The National tribune., 1883-12-06
SMALL TALK
Abont Men and Things.

SMALL TALK
About Men and Things.
Congressman Calkins. of Indiana. viii take
a prominent part as a member of the House of
Representatives this winter. He was an officer
of an Iowa and then an Indiana regiment.
and served seven months in Libby Prison.
! asked him yesterday whether bill would
be passed by this Congress to pension the pris-
oners of war.
Said he I" am in favor Of doing almost
anything they want. They never can be paid
for months of horrors at AndersongilIe or
Libby. know all about it. The time spent
there was taken right out of mans life. No
one can describe it. look back at it now as
horrible dream that makes ME shudder. I
think the prisoners ought to be pensioned, and,
in addition to that, they ought to be paid for
the tine spent there after their terms OF enlist
inents expired. Many Of them were in prison
long after they would have been out of the sery-
ice, had they not been captured, unless they
re-enisted.n
what do you think about tie proposition
to pension the nurses?o asked.
God bless the women!" calculated the Ma
jor 81 don't know fhat would have become
of us if they had not been on hand TO take
care Of US. | believe that wherever they went
twenty five per cent. less men died in the hos
pitals! These Catholic sisters-llow they came
among us like angels Pension them! OF
course they should Ice pensioned just like
soldier. Those that came through all right
and got married. do not need it; but those
who incurred disabilities or where there
are children dependent upon these who
died, should be rated on the rolls just
ike soldiers. There are not many Of
them after all I don't suppose there
are 5000 of them now who would be the bene-
ficiaries of any Law passed to pension them"
s@&
Some little delay in the final organization of
the Senate is likely TO ensne this session, ow-
ing 70 the precarious physical condition of Mr.
Anthony, of Rhode Island. Senator Edmunds
was elected President pro tcmpare of the Sem
ate last spring, with the understanding that
he was to resign at this time to make way for
Sir. Anthony's election. So anxious has the
latter been TO begin his fifth term that he left
home last week, when in a very feeble condi-
ton, and Travelled as far as New York where
he fell in q faint at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
1t has been the ambition of Mr.. Anthony's
| later years to equal Tom Benton in the length
OF his service in the Senate. He has just been
elected for the fifth time and wanted sorely to
| round up the full thirty years.
In appearance Mr.. Anthony has 4 kindly as
pect, full rotund form, forid complexion, lux
uriant silvery hair and blue eyes. He has
been high liver aud is afflicted with Bright's
disease OF the kidneys.
1t is not unlikely that his illness will pre-
vent the organization Of the Senate till after
the holidays, aud that, in the meantime, the
body will proceed to business with its present
| officers.
| The House Of Representatives which has as
sembied this week contains some remarkable
| characters, one Of whsm-perhaps the most
famous man III America in proportion to his
| public seryices-s Major Thomas F. 0chi!tree,
Of Texas. His father was a weil-kuown
| lawyer and orator of the old republic AID
/ the early days of the State. Tom In
| herited his genius in great part, but has failed
| to put it 10 as good use as his progenitor. He
| is famous for two things chiefly. First, he
/ had thoroughbred colt named for him, which
4 turned out to be one Of the most celebrated
racers on the American turf; second, as a ro-
mancer without limit or reason, he has won
! the distinction of being the other two out
| OF the three biggest liars IN the world. He
prides himself upon his versatility in this
particular. and delights in fascinating an audi
ence, who hang eagerly upon his wonderful
| and fabulous narratives of personal exploit and
experience about the lobby Of the hotels, where
| he always lives. He is equally at home in
! Washington, Saratoga, New York. London, or
Paris, where his friends. of whom he has thou
sands. are always ready to receive and enter
tain him, without money and without price.
| Another remarkable man is John f. Finerty,
of Chicago, elected without nomination or an
/ organization by $4,000 majority from district
| in which he has never, to this time lived
day. lie is about forty years of age, with d
stalwart figure towering about six feet six, a
piercing black eye, and bregue is sure pass
port vixen the Irish may apply. He is Demo
crat, yet ran against the nominee of his party,
and an American III sympathy, yet his dearest
object In life is to do something to ruin the
temporal fortunes of her majesty, the Queen.
He is by profession journalist, yet Bob Inger-
soil or Emory Storrs cannot hold an audience
| from the r0strHm more enraptured by their
| eloquence than can Finerty. He has Travelled
the world over. and really viii be one Of the
most useful men IN Congress-.
Dir. spoHord, Librarian of Congress, has his
soul bent upon the erection of National
| Library building. To enforce the need Of it
the more on Congress. he has amused tier of
books ten feet Ia height all around the gallery
Of Statuary Hall Every time q member passes
through, as he docs dozen times q day he
sees an evidence Of the lack of proper accom-
mediation for the great library of over 400, 900
volumes stored IN the west wing of the Capitol
80
/ Not much, il anything, will be done by the
House of Representatives till after Christmas.
1t will take two weeks for Speaker Carliale TO
fix up the committees His trouble has only
/ just begun with his election
The Earl of Iytton has written six poems of
considerable length for the Youths Companion
They are strongly Characteristic of the author
OF Luciie.0 and are the first contributions he
hes mad 10