The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-01-10
SMALL TALK


NDuETSoSlHtu hcHuSfcOis VI 1OWh, LIS u Dlit
prepared which he thinks the country must
indorse. It is to pension soldiers, and does not
go so far as some other measures, which, though
they command thesupport of the friends of the
soldier, give the opposition some grounds ON
which to antagonize them with public
having no personal interest in the matter, ex-
cept to pay as little taxes as possible
Colonel Henderson gave me, yesterday, the
substance of his bill Said he: Z" 1 propose TO
pension all veterans of all the wars in which
the United States has been engaged, who are not
now upo the pension list, who served three
months and received an honorable discharge,
and who are now disabled You see the point.
1t is to presume that any man who IS now dis
abled, if ne served three months, and was hon
orably discharged, received his disability as
the result of his service I only make one
qualification if his disease is directly traeeable
to vicious habits I cut him OF. That is the
only proviso. l provide, as to the rate, that
this shall be fixed by the regulations Of the
Commissioner of Pensions. with this condition
he is to make no discrimination for rank. The
rate is to depend entirely upon the character Of
the disability, and private is to get just the
same as brigadier general.
There is another clause in my bill, which is,
that every soldier who served three months in
any war Of the United States and was honor
ably discharged who has reached the age Of
sixty-fYe years, shall receive pension, pro-
vided, in this case, he needs it. This pension
does not depend upon disability, but is to go to
man without regard to his physical condition,
if he has reached this age and has seen the
| service if he is INDECENT. think this is a
measure upon which all who honestly want to
do the fair thing by our soldiers can unite
upon"
"The object to be gained" Colonel Hender-
son continued, is to settle these cases, where
now, owing to the lapse of time, the proof can
not be produced. know of hundreds of cases
where there is no moral doubt Of the fact that
men deserve PENSIONS but they cannot get the
| afidayits to establish their claims They are
| getting old and broken down. Many of them
are poor, but under our present laws there does
not seem TO be any help for them / was in
/ two regiments IN the war; one of which / COM
manded, and l have but two afhdavits on file
| in the Pension Office. / know there are men
/ who were in my command, whom have car
RED into the hospital, who cannot now get the
| proof to make up their cases. | am morally
4
l am asked to sit down and make an affidavit
az to the specific facts with place and date, /
can't it, because / can't swear blindly, and
my recollection as 10 the particulars is indis-
! tInct. want to obviate all this trouble by
| making it an inevitable presumption in favor
OF man, provided he shall be declared physi-
| cally disabled by q competent board of exanin-
| ing surgeons, that he incurred the disability
through his service and pension him and have
done with it."
"One result of this method of disposing of
| the matter would be that Commissioner Dudley
would have no use for half his clerks in a very
! short time. The work would be finished and
the vast expense Of running the bureau would
| be cut down."
| 1t seems that the usual result Of pre-en1i-
nence on the bench is about 70 be realized in
the ease of Judge McCrary. of the eighth Judi
eial district, embracing the States of Mime
| sofa, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkan-
sas and Colorado. He has been tempted 10
retire from life position with salary of
| 5000 year, to become the counsel for the
Atchison and Topeka Railway. Judge Nc
| Crary was appointed TO the position by Presi-
dent Hayes, in whose Cabinet he was Secretary
of War, in which position he was succeeded by
| Ex-Governor Ramsey, of Minnesota. There are
plenty of applicants for the place or viii be.
1t is pretty well understood that Senator Nc
MILAN, Of Minnesota, would like to resign his
present place and take It, and he viii have
strong backing for the position should he con-
elude to take this step. He is a poor man, and
does not like politics very much. He is a
splendid lawyer and of unblemished integrity
Nebraska and Colorado viii also have candi-
dates.
There is another gentleman whose name has
not been mentioned in public before now, who
stands very fair chance of getting the ap-
pointment. This is Congressman Moses A
AicCoid, of Iowa He viii be urged by his
| friends upon his record at the bar for over
| twenty years IN Iowa. He was chairman Of
the Committee on Judiciary in the Senate Of
his State for four years, and is now serving his
third term in Congress, where he has occupied
a prominent place as lawyer upon the Judi
ciary Committee of the House. He viii prob
ably surprise some of the friends Of other
aspiFants by the strength he VIII develop for
the preference.
SIS
The first senatorial contest for the year
comes on in Kentucky. Old "Cerro Gordo''
Williams, who is candidate for reelection, is
veteran Of the Mexican war. OF the 100
colonies he IS the youngest of the five who are
yet living, and one of his ambitions in the
Senate has been TO secure the passage OF the bill
to pension Mexican war veterans. He is
whole-souled, affable old gentleman, with a
good .natured round face, surmounted by q
carefully brushed brown wig. When he first
came TO the Senate, after being escorted down
to take the oath of Office by his colleague, he
went around the chamber introducing himself
and shaking hands with the members of the
body. It never occurred to him that any
Senator would not feel honored to clasp the
hand of the g hero of Cerro Gordo" He met
no rebuff till just as the Senate adjourned he
approached Senator Conkhng as the latter rese
} from his seat. Williams held out his hand,
with the remark that he felt honored at the
prospect Of being associated with SO distin-
J guished a statesman as the Senator from the
, Empire State. This effusive style did not suit
the lordly Conkling, however, who looked dis
painfully over the shoulder of "Old Cerro
, Gordo.D without seeing MS profered hand.
He made no response, but in moment turned
his back and passed into the cloak room.
} -.
Williams was dumbfonnded. Catching his
J breath in a moment, he turned to General
Ransom, Of North Carolina, and remarked
Did that -- albino mean to insult me p
He never spoke to Conkling again.
*@*
A very knowing New York politician re-
marked to me this morning: Do you know
what is in the wind with reference to the Sem
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