The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-14
A Just Claim Often on the Verge of Settle
ment, but Always Delayed-A Dozen Years
Of Wearing Suspense and Anxiety.
FulsOme Praise Showered on Society
Favorites by Washington Papers. ),
Pirates of the Press Who Live by Hunting
Down Scandalous Passages in the Lives
of Public Men-Capital Notes.
ANXIOUS CLAIMANTS.
"A Southern Woman Has Spent Dozen Years
in Efforts to Get Her Dues.

"A Southern Woman Has Spent Dozen Years
in Efforts to Get Her Dues
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13-"Ohl how I wish this
thing was over Such agonizing suspense is
killing" exclaimed nervous little woman in the
Senate gallery. loud enough for your correspond
ent to hear. Inquiry developed that the little
lady had bill pending, which, if passed will
give her $40, 900 or $4,000. 1t is claim for
property destroyed during the war; Her hus-
band was federal, and true to the Union, so
that under the Constitution she is clearly entitled
to that which was taken by the soldiers Of the
North.
For a dozen years this lady has journeyed
from her home in the far South to Washington.
Here she pressed her claim and drew upon the
kind acts of her friends for assistance in push
ing the measure through. Five or six times the
bill has been reported favorably from the COM
mittees in both branches of Congress, and aa
often has one of the houses passed it, but the
other did not
Three or four years ago the bill in duplicate
was passed by both branches OF Con gress, but
there was slight change in the phraseology in
one from the other duplicate or almost dupli.
cate, and the correction could not be made be-
fore the Congress adjourned. A member of the
House in the last hour of the session got hold Of
the Senate bill and actually received recognition
from the Speaker, but it failed of pass
age, although the almost exact dupl;-
cate had been passed some days
previously by the House without dissenting
voice The member who held the Senate bill in
mis- hand made this statement, and assured the
House that the measure had two or three times
been passed by both branches of Congress, but
not at the Same Congress- yet some acrid fellow
without thought drolled out. II object and the
work. and anxiety, and expense of the poor
woman had all been for naught
1t has become popular scheme to introduce
bill in duplicate in both branches of Congress
simultaneously. This facilitates the work in COM
mittee. The bill if it is first passed by the Sem
ate-and it generally is-goes over to the House in
an engrossed form. If there has been favorable
report on the other copy of the bill from the
House committee, the Senate copy is often laid
on the Speakers table, by unanimous consent,
and is at first opportunity taken up and passed,
without having to 60 to the House committee.
that work being accomplished. By this process
Is avoided. The same bill must however, be
passed by both houses A duplicate of it will
not do The duplication is merely. as has been
stated. for the purpose of facilitating work in
committee. 1t is seldom that man is found so
mean as to insist that bill coming from one
house shall be referred to committee when q
duplicate has been by the committee acted upon.
If, however. the house receiving the bill finds
the slightest change of word punctua-
ton mark in one of the bills, some one
may ask for the correction or amendment, aad
then the bill must go back to the other house for
adoption of the trivial correction.
1t frequently happens that bill, when re-
turned to house for concurrence in this moon
sequentai change, fails to be brought up. and
thus it dies. and in the following Congress is
treated as new subject altogether. 1t was in
the return of the bill for the consideration of the
slight modification that this lady had once been
defeated out of her little fortune. One can imag-
inc some of the anxiety she must have felt.
IF this Congress doesn't pass my bill, said
she, II shall never ask another to- Three or
four times have felt that the money was in my
hands, and as often have I been disappointed.
Several times have purchased property on the
strength Of assurances given me by Senators and
Representatives and just as often did have to
rescind my agreement"
AT no place in the country are there so many
keen disappointments and big surprises. People
who see fortune fairly in the face-aye, feel it's
very touch-are stricken with disappointment at
the offset of the last breath of time, and those
who least expect the success of pending claim
are astounded with victory almost unsought