The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-07-18
TALK AT THE CAPITAL.
"A Variety of Interesting News-Con.
suIates, Cholera, Pensions and Post

"A Variety OF Interesting News-Cor
suIates,' Cholera, Pensions and Pos
Offices.
Special to The Atlanta Journal.
WAsHINGToN, d. c., July l4.-Ther
Will be no more consuls appointed unit
the meeting of Congress-, as all tn
appointments made during the reces
must be sent to the Senate for con
hrmation, and as any person appointe,
consul would not care to leave tn
country until confirmed, nothing woul,
be gained by. making appointment
earlier. This information comes dircc
from the State department..
Surgeon General Wyman, of tn,
marine hospital service, says ther,
need be no apprehension whateve
because of the appearance of a vesse
having several cases of yellow fever
aboard in Hampton Roads. He saw
orders have been issued for the yellow
fever patients and those who have beer
exposed to contagion to be taker
care of at the Cape Charles quarantine
and that there are ample facilities fol
preventing any spread of the disease
He says there is no danger in hi.
opinion of yellow fever in the South
this year, and that as we have escaped
cholera thus far no fear need be felt
of it.
The report generally published OF
late that Representative Springer
wants to retire from the chairman.
ship of the ways and means committee
because of ill health is contradicted by
Springer himself. In letter to q
friend here he says he has never in.
timated q desire to be relieved of his
Craftsmanship, that, in fact, his health
was never better than at present, and
that he is preparing for the tariff work
he expects to undertake in the next
Congress.
Though the machinery of the pen
sion bureau is scarcely yet organized
upon the basis of making the roll
legitimate and honest, frauds of the
most outrageous and startling charac-
ter have been developed For instance
it has been shown that many of the
policemen of Washington are on the
rolls and drawing pensions. Ben
Butler, when in Congress many years
ago, obtained the passage of an act
providing that none but honorably dis
charged soldiers and sailors should be
employed on the police force of the
District of Columbia.
The statute is still upon the books
and has caused the local authorities
great annoyance. In order to obtain a
position on the police force the appli-
can't must undergo a most rigid medi-
cal examination. He must be approved
by the medical examining board as
physically sound in every respect and
yet scores of men who have thus been
pronounced sound by competent board
of surgeons have been enabled to 90
before pensioning examining boards,
under Republican manipulation, and
obtain certificates of disability grnting
them pensions.
Under the present regime the pen
sion lists are being closely scrutinized,
and wherever fraud or deception is de-
veloped the roll is purged.
Under Republican rule the. pension
laws were strained and even distorted in
order to increase pensions that the Re-
publicans might make political capital
out of that liberality to the old soldiers.
Now competent men are carefully eX-
amining the laws with the view OF
honestly and fairly interpreting them.
The decisions of Bussey, formerly as
sistant secretary of the interior, and
other officials who prostituted the pen.
sion system and laws to partisan pur-
poses, are being overhauled and where
they conflict with the law they are re-
versed or modified.
Bussey once rendered an opinion de-
claring deserters entitled to pensions.
The task of revising this mass of per.
verted law and of unearthing the
frauds that have been perpetrated is
herculean, but it is being accomplish.
ed.
Representative Grady, of the third
North Carolina district, has suffered
sOrely in his experience with the post
Office department. His one object has
been to procure the removal of negro
postmaster at Fayetteville. The
Democrats of the district insisted upon
the summary removal of the "nigger
Brother Grady is a consistent member
OF the church and patient worker. He
spent weeks in Washington. as he said
neglecting his private business en-
deavoring to get the Objectionable
"nigger" out of the Fayetteville post
Office He grew thin and melancholy
over his continued disappointment.
Finally one day, after having triet
various eXpedients, he climbed the
steps to the Office of newspaper cor
respondent. In detected tones he re
peated his experience with the post
master general, and added, Now Eve
como to get the newspapers to hell
me. If you'll do it, you'll help all the
other Democrats, too. l want you tt
get all these id Republican post
masters to resign"
An oath is a stranger to Brother
Gradys lips, but the vivid recollection
of his experience overcame him, ant
nothing short of profanity would OK
press his feelings.
The trouble with Brother Grady
case was tho same that confrontet
many other Democratic congressmel
in procuring removals of Republicans
Ho could not prevail upon the Demo
Gratis OF Fayetteville to agree upon
successor to the "nigger." Instead o
uniting upon an acceptable Democrat
they divided into factions, each insist
ing upon it's own man. The postmas
ter-general assured Mr.. Grady more
than once that whenever he would sub
NIT the name of q good Democrat, &C
ceptable to the people Of Fayetteville
the negro would be removed and tn,
popular choice appointed.
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