount recommended in this bill is $8,611,502.11, distributed as follows: The foregoing sum is $195,592 less than the total of estimates considered by the committee. O 64TH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 1st Session. FURTHER ADDITIONAL URGENT DEFICIENCIES. MARCH 27, 1916.-Ordered to be printed. Mr. FITZGERALD, from the committee of conference, submitted the following CONFERENCE REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 13043.] The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 13043) making appropriations to supply further additional urgent deficiencies in appropriations for the fiscal year 1916 and prior fiscal years, having met, after full and free conference have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows: That the Senate recede from its amendments numbered 4 and 5. That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendments of the Senate numbered 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21, and agree to the same. Amendment numbered 11: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 11, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: Omit the matter inserted and stricken out by said amendment. And the Senate agree to the same. JOHN J. FITZGERALD, Managers on the part of the House. JOHN F. SHAFROTH, F. E. WARREN, Managers on the part of the Senate. STATEMENT OF THE MANAGERS ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE. The managers on the part of the House at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 13043) making appropriations to supply further additional urgent deficiencies in appropriations for the fiscal year 1916 and prior fiscal years, submit the following detailed statement in explanation of the effect of the action agreed upon by the conference committee and submitted in the accompanying conference report as to each of the said amendments, namely: No. 1: Appropriates for miscellaneous expenses for the District of Columbia Supreme Court for the fiscal years 1911, 1914, and 1915, as proposed by the Senate. Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5, relating to the Bureau of Yards and Docks of the Navy Department: Appropriates $52,000 for maintenance, as proposed by the Senate; and strikes out the appropriations of $85,000 and $45,000, respectively, for contingent expenses and repairs and preservation at navy yards and stations. No. 6: Appropriates $10,000, as proposed by the Senate, for roads, bridges, trails, etc., in the Platt National Park, Okla. Nos. 7 and 8, relating to the Department of Justice: Appropriates 55 cents for miscellaneous expenses for the fiscal year 1912 and $6 for enforcement of antitrust laws for the fiscal year 1913, as proposed by the Senate. No. 9: Appropriates $1,500, as proposed by the Senate, for the salary of the commissioner in Glacier National Park for the fiscal year 1916. No. 11: Strikes out the paragraphs inserted by the Senate and House of Representatives, authorizing the payment of salary to Ewing C. Bland for services as United States marshal for the western district of Missouri. Nos. 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21, relating to United States courts: Inserts all of the appropriations proposed by the Senate for ascertained deficiencies in appropriations for fiscal years prior to the fiscal year 1916. JOHN J. FITZGERALD, J. G. CANNON, Managers on the part of the House. O AMEND REVISED STATUTES RELATING TO PENSIONS. MARCH 28, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. SULLOWAY, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 6911.] The Committee on Invalid Pensions, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 6911) to amend section 4747 of the Revised Statutes relating to pensions, having fully considered same, report thereon without amendment with the recommendation that said bill do pass. The committee begs leave to submit to the House the consideration which induced the committee to recommend the passage of the bill, which was unanimously agreed to. The resolution has the indorsement of the Grand Army of the Republic, as will appear by the letter from Mr. John McElroy, editor of the National Tribune: Gen. I. R. SHERWOOD, Chairman Committee on Invalid Pensions, THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, Washington, D. C., March 15, 1916. House of Representatives. DEAR GENERAL: At the last national encampment a resolution was adopted asking Congress to amend section 4747 of the Revised Statutes, to protect pension money from seizure. The official report of the proceedings of that encampment are now in the hands of the Government Printer, and the resolution is not accessible. I, however, make the statement that such a resolution was adopted by the national encampment. I make this statement as a member of the legislative committee of the Grand Army of the Republic. Very respectfully, JOHN MCELROY. Following is a copy of the letter addressed to Hon. W. B. Francis on December 21, 1914, forwarded to the committee upon request of the clerk: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Mr. DEWITT FISHER, Clerk Committee on Invalid Pensions, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. FISHER: I inclose herewith, as requested, a copy of a letter addressed by the Commissioner of Pensions to Hon. W. B. Francis on December 21, 1914, relating to the amendment of section 4747 of the Revised Statutes. The bill H. R. 5048, introduced by Mr. Francis in the Sixty-third Congress, seems to be identical with the bill H. R. 6911, introduced by Mr. Sulloway in the present Congress. Very truly, yours, Hon. W. B. FRANCIS, House of Representatives. BUREAU OF PENSIONS, Washington, December 21, 1914. MY DEAR Mr. FRANCIS: Answering your letter of December 11, which, for some reason escaped my attention until now, I beg to say that the bill introduced by you, H. R. 5048, to amend section 4747 of the Revised Statutes relating to pensions so as to secure to the pensioners the use and enjoyment of such pensions exempt from execution, meets my approval so far as the purpose of the bill is concerned. I do not think it was ever the intention of Congress that the awards given to the old soldiers should be appropriated to benefit creditors. It may be argued that this is a favor, and so it is, but the answer to that is that the favor is deserved and the exemption is in line with the benefits conferred by the pension law. Very sincerely, G. M. SALTZGABER, Commissioner. The following information was presented by Col. A. J. Gordon Kane: PRECEDENTS IN LEGISLATION TO EXEMPT AND PROTECT PENSION MONEY. [Compiled and prepared by Col. A. J. Gordon Kane, under the auspices of the Grand Army of the Republic, the United Spanish War Veterans, and other war veteran organizations.] Precedents in legislation (American and foreign) in support of a bill to amend section 4747 of the United States Revised Statutes to exempt and protect pension money from seizure and attachment for the debts of a pensioner, and to extend the same measure of protection that was enacted by Congress to the pensions granted to the survivors and widows of soldiers and sailors of the War of the Revolution but omitted in the cases of veterans and widows of veterans of the Civil War and of the SpanishAmerican War. A BILL To amend section forty-seven hundred and forty-seven of the Revised Statutes relating to pensions. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section forty-seven hundred and forty-seven of the Revised Statutes be, and is hereby, amended as follows: "And all money received by any person as a pension from the United States Government, whether the same shall be in the actual possession of such pensioner or deposited, loaned, or invested by the pensioner, shall, together with the interest accrued thereon, or the increments earned thereby, be exempt from taxation, or attachment, levy, or seizure under any legal or equitable process whatever; and any tax collector, bailiff, sheriff, marshal, constable, or other person receiving notice of the exemption of pension money, in conformity with the provisions of this act, who shall attach or attempt to attach, levy, seize, distrain garnishee, or sequestrate any pension money as aforesaid, or otherwise |