The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-13
HoLMAN.s ROMANCE.
Why the Great Obj ciOr Now No Longer In
terposes Against Pension Bills.


terposes Against Pension Bills.
Washington Letter to Philadelphia Times.
Representative Holman is not a man that
babies would cry for nor children follow in the
street. He has winning smile, and do not
believe he was ever guilty of a caress He is
grizzled and dried up; so very old-onlv
sixty six-but dry and juiceless. HIS hair aud
scant whiSkers are colorless like stubbie in a
bayfield, and his flesh looks so much like parch-
ment that always expect to hear cracking in
his cheeks when he opens his mouth to say any
thing.
Mr.. Holman has made a reputation in Con-
gress by his lack of amiablity; by preventing
other men from getting what they want by OBJ
jecting to everything that does not please him.
and by advocating and praeticing parsmony till
it has become proverb. People who are going
around with subscription papers always pass
Holman by. and no one who is searching for
romance would be likely TO look for it in his
record; but heard a story the other day of his
early youth that seemed almost Incredible. vet
it is often true that tact is stranger than fiction
Mr.. Holman spent his early life just as Lin
coin did, in q log house down in southern In
diana, and got his schooling from itinerant
pedagogues who had scant knowledge OF read
ing, writing and arithmetic, taught it to the
boys and girls in the winter. "boarded around"
and in the GUNNER worked for the farmsrs in
the neighborhood. for labor was scarce that
no one thought OF going to school while frost
was out of the ground. Then, ambitious to
know something more than the country teach
ers could tell him, he cot term or two at the
academy and became teacher himself One of
his pupils was the daughter OF the richest man
in the neighborhood and The prettiest girl for
miles around. Holman fell in love with her.
asked her to marry him, but got the mltten."
She was too ambitious to marry q poor
fellow like him, who home
spun, and took up with the
son of q Louisville merchant Il was q long
time before the discarded lover recovered from
the disappointment particularly as the bows and
girls teased him numerically about it. and their
taunts at last drove him away from the town in
which he lived. He finally studied law was ad-
mitted to the bar, went TO the Legislature. and
then to Congress, attaining prominence as
everybody knows But he never quite forgot
his early love
Soon after Garfield was elected President Mr.
Holman visited Louisville, and a gentleman
called at his hotel TO solicit his aid in obtaining
pension for the widow OF Union soldier. who,
he said. very much in need OF the money
The claim had been rejected at the Pension
Office on some technicality. although the facts
friend and inquired into the particulars of the
Very il disclosed that the
claimant was the very same woman
who had rejected him when he
he declined 60 see her. he came to Washington
with the papers in his pocket and made strong
effort to get bill through the House of Repre-
sentatives. But he had objected TO so many
bills that other members were interested in
that there were plenty OF men to object to this.
and for three sessions he tried vain to get the
pension granted Finally he went to the MEM
bers who were most persistent in their objec-
tions and promised not to interfere with them
again If they would let him get his bill through.
OF course, they were glad TO make such con-
tract with ''the great oDjector," and. according
to the understanding, morning he called M
his pension bill. got ~ passed unanimously and
then followed it over to the Senate, where he
had no difficulty Whsn the measure became a
law Holman wrote the ladv long letter in
which he made tender illusions to old
times and offered to do anything he could to
promote ner happiness.
This explains why the gentleman from In
diana no longer objects to the consideration of
pension bills.