Omaha daily bee., 1893-10-06
FAIR PLAY FOR THE VETERAN
Members of Congress Preparing to Dsnounce
Hoke Smiths Pension Policy.
WILL INVESTIGATE THE SPY SYSTEM
Congress to he Furnished n Copy of the
Instructions Under which tho
Army OF Detectives
Is working.
WAsHINGToN BUREAU OF TuB BEE, !
bi3 FOuRTEENTu SrRErr. \

~ -
The storm which has for some time been
gathering in congress against the pension
principles and practices of this ,admiulstra-
ton is about to break. A large number of
senators and representatives have prepared
speeches roasting the pension policy of Sec
rotary Boke Smith and upon the first oppor-
tunity they intend to express their views in
language more forciblc than polite.
Among those who donuunce Secretary
Smiths administration most roundly is Sen
ator Voorhees,, who says it is a crime against
the veteran and n fragrant violation of the law
Other democrats as we'll as republican S,
intend TO take n hand in scoring Secretary
Smiths hostility to Union soldiers. When the
federal elections bill gets off tho house and
the silver repeal bill is disposed of by the
senate, the field will be clear for action and
the general euunciation may be expected ut
any moment.
There was "A little foretaste or intimation
of what may be expected in the house late
Yesterday afternoon when representative
Mercer of Nebraska introduced II resolution.
Representative Mercer said to TnE BEE
corresnondent today tnat he had no doubt of
the ultimate adoption of the resolution pro
posed by him yesterday directing the house
committee on invalid pensions to ascertain
by investigation whether any employees of
OhS I'thSlOH Duttdu are dCIluV Ill Tue ctNtC-
Ivy of detectives and TO secure copies of the
instructions under which examiners are act
ing.
General Complaint on the Subject.
Mr.. Mercer does not believe that the ma
jorlty in the house can afford to smother
his request for information upon this sub
ject, as every one who takes any interest in
pension matters must know that for some
months many pension examiners have been
travelling about the country and acting in
the capacity nG spies and sneaks and de-
t%ectives. 1t is the custom of these agents to
misrcprcsent their calling, and by acting as
eavesdroppers and under the gunsc of friend
ship and traders, to worm information out of
pensioners and their friends, and then, by
distorting a little truth, manufacture
charges, under which pensioners are sus-
pended.
A great deal of complaint is coming from
every direction as to the work of pension
Office spies, and Mr.. Mercer wants to know
whether these special examiners, who under
the law are paid to secure legitimate evil
dence in pension cases, are acting under
specific instr uctions in the performance of
their present duty work, and if so, he would
like to see the instructions. He believes
that no party or administration or superior
officer can afford to keep from the public
general instructions which govern federal
officers in the discharge of their public
duties.
To Reimburse Nebraska.
From the senate committee on military af-
fairs Senator Henderson today made a
favorable report upon his bill appropriating
$40, 600 to reimburse the state of Nebraska
for the expenses incurred by it in repelling
a threatened invasion and raid by the Sioux
in 1891 and for the issue of ordnance stores
and supplies to the state of Nebraska to re.
place similar stores destroyed by fire at Mil
ford January 16, 1891. The latter includes
forty-two cavalry blouses, forty-two cavalry
trousers, forty forage caps a9d two trum-
PETS, fifty sabers, fifty saber belts, fifty cav
airy brides complete and fifty Springfield
carbines complete. The bill appropriates
Sl,2l6 10 enable the secretary of war to pur-
chase the ordnance and ordnance stores
called for and the further sum of S36S to pur-
chase q"uartermasters' stores of clothing,
camp and garrison equipage mentioned and
called for in the bill.
Haincr Appeals for Fairness.
Representative Hainer delivered a speech
in the house late this afternoon against the
bill TO repeal the federal elections law. He
spoke for one hour, when the time arrived
for the house to adjourn. He will complete
his remarks at another time. Mir. Haiher
upheld the constitutionality of the law by
showing from the federal constitution that
necessarily the federal government must
assume control OF elections where
congressman are chosen. He met the
three arguments of the south against
the laws at every point. The south con-
tends that the elections law is unconstitu-
tional, that its presence or enforcement is
baleful and that to wipe it away would be
to remove all restraint and encourage purity
in the ballot.
Mr.. Hainer brought forth n great many
secrets about the control of elections in the
south. He read the election codes, rules
and regulations governing the polls in state
elections and pointed out the fact that the
kukluX would run all elections and the
negro and all independent men would be dis
franchised if the federal government re-