The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-03-01


that was that lilies should have beer
embroidered over the portals of th'
White House. That was the object o
all the debate, of all the bidding for thu
soldier voteof the country in the coming
contest.
| When the Senator from Nebraska tool
| his seat. lie Vest had though
that the bid was in his favor, but thu
present occupant of the chair. the Sena
tor from Maine FRY had caught thu
| eve of the auctioneer' the Grand Arm,
of the Republic-and had .'gone one bet
ter" That Senator was prepared to vot'
a pension to every man who had served
a day IN the Federal Army. He Vest
was about to knock down the prize tt
the Senator from Maine when hi:
friend from Kansas tPlumb) came
! to the front and outbid the Senator from
Maine by an amendment to the bill
which would increase the expenditure
| under it $50, ,000, 900 or S.5, 900, GOO. Ht
| Vest had then been strongly of the
| opinion that the auction should close
and the prize be given to the Senator
from Kansas, but then the Senator from
Illinois {Culloml had come to the front
and made bid from that great prairie
State which had staggered his Vests,
conviction 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 auc-
ton. The Senate had not yet heard
from his dulcet toned friend from Iowa
fAllison). who had kept his seat and
merely nodded acquiescence to the most
extreme propositions for the benefit OF
ex-soldiers. Nor had the Senate yet
heard from the distinguished Senator
from Ohio (Sherman). who, in such a
contest, ought certainly to come to the
front an bid something for
the vote which the candidates thought
was TO determine the contest. Neither
had the Senate yet heard from the pre-
siding officer dngails), who had been
| nominated by the District of Columbia,
and every one knew that the District of
Columbia only acted from the most dis
interested and unselfish motives. lie
Vest would rather have nomination
from the District of Columbia than from
any State in the Union, because, as
every ono knew. il came from the heart
and ,1ever from the pockets. No man,
woman or child in the District had
any other object than the pro-
motion of the national honor
and prosperity, and so, when he
read in Democratic paper of Washing
ton last Sunday, before attending church,
/ that the presiding officer of the Senate
was the nominee of the District of Co
lumbia, he said Eureka, We have
found the man at last. and the question
is finally settled"
The whole of Vests speech was listened
to with the closest attention by the Sen
ators and by the audience in the galleries,
and his felicitous sketch of the Republi-
can Candidates and their supposed respec-
tive bids for the soldier vote, seemed to
be enjoyed with equal zest on both sides
of the chamber.
In conclusion, Mr.. Vest said: ''Par-
tisan or non-partisan, my convictions
require me to vote against the bill, and
say here, now, that hope it may die
the death in the other branch of the
National Congress, and if not there, at
the hands of the Executive. If that be
unparlimentary make the most of it."
After further brief speeches from
Messrs. Teller and Plumb, Dir. Wilson,
of Maryland, a member of the Com
mittee ON Pensions, declared himself OPP
posed to the bill as it now
stood amended. He gave figures
of the enormous amount paid in
pensions, and thought the people were
opposed to any further extension of the
pension system. 1t was time to call a
halt. The bill as it was originally re-
ported would have made the pension list
| amount, he said, to 800. 900, With
the amendment put on to it, the amount
expended would be 1925, 900. and
| probably more.
ADJOURNMENT.
Without taking vote on the bill or
the pending amendment the Senate pro
ceeded to executive business. and at 5:3t
adjourned.
HOCSE.