The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-08-02
CONGRESS- QUARREL.
Two Glasses of People Are Glad
it Occurred.
Those Having Private Bills and
the Stalwarts.
WHILE 1T WAITED.
During Senate's InactiOn the
WHILE
1T WAITED.
During Senate's InactiOn the
House Passed Little Bills.

NO sooner had the senate got rid OF It's III
humor by talking it off and come to the
sensible resolution for full and free CON
ference with the house than the absentee
Democrats, who had been hastily called
in, began to string out for home again
They consist chiefly of such western and
southern Democrats as have not yet been
reno1ninated and are not quite sure of it.
I'VE can do more good in our districts
than here, they all said '.We can gain
more votes BY staying hero and seeing it
through than by going home, said those
already renonlinated- And both are right
from their respective standpoints- It's an
i'll wind that blows good to nobody, and
two classes Of people have great cause to
be thankful for the quarrel between the
houses and the lengthening of the session
namely, persons who had private bills
pending and stalwarts who were in doubt
about their denomination 1t is admitted
that several members have been greatly
helped at home by the recent turn Of af-
fairs. How did you come to nominate 3.
when the delegates seemed to be against
him awhile back" was asked of a western
vvirepullcr who had Just arrived. Sim
plest thing IN the world he replied
Had we nominated any one else we
should have had to inCOrse all this con-
gross and the q. inistratiOn and run on
that record, but p. can run on his own
record ana so we con nave TO n0nJ1On
anything else"
Why They Hurried Away.
The southern absentees have good reason
to hurry away, for there are soually times
all tic way down tho coast. Mr.. Wise Of
the Richmond district, who had been tax
ing things easily in the belief that his
calling and election yvcro sure was sudden
" called home tho other day o find that
a vigorous and dangerous opposition had
sprung up almost is suddenly as Jonah IS
gourd. Nir Marshall of the extreme south
western Virginia district {. Cyclone Jim
has had something Of q tussle from the
start, and it reached the acute stage just
when the tariff trouble was ut the worst.
Mr.. Bum Of tho Raleigh district will have
to retire at the end of six years service, for
the primaries have como against him, and
be has announced his Withdrawal. Mr..
Alexander of tho Charlotte IN G. } district
is also likely to go out Farther south
and west denominations are the rule, and
if the Republicans and POpulists do not
upset present calculations nearly all the
present representatives from the gulf states
viii return to US Mr.. Mallory of Florida
and Mr.. Abbott Of Texas are still in some
danger.
The other class who have found this i'll
wind of tariff quarrcling greatly to their
advantage have been the men with claims
and the applicants for special relief under
the pension laws. The house, having moth
itself by passing 90 or 30 little bills per
day and Incidentally overhauling once
more the much bedevilcd question Of how
far the military record of a soldier ought
to be interfcred with. House bill 233. to
correct the ineq ua1ities arising under the
act OF July p, 1890, is a matter of general
concern, and the discussion upon its pas
sage brought out a great mum Der Of very
curious cases. General GrOsvenOr said of
the bill he had introduced:
~ Tt was q case where a soldier had over
etaid his furlOugh because of the extreme
illness of his wife He staid some months
beyond the Limitation Of his furlOugh and
was marked as 4 deserter. AS soon as it
was possible for him to return he started
back to his command On the way down
to tho Ohio river, at a point where the
stage stopped for dinner, he went into a
strenn to barhc and was drowned. Under
tho existing laws his wife cannot have
pension. although tho soldier was on his
way back to his regiment -
Pensions For Children.
To this it was replied that hard cases
mako bad law, and that a sweeping act
like that proposed would open the door to
fraud Nevertheless, with amendment
that it should not apply in cases where ac-
tual desertion was proved, the bill was
passed Another bill making things easier
for claimants is that which allows fourth
class pOstmasters TO administer the oath
make certificates thereof to the pension Of
fee Several other bills were reported from
tho committee on invalid pensions, and
most Of them passed with little friction
till it came to the bill for continuing the
pension of the children of deceased soldiers
when such children are imbeciles. 1t was
shown in the course of the debate that very
many private bills had been passed to pen
sion such children, and it was claimed
that the thing might as well be done by q
general net This, however, was an OBJ
vious case of pcnsioning children for life
in order to relieve counties of their poor
charges to that extent, and it brought out
some extremely flaming remarks from Mr.
Hutches0n Of Texas. This in turn aroused
Mr. Blair Of New Hampshire from tho
letharRy which seems to have possessed
him since he LETT the senate for the house,
and the two gentlemen, extremes in every
thing, amused their colleagues at great
length The bill passed
Sharp Practice.
Taking it altogether, applicants for pen |
siCns have Jared remarkably well during
these days Of rushing things. Another
bill of great importance was slipped
through the house BY shrewd management
some people would call it a trick=while |
nearly all the Republicans had gone over
to hear the racket in the senate. 1t is a
measure which has been before congress !
in one shape or another for 40 years, but |
only reached the stage for party recri1ni-
nation a few years after the war. 1t ap-
pears that about the time Arkansas came |
into the Union and when there was q sur
plus in the United States treasury that |
state borrowed $53S 600 Of the Smithso-
MAN tlust fund and issued therefor |
81, 600 bonds redeemable in October. /
1861, and January, 1868. When the first |
lot fell due, the collection business was
bad in Arkansas, and when the secor,7