Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-06-02

OF speaking; not involuntary, as the
beating Of the heart. In this respect his
auricular machinery is unique. ! have
never discovered that it differs from that
Of other men with their organs intact
except when he is in the chair. Then
his ear is IN enigma. Catching the
speakers ear is fully rs difficult a feat
Us catching his eye-a parliamentary
difficulty which has become proverbial.
An attempts might be made to explain
how the speaker hears Republicans
more readily than Democrats by saying
that he is deaf, wholly Oh partially, in
his right ear, which is next the Demo-
Gratis, and can near well with his left,
which is toward the Republican side,
but this theory will not hold water for
the reason that he readily hears the
overflow Republicans who sit on his
extreme right in what is known as ''the
Cherokee strip"
Political Appointments.
In my last letter I quoted some very
interesting evidence from Joseph Fl.
Walker, Republican Of Massachusetts,,
as to the iniquity Of the $500, 600, 900
bond bill.
NOW propose to quote certain perth
nent remarks made by Hon. Eugene F.
Loud, Republican of California, to show
how such appointments even as man
ayers of soldiers homes are made to
pay political debts instead of for the
good Of the old soldiers as they should be.
Mr.. Loud is no blood relation to Lord
Chesterfield. He is a plain, blunt man,
who does his duty according to his
lights. Nobody ever questioned his hon.
esty or his candor. He goes after his
opponents with a meat TX. On this oc-
casion he was very much incensed at
what he considered a great outrage ON
the soldiers Of California, having been
q soldier himself. I invite old soldiers
and their friends to read his remarks
carefully. Inter ALA he said:
81 regret also, Mr.. Speaker, that the
gentleman from Wisconsin EMr. Grifin]
has seen fit to move to suspend the rules
and pass this bill, because it rather
lends strength to the suspicion that I
have had all this time that there has
been some unfairness practiced in rela-
tion to these appointments.
"Now, Mr.. Speaker, I appeal to any
man on the floor of this house if it does
not lend strength to the suspicion Of
foul play.
"Now, then, this matter has resolved
itself into a condition that I regret to
see. It is a mere matter of politics, and
I will prove it to you before I get
through that the selection of this man
is simply to pay a personal political
debt Of a man in the other end of this
capitol. I think this house had better
retain the man who is in, although a
Democrat, General Barrett, who is a
most estimable man, who was q fine SOL
der. ! was talking to the representative
from this district, who sat by me here
a moment ago Il see him now, and who
lives within a few miles of Los Angeles.
Essays he: Who is Major Bonsall? Is
he the bookman of San Francisco? No.
Isaid. He lives in Los Angeles. Why
he says, I have never heard of him.
Neither do I believe either Of my col
leagues on this floor who have Endorsed
this man ever heard of Major Bonsall
before. Colonel Smedberg, whom Ihave
recommended, is known to the people of
California as a reputable business man
in the city of San Francisco and has
been for a great many years. Now, what
is there In this case? Major Bonsall was
a candidate for either the position Of
register or receiver of the land Office at
Los Angeles, and, unfortunately, I sup
pose, the senator had promised two men
this Office, and he could not give it to
both, and Major Bonsall must be pro-
vided for in this house. That is paying
a political debt and debauching the SOL
diers' homes of this country to pay a
political debt.
Recent Army Appointments.
"These facts I presented to the COM
mittee with as great vigor as 1 was in
possession of, and 1 propose, as I have
done, to present it TO the house. I re-
greet, Mr. Speaker, that the selection of
the managers of the soldiers homes has
fallen into such a dirty, low, contempti-
BILE slough of politics as is demonstrated
in this selection here today. I say that
Major Bonsall, although he MAJ be a
good man, is wholly unknown to the
volunteer soldiers of the state of Cali
fornia. If he ever had taken any inter-
est, if he ever had affiliated with the
soldiers of the state of California, they
would have known him.
81 see among this list of managers of
the Soldiers home the names of many
eminent gentlemen, men whose names
are written ON the pages of the history
Of this country and will be handed down
to posterity-men who are loved, rever-
ed and admired by the volunteer SOL
diery of this country, but when they
come to contemplate that you have
placed side by side with General Frank
lin, General Sewell, General Mcmahon
and General Henderson, late a member
Of this house, q gentleman who has been
put there to pay a paltry political debt,
then I say the blush of shame will come
over the face of every volunteer soldier
of this country"
These be bitter words. They created
O profound sensation in the house and
carried conviction to every mind, but
such is the power of the drillmaster that
the bill passed Notwithstanding Mr..
LIQUIDS caustic speech.
In a quiet way-constantly growing
more unquiet-there is a good deal of
criticism among Republicans ON certain
appointments recently made of staff off
GERS. 1t is claimed that there is a great
| deal of favoritism-the most desirable
plums or many of them, going to the
sons of great men simply because they
| are sons of said men, many others going
| to the sons of multimillionaires, who
have no military knowledge whatever.
But this is such a fertile subject and so
| much material in it that I will defer a
more extended notice until a more con-
venient season.
GuAMM