Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-08


under any circumstances vote for sweeping
| service pension bill, hotly denounced this half
way measure, as though they would vote for the
most lavish legislation contemplated in the ex-
| tremest of the bills before Congress.
The failure of the supporters of the measure
| to drum up the two-thirds vote necessary to
| secure the suspension of the rules and the
passage of the bill. practically kills the meas
! ure, and it now remains for the opponents of
this bill to show the sincerity of their profess
| slonS OF favor for broader legislation by fur
therlng the passage of q general service PEN
sion bill. The efforts to dodge was not en-
tirely confined to the Democrats, however.
Many RepublIcans are in a cold sweat between
their fear of the power of the soldier element
and the censure of another and numerous
public which is opposed to adding anywhere
from $50. .000, 900 to $50 0O0 annually to the
vast sum already paid out in pensions.
Boothmnn ms Service Pension Bill.
THE service pension bill introduced to-day in
the House by Representative Boothman.
of Ohio provides substantially as follows: 1t
grants service pension of l cent per month for
each day of service to every man who served in
the Union army during the late war without re-
gard to age; it provides that those soldiers who
now receive a disability pension, may, if they
choose. relinquish their disability pension and
accept the service pension. Widows of those
drawing the service pension. will be placed on
the rolls at IS per month during widowhood.
but have the right to prosecute and obtain a
pension under the present law by showing that
the husband died from disability contracted in
service and line of duty.
The bill also grants pension of So month
to minor children under 16 years of age of sol
diers who die while drawing pension, and if
any OF the children are so helpless as to require
the care of another person, the pension is to
continue during this helplessness. If the widow
"a QrrI0 hnfn fha 4, ldrar1 fnirN
the age of 16, her pension is to be paid to them
until they attain that age.
x<&
Protecting the Contractors.
SECRETARY PROCTOR to-day sent to the SEN
ate letter calling the attention of that
body to certain items in the bill making appro-
prations for fortifcations, machinery, mortars
and gun carriages which, he says, cannot be
procured probably within three years-the
lifetime of current appropriations for ary fiscal
year-and consequently the contract would
lapse by limitation before the completion of
the deliveries.
He suggests that the bill be amended so as to
correct this oversight, and further suggests
that the Secretary of War be authorized to
purchase abroad such parts of the gun car
riages as are not produced in this country
Pennsylvania War Claims.
p REPRESENTATIVE MASH. from the Commit
tee on War Claims, to-day reported to the
House, with a recommendation that it pass, the
bill to indemnify the State of Pennsylvania for
money expended in 1864 for militia called into
the service under the Presidents proclama-
ton.
The bill authorizes re-examination of the
claim and payment of such money as may be
found to be due.
New Ship Canal.
THE House Committee on Railways and
Canals has ordered a favorable report on
the bill providing for the construction by the
United States of a ship canal around Niagara
Falls. The route is to be along one of the
lines already surveyed, and q definite location
is to be made by a board of five men to be ap-
pointed by the President. The committee has
listened to arguments upon the subject by
representatives of lake shipping interests and
others, and the report will make strong
point upon the military necessity for
the canal. 1t will be urged that the Welland.
which now affords the only route around the
falls, is an English property and would be
closed against us in event of war. The depth
of that canal, l3 feet would also be insufficient
to permit of the passage of our war vessels. AS
a further reason in support of the passage of
the bill it will be reclted that the Welland
canal has been used as means of discrimina-
in favor of the Canadian export trade.
According to the plans submitted, the canal
is to cost S23. 900 900, which will be really less
than the cost of the Welland canal with its 13
depth of 2O18 feet. TIE route is about % miles
in length and the locks are to be 400 feet long
by so feet in depth.
Vance Illustrates His Point.
THE Montana election case was taken up in
the Senate to-day, and Mr.. Vance made
an argument in support of the minority report,
declaring Clark and Maginnis (the Democratic
claimants) entitled to the seats In the course
of his speech he told story of a parson who
was once schooling country pumpkin to fit
him to be godfather at a christening. The
parson asked him what was the outward and
visible sign of baptism. The pumpkin, after
scratching his head for while, answered with
an air of triumph, why the baby, to be sure"
And so said Mr.. Vance. the outward and visible
sign of the backsl1ding of the Republican
but couple of them.
He also illustrated Mr.. Hoar's position THAT
while none of the objections to counting the
votes of precinct 81, in Silver Bow county was
sufficient of itself to Justify the rejection of
the votes, all of them together did constitute
sufficient grounds for doing sol by the anecdote
of an old Justice of the peace. before whom a
case was tried, in which IL distinct pleas In
bar were entered. The Justice took them up
one by one, and decided as to each of them
that it was not worth a cent, but that taking
all Of them together they made good case for
the defendant He (Mr. vance, had never
heard a title to seat in the Senate based on |
such slender technical grounds. He had never
known the public will of a community to be |
thwarted and trampled under foot on such |
fImsy pretexts He knew Che said). that the |
nat had gone forth. He knew that the Re- |
publican claimants were to be seated. But in |
the wise regulation OF the moral world there |
was compensation for all things. Republican |
Senators would be sicker over the thing before |
thew were done with it than he was.
Defeuse of the President. |
MIR. SPooNER (aIso a member of the Com |
i'A mittee on Privileges and Elections). made |
an argument in favor of the majority report |
that Saunders and Power (the Republican |
are entitled upon the merits of the |
case to be admitted to seats in the Senate from |
the State of Montana.
In the course of his speech Mr.. Spooner al
luded to the charge made by Mr.. Gray against |
the President for undue haste in issuing the |
proclamation for the admission of Montana;
and he defended the President in that matter.
The Presidents whole life, he said, was an ample
refutation of any such intimation. He (Mr.
Spooner) knew of no man who ever sat in the
Presidential chair who was less likely than the |
President to be swerved one hairs breadth |
from the line Of what he deemed his constitu-
tional duty, either to please friend or punish
foe. Mr.. Gray's point reminded him OF the de-
csion of an old Michigan Judge before whom
a noted Chicago lawyer argued, with great
power and ability, point of law-the decision
being "cute point; but nothing in it,
The Senate went into executive session with
out acting upon the report.
What Will he Done With the Gihe
From the Boston Courier.
Mr.. Andrew Carnegie has given $4,000 to the
Authors Club, of New York, for the encour-
,pamanr of litarature IL ia to be hOped that |