The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-05-13

The Pen May Ultimately Find It's Way
into the Archives Of the Historical So
ciety of Michigan and he Great Relic
In Years to Come-How the Congressman
Conceived and Carried Out the Idea Of
ObtainineAthe Historic Pen.
| Washington, May 10.-"The story Of
the pen which signed the declaration of
war Is very simple story" says Con-
gresham William Alden Smith.
Long before I came to congress i
read in the newspapers about the pens
used to sign important public acts, and
occasionally wished that I might have
one of those pens. After coming to
congress and getting closer to public
facts l looked upon the retention of an
insensate pen as Of no consequence
whatever.
! when the president recommended a
declaration of war with Spain, how
ever, it occurred to me that the pen
that signed that declaration would be
valuable relic for all times, because
a declaration of war is something
which seldom occurs in modern times.
because the tendency of the times Is
toward peace rather than towards war.
IT therefore went down stairs to the
stationery room, selected a gold pen
with an ordinary ebony and ash ham
| die, and carried ii with me in my pock-
ct to the floor Of the house of represent
atives. Just before the passage of the
bill declaring war, I walked up to the
speaker quietly and told him that had
a pen with which / would like to have
him sign that bill declaring war, and
he smiled good naturally, replying that
he would use my pen with pleasure.
| Speaker Used the Pen.
"As soon as the gavel fell and the
speaker announced that the bill had
passed, walked up to his chair. hand
ed him the gold pen and returned to
my seat AS soon as the bill was en-
rolled and returned to the speaker he
used my gold pen and signed his name
| to the important deed.
| IT then followed the measure and
crossed the entire length of the Capitol
building and walked upon the floor Of
| the senate just as the measure was
about to be called up.
1T was moved that the senate go
into executive session; that Is, a secret
| SeSSlOn, WneTe ScHdtOTS only are per-
mitted to be present / hastily in
formed the vice president of my desire
and he took the pen, assuring me that
he would use 1t when the time came to
sign the bill. The senate remained In
executive session long while consider
ing the bill, but finally the doors were
opened and the bill was passed. I was
| there looking out for it. and when the
measure, just adopted by the senate,
was laid before the vice president. he
used my pen and signed his name i'm
mediately beneath that of Speaker
Reed.
Made the Pen Historic.
"It was then late in the afternoon,
but / knew that President Mckinley
would sign the declaration as soon as
it was laid before him; so I went to the
White House and awaited the arrival
of the chairman of the committee on
enrolled bills. 1t was a quarter after 8
in the evening when he reached the
White House and I went in with him.
I told the president that I had the pen
which had been used by Speaker Reed
and Vice President Hobart and request
ed that he would also use that pen. He
took the pen, read the bill carefully,
then Endorsed 1t with my pen: 'Ap-
proved, William Mckinley
II shall have this pen and holder put
In a substantial case so 1t will last not
only during my lifetime, but during
the lifetimes Of generations to come 1t
will probably ultimately find its way
into the archives of the Historical So
ciety Of Michigan, and will be regarded
as a great relic in the years to come"
Not an Easy Task.
Secretary Alger has found the or
ganization of a volunteer army not so
easy a task as he had originally antici-
pated that it might be. He permitted
the West Point graduates, who az
bureau officers of the war department.
to supervise the preparation of the bill
providing for a volunteer army, and
consequently they made that bill a
martinez measure which was one with
West Point militarism rather than with
pure patriotism.
Instead of re-enacting the measures
adopted in 1861 for a volunteer army,
the congress accepted the war depart
ment bill which primarily ignores all Of
the state organizations known as ma
tional guards and seeks the individual
consent of each soldier as well as of
his local company and regiment In
which he has thrived, subordinating
all to the control of the war depart
ment.
This bill should have been entitled |
"A measure to discourage enllstments."
Secretary of War Alger, having been
volunteer soldier himself during the |
civil war, ought to have paid enough |
attention to the matter to have pre- |
vented the passage Of such bill. How |
ever, Spain Is such a little bit Of a |
mouthful for Uncle Sam to swallow |
that we can get along with this diff |
Guilty anyway.
shafter Michigan Man.
General Shafter who was selected by |
the president to lead the army of inva-
sion in Cuba, Is a Michigan man, who
has long been in the regular army. |
When Senator Burrows was a school
teacher before the war at Richland, |
General Shafter was one of his pupils.
Senator Burrows has taken a warm in
terest in Shafter during his entire life
time. General Shafter is a superior
military man, and is spoken of very
highly NV General Miles