The Washington times., 1895-02-24
CLOAK ROOM AND GALLERY.

No inconsiderable number of the letters
which members OF Congress daily re-
ceive are from constituents who desire
information regarding the status of their
pension claims. Under the present ar
rangement the Pension Office declines to
furnish the information desired except
upon application OF the Congressman repre-
sentiDg the district wherein the old SOL
der OF his widow resides.
Judge Daniels, Of Buffalo, thinks that
this is all wrong. In his opinion the cleri-
cal force OF the Pension Office should be
sufficiently large to answer all letters
promptly, and if an order were issued re-
quiring the replies to be sent directly, and
not through the medium of the Congress
men. the latter would be saved no little
annoyance and work.
1t is Judge Daniels intention, when the
Fifty fourth Congress assemblies, to Sc
cure the adoption Of some legislation
evil, rs he expresses it. He asserts also
that the policy of the office is to oppose
the Payment of pension claims SO long as
an excuse can be found for delay.
In many cases, ne says, deserving
cla inIapts become a charge upon their
friends. or upon the local authorities, be-
cause or the slowness in settling the
cases OF persons who are entitled by
| every cons liberation of law and equity to
their money. If q remedy can be found
for THIS state of affairs he purposes secur-
ing it,
One OF the correspondents in the press
gallery, apropos OF the late Frederick
| Douglass, related an amusing experience
he once had with the great coiored leader.
! 1T was many years ayo. ] was a young
| and rather braSh reporter. Mir. Douglass
received me cordially and asked the pur.
| pose OF my visit / told him / had been
| directed to secure an interview with him
| upon the future of the colored race, and
began by asking him what he, as promi.
neut negro, desired to say upon the subject
! Drawing himself up with lofty dignity, he
replied:
. Sir. / am not a negro. 1 am five
! eighths white and three -eighths colored
If ] am TO be judged by the - teCual dis
tribution OF the blood in my veins, | may
properly call myself a white man. As dc
not choose to do that / shall compromise
by calling myself a Caucasian. Now, sir
since my race standing has been settled
to my own, and, trust, yoIr satisfaction
| / shall try to answer your queries An6
then he gave me the best interview con
| cerning the future of the colored people
from an industrial and social standpoint
4 that remember ever to have seen in print, -
While Gen. Daniel S;ckels was making
his speech in the House the other day
1 favoring an appropriation for an Hawaiian
! cable. one of the members of the New
York delegation was telling an interest
/ ing anecdote in the cloakroom illustra
tive of the veteran legislators fighting
days
ut was a few months after the battle
Of Gettvsburg, where Sickels lost lis leg
He came down to New York from thu
front on a short furloUgh While staying
at the Breyoort House a man wlom he haC
never seen before insolently referred Il
him as a Lincoln Iireling' The gal
liant old soldier tuned like a fash upoI
him and denounced him bitterly. If
you will give me your card, he exclaimed
hotly, Il will send one of my aides-de
camp TO thrash you / am unfortunatel,
unable to perform that service mysel
since have hut one leg left
Thinking himself secure from receiv
ing the thrashing he deserved, the MAJ
not only continued TO abnse the admins
tration, but referred in sneering term
to the generals army career This 81
enraged Sickels that ] G Knocked the MAJ
down with his cTutch Some of the spec
tatoTs then interfered and saved the fellow
life. Weeks afterward Gen. Sickels Learned
through the late Sam Bowles, of the Spring
field Republican, that tie man he hat
castigated was one of the Adams famil
OF Massachusetts "