The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-27

The Dougherty Case.
The republican senator's are beginning to
wish that they had not undertaken to cham
pion the cause of Mary Ann Dougherty.
They are likely to be forced to admit, what
the whole country has known for long
time that tho senate passes private pension
bills without knowing anything Of the
merits of them. On Wednesday, according
to our dispatches Yesterday, tie senate
passed l27 PENSION bills in fifty minutes. OF
course the bills were not read, and only II
very few senator's knew the contents Of them.
The pension committee had reported them
| fivorably, and the senate considered that
sufficient to justify their passage. But how
many of the members of the pension com
mittee had thoroughly examined these bills!
The probability is that not more than one
or two had ever paid any attention to them.
1t was stated some time ago that Senator
Sawyer, member of the pension commit
tee, had undertaken to examine all the APP
plications for pensions, and that his plan
was to take the papers to his house and go
| over them with his family physician, who
is a member of his family. All who know
| the good -natured, Sygoing senator know
that he is likely to believe any story that is
| told him, and to allow any application in
connection with which a story of distress is
told. If private pensions are granted on
Senator Sawyer's report, it is not strange
that so manv pension bills are vetoed.
The republican senator's are angry with
the President for vetoing 50 many private
Ill in tba
position of voting away the public money
recklessly. They concluded, therefore, to
attack his vetoes, and for that purpose they
selected the bill granting Mary Ann Dough
erty a pension. The President in his veto
message stated that she was not entitled to
pension, and that she was a woman of bad
character, having been arrested nine times
for drunkenness and other msdemeanOrS
The republican press came to the support
Of the republican senator's, and said some
bitter things about the President, insinuat-
ing that he lacked the instincts of a gentle
man in attacking the characters OF deserv
ing, but poor and defenseless women. The
effort was made to show that Mary Ann
Dougherty was good woman, and that
the President was only trying to make
political capital by denying her pension.
The pension committee made a strong re-
port in her favor, and recommended that
the bill granting her pension be passed
over the Presidents veto. So pleased were
the republicans with this report that they
had a great many copies of it printed as a
campaign document.
A day or two ago this report came before
the senate for consideration, and Senator
Cockrill Of Missouri opposed it. He not
only showed that all the statements made
by the President were true, but he asserted
that the woman was not employed in the
Washington arsenal at the time the ex-
plosion occurred there, and that therefore,
she had never received the injuries for
which she claimed pension. The infer
ence from his statement was that the
woman was not only bad character, but
that the story upon which her claims for
pension was based was pure fabrication.
1t is not probable that the senate will at
tempt to pass any more pension bills over
the Presidents veto. 1t has discovered
that he does not make rash statements. 1t
is worthy Of notice that no pension bills
have been passed over his vetoes What
better evidence do the people want that
they have chief executive who looks after
their interests