Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-05-15
LONG AND PENSIONS.

| ter was placed in the hands of Congressman
Long, who had just taken his seat. He stirre,
the case up in the department with the abov,
mentioned result. This shows the differenc,
between a real live republican congressman
and blatant windjammer like Jerry Simpson
| Is there a man in Edwards county who cal
cite single instance of anything that Simp
son did for any citizen of this county or dis
| trict during the four years he drew his salary
and disgraced the state?Stand up and answer
We presume this is the first crumI
that the republican papers have gotten
hold Of; the first chance they have had
to remind the people that Mr.. Long is
alive. Indeed there had come 10 exist
considerable anxiety about him, fol-
| since the announcement of his wedding
and trip to Washington, he had disap-
peared from public notice so complete
ly that we had begun to fear that he
would be heard of no more forever.
But 1t turns out that we were mistak-
en-, and that during all this time he has
been hard at work earning his salary,
and after two and one half months
hard work, for which he receives from
the government something more than
thousand dollars, what is the result?
No small and petty deal, we are assur.
ed by the republican press, but some
thing worthy of the man and the party,
an increase of pension for Benjamin S.
Peavey OF twenty dollars per month.
And they call on the people to behold
UnndnrfnI Of rot oil,
and declare without any fear of contra
dictiOn, that this is more than Jerry
Simpson did ia the four years he was
ia congress. Well let us see about
that: while Jerry has not made any
great fuss about it, We know of a good
many pension cases he got through
that the republican congressman from
this district could or would not get ac-
ton on: Chas. Taliaferro, Sam Hays,
Mrs. Young, Robert Simpson, John Ell
more, Lon Cameron, Mrs. Murphy, all
of this county and Others, in every coun-
ty in the district. There are men and
women who will give evidence as to
what has been done for them by Mr.
Simpson. But this is so small a part he
has done for the people that the pop
press did not think worth while men
tioning it. His efforts were not con-
fined to attending to personal matters
alone but he welded a large influence
over national affairs, and it has been
admitted by many of the great daily
papers of the country that he was one
of the most active members in the Sind
and 53rd congresses. From the time he
took his seat until the close of the last
session of the 53rd congress he welded
great influence in the halls of legisla-
tion as well as in the whole nation, and
one Of the last things he did in congress
entities him TO the everlasting graft
tude of the people of the United States
namely-the defeat of the pooling bill
which the press ofthe country gave him
credit for at the time. Perhaps 1T would
be well to give our readers few of the
facts IN connection with that transac-
ton.
The pooling bill had passed the house
by majority of IA and went to the
Senate. 1t had the necessary votes to
pass it through that body, but through
the Senate rules which allow unlimited
debate, it was blocked by Senators Al
len and PETER who gave notice they
would talk it to death. So the railroad
lobby had to resort to strategy to &C
complish their object, which was this:
A bill had passed the Senate July IL,
1894, bill to amend the Interstate
commerce law. 1t had lain in the
hands of the committee IN the house
until four days before the close of
congress when suddenly it was brought
forward, the Senate bill all stricken
out, and the tenth section of the pool
ing bill put in as substitute. Now
this was the scheme; if this could be
passed through the house, being an
amended senate bill, it would go into
conference committee of both houses.
being amended by putting in part of
the pooling bill. 1t made the balance
of the pooling bill germane so that
when it went to the conference COM
mittee the balance OF the pooling bill
could be added. 1t would then be re-
| ported to the senate and would be priv
ileged matter not subject to debate.
1t would then be voted upon and pass
ed and the president would sign it. II
would become law and the railroads
would be free to rob the people annual.
ly OF many millions. A prominent
member of congress from Illinois, a re-
publican who had been let into the
secret, came to Mr. Simpson and tolG
him of it and asked him to try and de
feat 1t If possible, saying, his hands
were tied. Now the question was, how
could it be done. Remember, the pool
ing bill had passed by IA majority there
was only one way to do it under the
rules of the House: no bill can &c
through the last six days of congress:
unless it has two-thirds majority, if &
vote to suspend the rules is demanded
Mr.. Simpson told few men whom he
could trust of the scheme, so on the Isl
day OF March when Mr.. Storer of Ohio
called up the bill for passage, Mr.
Dockery demanded vote to suspend
the rules and yielded 10 Mr.. Simpson
to debate the bill. We here insert hi:
remarks taken from the Congressional
Record page 1916:
Mr. Speaker, have no opposition to offer t,
this particular bill. believe In the main it il
good and necessary legislation. but what an
afraid of is, as the gentleman from IlIinoi
Mr.. Cannonl has stated. that inasmuch as thi
is senate Dill with House amendment I
VIII gointo conference committee and thel
will have added to it the pooling bill. 1t ha
been generally reported and believed by som
among the members that this is scneme 70
tnat particular purpose-to get the poolin
DILL All the railroad corporations, as repre-
eented by their Hobbies and representative
3 mere. have failed In the United States Sepat