The National tribune., 1883-12-27
SMALL TALK
About Hen and Things,

VI 0SActdi OucIiudus ne OBJECT OF the meas
ure is to promote Lieutenant-Ge General Sheridan
to the position of General, and Alajor-General
Hancock to the rank of Lieutenant General
The movement started by the Grand Army of
the Republic in favor of this recognition of the
services of these officers seems to have taken
hold on Congress, and bids fair TO receive favor
able consideration at both ends of the Capitol.
-.
General Slocum, Of New York, has fathered
the long pending cause of Fitz-John Porter in
the House of Representatives He is confident
that it win pass this time, and another great
contest is probable on this matter between now
and next June. Senator Mcpherson is to have
charge of the bin in the Senate, and the oppo-
sition to it viii be led, as before, by Senator
Logan.
The meeting of the Mexican War Veterans
in Washington lately, closing with ban
quet Saturday night, has aroused great deal
of interest in their behalf 1t seems likely that
their bill for pension all round will be much
more actively pushed this winter than at any
previous time. Senators Logan, Maxey and
Williams pledged themselves to an effort TO this
end, and it will thus be robbed of its party sig
nifcanee either way, which VIII be material
advance in the right direction.
s*s
General Logan IN the Senate and Captain
Steele, of Indiana, in the House, have taken
the initiative in the matter of pensioning pris-
oners of war. There does not seem to be any
good argument against the proposition, and the
only chance to defeat it will be through the
efforts of the many ex-CoDfederate soldiers in
Congress, who viii oppose such a measure.
They regard it as an imputatiOn upon their
authorities TO pension the veterans who were
starved at AndersonviIle and Belle Isle.
Should the bill reach consideration In the
House, hot debate will ensue The brigadiers
will deny the sufferings Of the prisoners, and
there are several veterans on the other side
who were there and will give the House the
benefit of their experience. Among the rest is
Colonel Calkins, of Indiana one Of the giants
Of the House, who viii straighten up his six
feet four and pour hot shot into the other side.
He is one of the most intrepid debaters on the
floor, and is not afraid to speak out. This is
one OF the subjects he feels qualified to speak
about, having put in seven months in Libby
Prison, from which he made hiseseape.
-.
Congressman Durham, of Chicago. has bill
which proposes to pension the army tele-
grapherS for disabilities incurred In the line of
duty.
Captain Steele, of Indiana. has bill which
is of interest to a large number Of officers and
men OF the war. II is to date their muster from
their commissions, TO cover defect IN the rec
ord in many cases where men were not mus
tered for a long time subsequent to their CON-
missions, because they were out Of reach
through the mails.
He has also bill providing for the reorgan-
ization of the Inspector Generals Once
General Thomas ]. Henderson, Of Illinois.
was called home by the serious illness of a
brother, who lives at Toulon, III. He is the
youngest of 3 family of seven brothers, all Of
whom did gallant service IN the war.
sAs
A friend OF Henry Willard, the President of
the Northern Pacific Railroad, gave me yester-
day some interesting gossip about the manner
in which the poor reporter became within
few years one of the weaithiest men IN the
country. Said he: Willard went to the North
west ON sort Of tour of inspection, and he
foresaw the ultimate advantages to be gained
by investment there upon the completion of
the Northern Pacific Railroad. Oregon and
Washington Territory were then practically as
much cut OF from the United States east of the
saw that all this would be changed when the
road should come through.
IS
"There were several little railroads and steam
boat companies in the far Northwest which he
conceived might be consolidated into system
for transportation-liket the organization of the
Gould and Vanderbilt systems In the East.
There was little railroad running from Wal
lula to Walla Walla in Washington Territory,
owned by the Oregon Steam Navigation Com
pany. They also operated a line of steamboats,
ON the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Their
railroad was only about thirty miles long, and
Willard stumped them to sell out their entire
property. They asked him 100000 for the
whole thing. He came East and raised, by
desperate efforts, 100000, which was all he
could rake and serape among his New York
friends for the speculation. and returned, for
which he took an option on the property at
100000. The Oregon Steam Navigation
Company did not want to sell their property,
but they thought they might just as well take
in Mr.. Wizards 100000. as they never expected
him to be able to raise the 81 100000 to pay
them. Having made the purchase, paying
down his 100000 he returned East for the rest
of the money, and came just in the nick of
time. The boom of railroad speculation was st
its height. He and his friends issued s., co.,
600 worth of bonds on the property which were
to carry free to the purchaser of the bonds 20
per cent. of stock at the sellers option The
bonds took like wild-fre, and Immediately
went away above par without the extra stock
indictment. The result was that Willard and
the immediate projectors of the scheme put
this stock into their own pockets and faated
their bonds at an enormous rate. He returned
and paid for the railroad and steamboats,, leav-
ing besides the stock the million Of bonds to
spare
sss
"There was another company, called the
Oregoa Steamship Company, which was Ben.
Holidays old line of steamers from Portland
TO San Francisco. The Willard syndicate now
having some spare money and plenty of credit,
conceived the idea of buying this property also,
aud organizing the Oregon Railway & Naviga-
ton Company, by consolidation Of the two
This was also accomplished, and the capital
stock of the new concern was Watered until
it amounted to some so, 100000.
#As
"The Northern Pacific at this time was strug-
Cling along in rather weakly way, the stock
holders being in dread of the forfeiture of the
land grant BY Congress, and foreign capital boz
ing slow to take hold of it. Willard thought he
saw an opportunity for bigstrike, IN com pari-
son with which his original scheme with the
Oregon companies was trihing. He, therefore,
planned and carried out the famous Blind Pool
using the Sl5. 900 coo put in to it at the start
to purchase controlling interest in Northern
Pacific stock, which was duly voted, eleeting
him president of the road His career st this
time began TO attract national attention. Hav-
ing secured the control of the read, he decided