Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-08
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
nsvsos.r EXPLANATIONS ON TIE
pARrHoLpI.srATuE VOTE
Nor. aeou, Pension Legislation -A''ack'
ing the Presidsnt-PAir's-f
sonsl YOtes-rOs;al' &C.


80 -" vo,es had been tangled up last
~ uhen Mr.. llewitt's amendment
20 tho deficiency bill appropriating
s1oG COO for dedicating the Bartholdi
s,.,ue was under consideration. IL de-
yelops that several members were re-
corded as voting who we're absent from
the city. The explanations were to the
effect that none Of the gentlemen we're
in collusion with the clerks to preserve
their records as good and faithful SER
wants, and there the matter will proba-
biz drop, although Mr.. Clark, head OF
the clerical forces, has stated that he
will demand an Investigation OF the
matter. The truth Of the whole mat
ter is that when the clerk begins to call
the roll the first name pronounced from
the desk is the signal for pandemOnium
on the floor. Under these conditions
il is next to impossible for the
Clerk to distinguish whether the
feeble " Ave " or " No " comes
from the person whose name is called
or not. A sharp, shrewd, unprinci-
Med member could, with little diff
Guilty. change the result on any close
vote. In fact, a roll.call on pension
veto message Immediately after all
these personal explanations showed
that not one third Of the members pre-
sent paid sufficient attention to the
roll TO catch their names on the
first call. Even after the second call
there we're a number Of members who
reouested TO have their names called for
the third time in order TO record their
votes. IL is not an uncommon thing
for one member TO vote on another MEN,
hers name in order to keep his record
GOOD for the constituencies TO inspect.
The President sent in another batch
OF veto messages on private pension
bills. non the second message read
MIR. Holmes, Of Iowa, moved to take 1t
nm for consideration, and considerable
time was lost in dilstory motions on the
Republican side of the chamber in order
IN force its present consideration, or
TO fix a specific date for taking it up.
The beneficiary in the case involved was
permanently injured in a drunken brawl
in camp at Dunkirk, n. y, while the
Uarwas going on. Congressman Jack
son took the floor and made bitter
assault on the President and the Demo-
cratic party, and thoroughly advertised
HI, capacity as a blatant demagogue, in
which be was ably supported by such
Characters as Hepburn, Boutelle, Hen
6erson d Co. 1t will strike the
people at large as singular that
50 many disreputable bills should
pass the scrutiny of the Invalid PEN
sions Committee aud be reported to the
House and be adopted. 1t must be
taken into consideration, however, that
olthe q.CCO bills and more introduced
intLo House this session, three iourths
Of them are for private pensions. The
number is so large that each member Of
the committee is = committee, to
whom the pension bills in his OWL
and contiguous districts are re,
ferred. Some of these individual
sub.committee-men have two and three
hundred bills in their pockets at ont
time, and in q majority Of cases report
them to the whole committee without
an examination, and they are formally
adopted BIZ the whole committee, re
ported to the House, and passed b!
the dozen members present on pension
night. Under the circumstances it /
rather complimentary to Congress tina
the veto messages do not reach lou
figures in Enumeration rather than re
main in the three holes. General Drag
defended the President, and had read
letter read from soldier in the llamp
ton Home, who declined to receiv
bounty when he enlisted and refused
pension since his discharge. The lette
was an exceedingly witty document
and seemed to take the tuck completed
out Of the Republican side. The pre-
yious question on referring the vet
message to the Committee on lnvali
Pensions was then ordered on . rol
call. and it was so referred. III
other messages were taken up and IN
whole day FILTERED away in buncomt
Mr. Cannon, Of Illinois, who has
faculty of talking in very vigoTor
manner on all subjects regardless Of h
knowledge thereof, made a very sill
political speech, in which he assaile
both the President and his party. II
was applauded by the Democrats as
matter Of ridicule until he was con
pletely broken up and sat down in col
fusion. The whole days proceeding
were characterized as exciting and dl
orderly from beginning to end.
MIR. John Carmichael, clerk Of III
fuckers committee, is confined to b
room.
The Virginia Democratic Associate
will adjourn at its next meeting unit
September LIST. At the last meeting
r. Butcher, the ambitious gentlema
with a congressional bee in his bonnie
was expelled from membership.
The senate will hereafter meet at
O'Clock and devote the time until l2:j
each day to measures on the priva
calendar not objected to, the list to
taken up in the order in which the
stand thereon.
Congressman Libby will not vo
again during the present session on Al
leading proposition. lie is paired i
definitely with Mr.. Barbour.
J. {. Bell, Of Culpeper, is at the n
tionsl.
George 2. Watkins and wife,
LyIchburg, are at the Metropolitan.
PostmaSters were appointed for Vi
rinia as follows TO day NJ. j. Aldredg
Copper Hill, Floyd county; G. L. a
kins, Myrtle, Nansemond county.
John X. Mclean, of the Cincinn'
Enquirer, has notified the tenants of B
Iesideuce-property in this city that
wants possession Of the same for }
personal occupancy.