Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-03-01

lOOo--- Il LIN L FAGES.
a liberality unparalleled in the history
of the world. The great military
and political organization, the Grand
Army of the Republic, had thrown its
lance into the debates of Congress
and sent bills to its accredited Sen.
ators for the purpose of being enacted.
| When the President of the United
States had honestly and bravely dis
charged his executive duty and vetoed
an enactment which he considered
improper he had been threatened by
| officers of that organization with per-
sonal insult if he dared to
make his presence known in the
city where it held its annual
meeting. There was a limit to
human endurance. He (Vest) had
voted for pension bills, coerced by
his position, because he had been
Confederate and because he was
honestly anxious for the honor and
glory Of the country. He had voted
for them because he wanted to evil
dence to the world that the men
with whom he had acted in the un-
fortunate strife respected the soldiers
OF the Union, and were willing to
give hem even more than they de-
manded. "But there is limit, and l
have reached it. / will be driven no
further by claim agents and plunder-
ers in the garb OF soldiers. For hon
est and real soldiers l am willing to
vote any amount Of pensions"
Vest went on to say that of the
100000 men enrolled as soldiers
during the four years of the war,
there were
APPLICATIONS FROM 100000
For pensions, on account of disability.
Who believed that they were
honest applicants? Who believed that
these pension bills had not degener-
ated into political abuse, which cried
aloud for redress? He had great re-
gard for many Of his friends
on the opposite side Of the
chamber and in the words which
he had spoken he had wished to give
an opportunity to some of them who
had barked back in the contest of the
bill, to throw his shining lance among
the Confederate brigadiers," and try
to carry off the Republican nomina-
tion for President. A recent despatch
from Paris had caused political can
didates to become as thick :" as leaves
in Vallambrosa." The doors of the
Republican party were now open, and
Presidential candidates were coming to
-,
quantity Or locality. The Senate
had been engaged for some days
past in a political auction for
the soldiers votes. The vote first
came from his friend from Nebraska
(Manderson). backed by the Grand
Army OF the Republic, and he (Vest)
had listened with real qualification.
Even that Senator'S filings at the
President of the United States had
not detracted from the general merit
of his bid for the soldier g vote, and
when he received floral tribute as
token Of regard from his admiring
constituents, he (Vest), had but one
single suggestion to make, and that
was that the lilies should
have been embroidered over
the portals of the White House.
When the Senator from Ne ebraska took
his seat he (Vest) had thought
that the hid was in his favor; but the
Senator from Maine (Frye) had
"caught the eye of the auctioneer-
the Grand Army OF the Republic
and had gone one BETTER" That
Senator was prepared to vote a PEN
sion to every man who had served a
day in the Federal field. He (Vest)
was about to "knock down" to the
Senator from Maine, when his friend
from Kansas (Plumb) came to the
front and outdid Frye by an amend
ment which would increase our ex-
penditures $50, 900, 900 or SIS, ,000, 900.
He (Vest) had then been strong
ly of the opinion that the
prize should be given to the
Senator from Kansas, but then the
Senator from Illinois (Cullom) had
come to the front and made a bid
which had staggered his convictions
as to the propriety of closing the sale.
Since that time he had been in a con-
dition of anxiety waiting to hear from
other bidders in
THE GREAT NATIONAL AUCTION.
The Senate had not yet heard from
his dulcet-tongued friend from Iowa,
(Allison), nor had the Senate heard
from the distinguished Senator from
Ohio, (Sherman), who, in such con-
test ought certainly to come to the
front and bid something for the vote
which candidates thought was
to determine the contest. Neither
had the Senate yet heard from
the presiding officer (Ingalls), who
had been nominated by, the District
of Columbia. Every one knew that
the District of Columbia only acted
from the most unselfish motives, He
(Vest) would rather have nomina-
tion from the District of Columbia
than from any State in the Union, be-
cause every one knew that it come
from the heart and never from the
pocket. No man, woman nor
child in the District had
any other object in view than
the promotion Of the national honor
and prosperity. Also when he read
in a Democratic paper last Sunday
that the presiding officer of the Senate
was a nominee of the Senate, he had
said, Eureka, we have found the
man at last; the question is finally
settled"
In conclusion Vest said: "My con-
victions require me to vote against
the bill, and l say now that I hope it
may die the death in the other
branch of the National Congress, and
| if not there at the hands of the execu-
tive. If that be unparliamentary
m a lra tho most of II ;,