Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1886-05-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular c Correspondent.
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WASHINGTON, May 10, 1886.
There is good deal of hustle about
the White House just now which is not
due to annual house clearing. Society
young ladies who profess to know all
about 1t assign the cause to the
approaching transfer Of Miss Cleveland
from the exalted social post she has fill
ed for more than year, and the sue
cession of Miss Folsom to the position of
first lady of the land.
After three weeks discussion of the
great river and harDor bill, the house
voted S15, 100000 to patch up the water
ways of the country, and dozens of vii
lages will rejoice toIearn that the creeks
which meander past them are going to
be improved so that the local cabbage
crop can 60 to market quickly and east
ly. But the capital Of the nation was
ignored in the grand dole. The Poto-
mac fats get nothing.
The tendency OF congress to waste
time on Insignificant subjects received
striking exemplification during the past
week. The house spent one whole days
session in fruitlessly discussing the war
services of a twelve-year-old boy. HIS
claim to bounty of $500 led to reyiv-
al of war memories in which the battle
Richmon, Kentucky, PLAYED an import
ant part. This boy being refused a mus
ter in an Ohio regiment ON account Of
his age and size. it was claimed that he
purchased a uniform and served in the
regiment year, acting as a bugler and
performing gallant scout duty.
Representative Bragg, Wisconsin, in
a sarcastic speech, said the great patri-
otism which had been displayed by the
boy seemed to haye oozed away, and he
had become q beggar, asking money of
the government. A touch of sentiment
was added to a picture Of battle scene
by placing in the fore ground the figure
of dead drummer boy, with his drum
besides him. But it was only sentiment.
In reality, the drummer boy, at the be-
ginning of a battle, could be seen break
ing the head of his drum and running
to the rear to do hospital service. One
of the most glorious memories of the
war wa, OF the noble women who be-
came nurses in order to alleviate the
sutferings of the soldier, but now these
women were found coming to the war
claims committee, begging that their
gratuitous services should be coined in
to dollars and cents. That knocked all
the sentiment out OF the thing. He
wanted some of the rich memories OF
the war preserved. He did not want
them all brought down to dollars and
cents.
Representative Weaver. of Iowa, af
ter admitting that war pictures were
| very deceptive. called attention to thai
particular humbug in American mill
tary history, whice pictared an Officer
leading a charge. The officers were gen
orally where their order and rules O.
war required them to be, in a safe plac'
in the rear, while the priyates did tn
shooting, fighting and dying.
Mr.. Johnston, of Indiana, maintaine'
that lad might do good service in
regiment, and he instanced the cases o
two boys in his regiment who had don
their duty gallantly at the battle o
Richmond, Ky. They did as much 70
their country as did the man who le
the Iron Brigade and who now attacke
boy who had barred his breast to say
his country. The gentleman from Wis
consin, Mr.. Bragg, had attacked tn
, nurses in the army. 1t q poor woma
had given her service to her countr,
and now, with health shattered an
means gone, asked the country to d
something for her, was it no as honor;
BILE for the government to help her q
to raise the pension of a generals wido'
: from $50 to S5Op