Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-07-11
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondence Of the Standard


Regular Correspondence of the Standard.
WASHINGTON, d. c., June q, 1890.
After the long dispute between the
House and Senate, regarding the final
disposition OF the pension problem an
end has been reached. Innumerable
bills on the subject have been intro
duced in both Houses. The original
measure OF the Senate was a de-
pendent pension bill, of the same
character rs that vetoed by President
Cleveland. The House insisted upon
the introduction of service pension;
by granting pension Of SIS per month
to every soldier of GO years of age and
hereafter when he got that old. The
Senate was hostile to this idea and
forced the House to drop it; but in
turn, it has been compelled to make
greater concession. A conference
committee of both Houses have
made an agreement bill which has
already been ratified by the Senate,
and will unquestionably be the law on
that subject, which, briefly stated is
rs follows: All soldiers who have
served as long as three months, hon
orably discharged, and "and who are
now, or may hereafter, be suffering
from any mental or physical disability,
of permanent character, not the re-
suit of their own vicious habits, which
incapaciates them from the perfor-
nance Of manual labor, so as to rem
der them unable to earn support"
are to receive pensions OF from sc to
$12 per month, the amount depend
ing upon the soldiers inability to earn
a support. One section of the bill re-
lates to the process of procuring pen
sions, and an attempt is made to ia
cilitate it, in respect to dependent
parents. Hereafter the evidence they
will be obliged to furnish, will be the
soldiers death, and their own depend
ence upon manual labor for support;
and the fact that the soldier by rea-
son of existing laws could not have
secured a pension for himself, does not
interfere any longer with the parents.
Soldiers widows, regardless of the
, cause or time Of the soldiers death
who depend upon daily labor for
support" are to receive s. per month.
If he has left minor children, they are to
receive ~ per month, until they reach
the age of 16, and indefinitely after
wards, if they be mentally or physi-
cally disabled. OF course it will cost
the government great amount to full
fill the requirements of the bill. The
amounts estimated are as various as
there arc people interested in the
subject; but the bill will probably
place on the pension rolls 80 per cent.
of tho old soldiers who have hereto
fore been neglected.
1t is generally understood and re-
ported that the Republican congress
sional campaign committee, so far rs
their own affairs are concerned, are
not troubled in providing means to
reduce their own surplus. 1t has
been proceeding, very modestly OF
late, on funds voluntarily advanced
by Chairman Belden. is usual, at
this time, for the Republican members
to submit to an assessment of 500,
to maintain the committee, in the
early stages of its action, but they
have not been eager to respond.
A committee has been appoint ed to
Investigate the matter of needless EN-.
ployes upon the Senate rolls. The
fact has not created any real conster-
nation. 1t is the impression that a
midsummer investigation, at the tail
end OF the session, will not be attended
with serious results.
The President has approved the act
granting the pension to Mrs. Parnell,
mother Of the Irish patriot, of $50 per
month.
The Senate has been in y bad hui
NOR and got ratified. Mr.. Ingalls,
charged Mr.. Call, of Florida, with fall
styling the record, who replied we'll
and bitterly, and the Senator from
Kansas withdrew his words.
Who cares for expenses? Senator
Edmunds has given notice that he
would offer an amendment to the
sundry civil appropriation bill which
will be passed as rider. The purpose
is to allow the Secretary Of War s., 500
to bury few newspapers and copper
coins in the Washington monument,
and surprise some race that may exist
after the destruction of the world.
Naval officers are greatly elated
over the success recently attained
with one of the ten-inch steel breech
loading guns built here. 1t has beaten
all previous records of guns of that
calibre yet manufactured in this coun-
try. Itrequiresa charge of 22S pounds
OF powder and throws ball weighing
500 pounds.
The powder employed at the test
has proven successful after II long ef-
fort, and was of the kind known as
the brown prismatic. 1t is manu-
factured in Delaware and has been
found superior to the best gun-powder
imported from Germany. Dem.
| On the L. A. Davis ranch up the
Skookumchuck river, is a cedar which
is classed among the dwarfs in this
country, but in some places might at
tract attention. The interior has
been burned, so that circular spaee
| - n