Mr. BINGHAM. I desire to address the House for a few minutes only upon this question. It was my good fortune to represent for years the district in which this family resided and in which all the sons of this lady were born and raised. I have been acquainted with this family from my boyhood. I never was associated with them politically. I come before the House today, as I trust I shall come before the House upon all occasions uponquestions of this sort, to insist that something li e equal justice be done by this Government in granting special pensions. I do not see the distinction, and do not think the people of this country will seethe distinction, that is attempted to be made here between widows who are to have special pensions for services rendered by their husbands and sons during the war and their loss by battle. 1f gentlemen have any trouble on the subject of the word “annuity” in this bill, let it “ be stricken out and the word pension " substituted. The words are convertible terms, and amount to one and the same thing. But there are gentlemen here who object to this bill because of the word “annuity, ” simply because they claim that the grant of annuities is a departure from the general rule in granting the pensions. It is further objected that the grant of a special pension is a dangerous departure from the general policy of the country and a bad precedent. If gentlemen will refer to the records of the Congress of the U.S. they will find that special pensions have frequently been granted, and that even in the last Congress this very departure from the general law was made in 3 instances: in the case of General Baker, who had been a colonel and was a brigadier general by brevet, which he never accepted; in the case of General Berry, and in the case of General Whipple. The last Congress allowed a pension of $600 annually to the widows or families of each of these officors. I would like to know why this discrimination is to be made in this case against this lady. Do gentlemen say that the wife of a fallen hero is entitled tomore consideration than the mother who bore him? Gentlemen talk here about remembering the poor. I trust they will remember the poor, and that the American people will remember the poor among the survivors of the heroes of this war for the life of the Republic.