The age-herald., 1898-01-02

expired without action Six years elapsed before the injured merchant received the money illegally exacted. and due him from the government Even then he was obliged to take 1t without interest. Mean time the objector reveled In the good will of the people as one of the watch dogs of the treasury.
 Another case in point In the construc- ton of postoffice in large city, quarter of a century ago. contract for glass tiling was signed. The contractor Sublet 1t. The sub-contractor found that the framing for the tiling was too light. and that under the specifications 1t would endanger the lives of the government em- ployes to use 1t. The federal officer in charge of the work told him to make 1t heavier and the government would bear the increased expense. This was done. The original contractor received his pay according to contract, and turned over to the sub-contractor what he had agreed to pay him.
 Holding Up Just Bills.
 When the latter, however, applied to the treasury department for his extra pay ne was told there was no law for 1t. He drew bill specifying the amount due him, and after years of weary waiting 1t passed both houses.' It was then vetoed by Pres ident Cleveland upon the ground that the value of the work ought to have been clearly ascertained by the treasury depart ment before the passage of the bill At the request of the sub-contractor the pres- 1dent himself then drew a bill authorizing the treasury department to ascertain the value of the work and settle the account More weary years of waiting ensued, and the bill finally reached the calendar in the last congress- After being importuned for weeks, the speaker at last consented to recognize a representative to ask unani- nous consent for it's consideration. This was done. The bill was read and the rep Had 4La tention of the house to it's provisions. As he concluded the inevitable objector again appeared. He had been absent from the hall and had returned without hearing a word of the explanation, but the remorse- less words, "I object" dropped from his lips and the hopes of the applicant were dashed to the ground for another series of years.
 A third instance. Tn the blizzard, years ago, the postmaster at Monticello, N. Y, found himself in dilemma. The rules of the postoffice department require that If from any cause the mails are delayed the postmaster shall do what can be done to forward them. Monticello Is on a branch of the Erie railroad. The branch was blocked by snow for nearly fortnight The postmaster, with commenda ble pr7mnt- ness, hired man to run the mail from Monticello to Middletown in a sleigh as- suring him that the government would pay him for the service. The service was
 
 payment from the government His bill was tndorsed by the postmaster The de- partment refused payment because of the neglect of the postmaster to promptly in- form 1t of the arrangement. Thereupon. the claimant fell back upon congress- Ills bill was reported and placed upon the call endar. The congressman from that dis trict secured recognition and asked for unanimous consent for it's consideration but the great obiector again fnternosed
 
 ming back to the calendar, and the claim ant still remains unpaid. While he is suffering for what is justly due him. the man who aids the government in robbing him is receiving the plaudits of the people; at all events he thinks he Is.
 Field Day on Pensions.
 But the work of the objector Is not con- fined to requests for unanimous consent When bills are being considered under the rule, his power still remains. Friday nights are usually devoted to pension bills. A quorum of the house is rarely present. the objector remains in his seat until bill Is put to a vote. Then he calls for a division. The division develops the ab- sence of a quorum. Thereupon the objector triumphantly shouts mo quorum" and the house must either adjourn or waste the time allotted to the session in a futile ef fort to secure quorum. Then the ob- jector pats himself with satisfaction. He has possibly struck blow at the widow of veteran, and has earned the reputation of an economist
 Frequently the objector Is moved by personal pique. In the Fifty-first congress when the private calendar was being con sidered, a bill was reached providing for the payment of claims of certain union men in the south. It sought damages for prop erty seized during the war. Many of the claimants resided in Tennessee. Factious opposition arose. To punish the opposition a representative from Tennessee blocked business on pension nights. His words 'No quorum" uttered in a stentorian voice. prevented the passage of such bills for