The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1880-12-28
wAsa1NeToN LETTER
wasnIsoros. sDsc 2sth 1850.

business Of semi-rOutlEe Character
has been quietly transacted The
Democrats are not disposed to permit
any more time to be consumed over
The eseesoral-count resolution if they
can prevent it. There will be q siren
uous Effort to pass 1t after the holiday
recess, when all the members arehent
and think the effort must succeed
As a prominent Democrat said yes.
ierday, ave have a majority, and
We mean to adopt this rule, not 6
much because there Is likely to be any
dispute over the count this time. bui
because it is proper and constitn.
tional provision, and because we d.
not intend TO leave it in the power o
Chester A. Arthur to elecl Presi
dent ia 1881" Aside from this sub
iect, appropriation bills have chs d.
occupied the attention OF House
chairman Atkins. of the APprOPria
tons Committee, set ont at the be
ginning to have five Of their bill
nassed before the recess. and he hai
nearly succeeded. There are thirteeI
appropriation bills in all The holi
day recess is not 10 be as long as las
year, though qHitelong enongh-iroH
The 23d instant 10 January 9th.
Pension Commissioner Bentley il
preparing to lnake's strong push aliel
the recess Tor the passage Of his bill
now pending before the Senate
Bentley. is right with respect 70 onl,
one feature Of The subject he ur
yes upon the attention Of Congress
It's Importance. There are 10000
peusiSners on the rolls and as many
more entitled under tie laws to b
there; SO that it IS a matter Of con
seauence, rot ouIy ;o-this large NUM-
Der Of people. but to The public al
large, Is witness the appropriation o.
Ikty millions for annual payments
insi passed by the House. But in al
tis schemes and plans Ben,ley !:
wrong His motives are wholly self
ACCOMPLISHMENT and the qualification OIL
little, persona spites. / am not start.
ing out for an attack nPon q publlc
ofiieial, but Starring things as they
arseeneralIy understood here Bent.
lev claims to De the friend and pro
rector Of the soldier. when III fact BIZ
assumes that every claimant for q
pension is ihiel, and has delayed ihs
business Of his office 10 secure hi
own purposes, standing as an impass'
aLIe barrier against the execution D
palm laws Of Congress. Some idea
.of his character and methods may
have. been obtained from his circular.
to pension claimants during the cam,
paisIl, of.whiell 1 gave ,you some &c,
counts in a former letter.
Last year he had before the Senate
q bill known as the Sixty Snrgesn
bill, bat after thorough examination
into its provisions and Ffobable
workings, taking the testimony o.
men thoroughly posted in pension
matters, the Senate committee polite
IN invited him 10 Withdraw it.. Thai
bill was pretty thoroughly written NJ
at the time. Itprovidei for sixty ex-
Aiming surgeons and sixty clerks Il
travelover the country investigating
claims, each drawing a salary o
, roo per ..r........ Is-ass A4.----2ssr---
siye and most pcrnieious arrangemen.
Now Bentley las a bill somewhat diff
icrent hui ii anyt bis mnrA-sl jecrron'
able anl4 si4Bgsr6Fs in its scope. II
provides Cor " Commission in each
Congressional district which shall,
IN eject constitute sort Of irrespon-
sible. i,ineraht court to take evidence
III pension cases. with a surgeon to ex-
anime applicants. There are fees fol
L
examining witnesses, and fees for this
that and the other. and three dollars
o.fhs surgeon in each case. These
courts have no cover to compel the
attendance ofwitnesses, and there il
no provision made for securing the
evidence Of witnesses who may risidt
in q different State from the clsimant
These "Courts" revolve around tC
the different county seats and 60 bag
and baggageto visit a sick or disa-
bici applicant, with charges accord.
ingly. There are 293 congressional
DISTRICTS and these six or seven hun
'dred appcintees OF the Commissioner
would cost Uncle Sam pretty snug
sum each year. And the worst Of il
all Is their findings are not final. The
determination OF tine cases comes back
10 Benhy himself alter all and hi
weald have just as much power to de-
lay, obstruct, and defeat as he has
now. In a future letter something
further on this subject may be given.
MEANWHILE let any one Interested
write TO his representative in Con
gress or send Tor q ccpysof the Nation
al Citizen Soldier, paper DEVOTED to
the interests Of soldiers and the peo-
pIelgenerally. Its editor knows all
about Beltlsy's schemes aud explains
them.
1t begins to look az though Mr..
Hayes was going to get the Supreme
Conf to suit him before he .pacatcs
his Office, after all. There has been a
good deal Of talk for some weeks
ab,nt plans 20 get Stanley Matthews
and other favorites on the bench, and
Mr HAYES is reported to have express
ed a decided opinion that certain
Judges ought to retire and give him a
chance; but all the reports Of prospec-
tive changes have been more or less
positively denied. All who are pos
ted, however, have Known that there
existed a very earnest desire on The
part Of the dejacto President to pro-
vide. for a lot more Ohio men, and tc
at least safely fix Stanley Matthews
aid Attorney General Deyens on the
Supreme bench. And now the changes
have begun by the resignation Of
Justice Strong and the appointment
Of Circuit Judge William B. Wood,
in his place. The latter, though pre-,