Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-02-26
THE NATIONAL sANIrARlU,I.
Capt. Lucas Explains the Prospects of the
Bill at Washington

what is the exact status of the sani-
tarium bill pending in the house of
re presentatives. In All interview with
Capt. Lucas he talked freely concern.
ing his Washington trip. After relat-
ing some incidents of the journey the
Captain said that upon his ARRIVAL i'll
Washington Saturday evening at D
o'clock, he learned that the general
appropriation bill had the right of way
for Monday and would be passed un-
der IL suspension of the rule. This
was done sure enough Monday about
, o'clock
In the appropriation bill was sec
tion appropriating s2m.Cto for the
building of a soldiers home and 10
eating it at Danville. TIL.
This was the first intimation he had
that Hot Springs had rival and know
ing that Danville is the home of Hon.
j. q. Cannon. that he has been in CON
@ress twenty five years. is chairman of
The committee on appropriations. and
is as popular Il man with his colleagues
As there is in congress, and that the
whole committee on appropriations
were in favor OF Danvil!e. convinced
him that our city dld not stand ghost
of a show as against its rival.
y consultation with our friends cou-
iirmed his suspicious. lie sought an
interview with Mr.. Cannon, who very
frankly explained the whole situation,
which is as follows: The board of ma
tonal managers of soldiers homes de-
cidea that they would ask congress for
the location of two additional homes.
one to be east of the Mississippi and
one west; they also decided their pref
erence for the one west of the river is
Hot Springs aud it's character shall be
distinctly IL sanitarium. There is no
objection on the part of congress to
granting the request of the board OH
amy other ground than lack of money
to proceed. The committee on ;ippro-
priations informally decided that one
should be started 10y this 5lth congress
and the second one by the NEXT. or55th
congress. Mr.. Cannon having all the
advantage in the contest between the
two places. did what most any man
would have done. favored his own town
and had it named as the first beneii-
ciary.
Col Steele of Indiana is IL member Of
the national board and also IL member
OF the present and incoming congress
and is very active and earnestin carry
ing out the wishes of the board. He
favored building the western home
first. but yielded to MIR. Cannon's
wishes in naming Danville first.
In an interview between Cannon.
Steel, Gamble aud Lucas, both the
former assured the latter that all
the aground work. as they en-
pressed it. is done for Hot Springs
and the next congress will Ger
tainly locate "a home here. that the Y
will both favor it and work for it. But
both were unwilling to try to get an
appropriation for two homes at this
session, because of the eNtraordin
airy demands made upon the treasury
for other purposes. Speaker Reed was
bitterly opposed to many items in the
appropriation bill and would have cut
out large number of the sections of
the bill if he could have reached then
under the rules of the house. To pre-
serve the bill intact and to carry
through the whole bill which carried
nearly fifty millions of money for al
purposes, the unusual proceeding o1
inserting section in the bill provia
ing for IL soldiers home and appropriat
ing 600 for it, was resorted to: thcl
under the pressure of combination o
all interested members the rules were
suspended and the bill passed. Thi
procedure prevented either the amend
ment or striking out of any part of tn,
bill
The bill that passed the senate hat
not been acted upon or even consid
cred by the house committee. Aftel
the Danville appropriation passed thu
house, the committee held meetin,
next day. before which Mr. Gambl,
and Capt. Lucas appeared and pre-
sented again the claims of Hot Springs
There was no opposition III the com
mlttee to our location. all seemed i,
favor of it. but as a prudential measur,
they decided it would be impolitic t,
report the bill favorably in view of the
fact one home had just been provided
for, therefore they postponed action OF
: the bill and continued it.
1t is barely possible our bill may b.
attached in the senate as an amend
ment to the general appropriation bill
but it is pretty certain it will not b.
concurred with in the house, in such
case it would go to conference com
mittee where the chances for favor
n1~ 4