The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-07-04

Second District need to do Is to calm
~ and dispassionately look at MI
MIR. Funston's record, not as it is Civ
en- by these professional aristocratic {?
penny-a-line editors, but get the facts
and then act honestly and fairly, with
out prejudice and the result can b.
easily foretold.
We believe the people are intelli
gent enough to formulate their owl
ideas and that even a farmer" viii
get disgusted at persistent misrepre
sentation and act for himself honestly
A little incident occurred at the pen
sion office here the other day, which
shows the native wit of our colored
brother. The gathering was quite
numerous, 1t being pay day. and, Of
course everybody was anxious to
get to the "front.n This colored
brother had but one leg, having left
the other at the "cratern before Pet.
ersburg, and In the rush and push he
was somewhat jostled. At last he re.
marked "Say boys, don't you crowd
so, you fellers didn't crowd dat way to
git to de front down whah I lef' dis
yeah leg of mine twenty-five yeahs
ago." 1t is needless to add that the
colored brother had plenty of room af-
forwards, while quiet smile went
around amongst the comrades who
saw the point and appreciated his
wit.
Senator John ]. Ingalls, the pride of
every Kansan, made little speech in
the Senate on the 9th while the con-
ference report upon the pension bill
was under consideration, in answer to
some criticism made upon the bill by
the Democrats, in which he said: ~
am in favor of the removal of the limi-
tations in the act granting arrears of
pensions, and believe that ever soldier
should be paid from the date of his
or disability, and that the
survivors ought to be paid from the
death of the person for whom the PEN
sion is claimed. Whether it cost one
hundred million or one hundred thous-
and millions of dollars, it was a part of
the contract. It was 80 nominated in
the bond. 1t is not for us twenty-five
years after the war closed to sit down
and begin to make mathematical COM
putations how much of this debt we
can afford to pay. -
have no doubt that when this great
account is closed, when the ledger
has been fully balanced, and when the
last survivor of those armies has gone
to his account it will be found that we
have disbursed OH account of pensions
alone not less than five billion of dol
lars. When that has been paid Mr..
President, all entirely inadequate
equivalent will have been rendered
for the services that they performed.
Reduced to three years. term, there
we're 100000 enlistments in the
armies and navies of the United States.
They were paid in paltry equivalent
If SIS or SIG month. A part of the
time Sl3. They were paid in degrad-
I'd and deprecated currency. The
gave I'm addition rations
costing $50 per month, clothing
worth Si2 per year, making total ex-
,enditure for their three years. service
# about S1,036. This was 81 900 less
han each one of them could have
'arned, according to the rate then pre-
railing of wages in the associations of
life. Aside from all that each soldier |
what the Government gave
hem, supposing they had all surviv-
ID, the 1900, 900 men presented to this
government In the value of their own
ervices over and above what each re-
eived not less than 81 900 or an aggre-
ate of 81, 800, 0O0, 900, in all. We have
aid 81, 100, 100000. So upon the mere
question of money compensation, if
here were no other element i'm the
after all it has paid for PEN
ions i'm the aggregate, the Govern
nent stands to-day a debtor In cash
Dr. services rendered In excess of COM
received more than 81, 2OO,-
10000. So that side of the ledger,
fr. President, Is not at all alarming to
he; and when this continual onset is
lade, when this denunciation Is made
extravaganza and wastefulness and
xcessive compensation, I repeat that
he Government has not paid 50 Per
emit of what 1t actually owes to those
len who enlisted i'm its armies.n
Manful words bravely spoken.
If some of Senator Ingalls, enemies
ant to knowwhat particular measures
g has engrafted upon our laws, let
hem take the statutes of the United
tates for the past dozen years as the
lonument to his greatness and power
II no man has had greater influence
pom legislation than he. He stands
'-day the foremost man at the Ma
onal Capital, the peer of all the
reat men of the day. Kansas has no
lea of retiring him from public life.
Very truly, X. G.. HOPPER.
n
Vacation In New Mexico. IL