The age-herald., 1898-07-24
CURRENT TOPICS
 OF THE DAY
BYI. COLLIER DowNE.

I see that the conference of the Meth odist church. which met in Atlanta re- gently, passed resolution in favor of re- turning to the government the amount of money appropriated by the last congress to pay the claim of the Methodist book concern
 Everybody admits, and everybody has ad- mitted for many years past that this was a just claim against the government. Like other claims which have been pending be- fore the congress of the United States for many years, this claim went unacted upon until the last congress. It went unacted upon because no one devoted time and at tention to pushing the matter before con- gress. Everybody in the Southern Metho- dist church was interested in this claim to an extent, but nobody seemed to be thoroughly interested in it. Finally it seems that Colonel E. B. Stahlman. of Nashville. proposed to the book eoncern that he would push the claim before eon> gress and endeavor to get the money. pro- vided the book concern would pay him one-third of the total amount he recovered from the United States government. Colo mel Stahlman spent two years in Washing ton working this matter. It was mo- body's business whether he was working for fee or whether he was working be- cause he loved to work He told no one what interest he had in the matter. It was nobody's business but his. He was and the matter became public. Since that time great fuss has been made over the matter The senate of the United States. by special committee, Investigated it. The senators could do nothing because the funds had already been paid, yet a few senators. in the effort to display their vir- tue and their loyalty to the treasury of the United Staets, attempted to make much ado about it. Because of this talk some of the good Methodist brethren are discussing the matter of refunding the en- tire amount to the United States. Such proceeding would be absurd. The claim was a just claim. The government owed every cent of it. Both representatives and senators admitted that. The book concern knows it. Every member of the Metho- dist church, who has investigated the mat ter, knows that the full sum due by the government, and everybody who has investigated it deeply knows that it is im-
 
 gress unless some person interested in taat claim devotes his whole time to lobbying it, explaining it and appearing before con- mittees in reference to it.
 This censure of the book concern and this censure of Colonel Stahlman is un- called for It is unjust. It is unfair. Had it not been for Colonel Stahlman congress would never have acted upon it. The mat, ter has been pending before congress for nearly thirty years, and until Colonel Stahlman was employed to go to Wash ington, to stay in Washington and to work day and night for it. no action of any ma terial importance was ever taken upon it. The matter was pigeon-holed year after year.
 If ever man deserved a big fee, Colo nel Stahman deserved the Tee he gained out of this case. If reflection is to be east upon anybody, it should be cast upon the congressman who have failed year after year to enact into a law a claim which should have been paid a score of years ago. It was the business of senators and representatives to look after this matter. An outsider-an attorney-could not be ex- pected to devote two years of valuable time to such a matter unless, in the event of success he was to gain a handsome fee.
 William J. Bryan is now in camp at Jacksonville with his regiment of Nebras. ka troops. On his trip from Omaha to Jacksonville he was given an ovation at nearly every town through which he pass- ed. At each place he was called upon for speech. Yet further than to say that ha was glad to see the people and thank them for the receptions he said nothing. Wh5n called upon in Atlanta for a political inter- view, he said this was no time to talk peii- tics. After the war will be ample time for that. MT. Bryan is now serving his .coun- try in the best way he knows how, and the people honor him they do every other man who has enlisted in the army.
 Everybody in this country has learned to honor Commodore Schley. He comes of fighting stock, and is born fighter. Fred erick Burns, a seaman who was on the Brooklyn during the fight with Cervefa's fleet, off Santiago, has just returned 70 New York. Burns says the public may Lot know who whipped Cervera, but the oai- cers and men of the fleet know. You
  said he. When Schley was congra ula d he said, Don't congratulate me, congl yu- late my crew. If Schley were to sail through hell his men would follow him O a man. He does not devote himself 10 chasing unarmed vessels for prize mon sy.''
 This fellow Burns well expresses the opinion which is already held by everybody of Schley. The intima tion of Burns c ,:l- ments is that Sampson has been dsvot ng more time to capturing prize vesses' than to accomplishing actual results. The fact of the matter is that Sampson IS sent to the southern coast of Cuba to eap- ture and destroy Cerveras fleet. This fleet escaped him and Ngot into Santiago har. or Recently it has developed that Santiago harbor was not more thoroughly defended by shore batteries than was the harbcr oi Manila. Sampson could have entered a,.d destroyed Cerveras fleet within week af- ter it was bottled up. Yet Sampson has proven himself timid If Schley had be lao Ca nitrr d