Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-07-19
PENSION Investigation.
The G. A. R. Committee Will Hold
Another Meeting to Agree
Upon Its Report.
THE CASUALTIES IN THE PHILIPPINES,

Statistics of the Losses by Death, Wounds,
ginning of Operations Early in the Sum-
mer of 1S9S-Attempted Land Grab
bing Under the Reservoir Act.
Washington, July 16.-"All 1 can
say in the matter of an investigation
of pension affa1rs,'' said Mr. H. B. Case,
of the pension committee of the G. A.
r. yesterday, sis that the comrades of
the Grand Army will be glad to read
our report and rejoice at our investiga-
tion." Beyond that he politely but
firmly declined to talk. He did say,
however, there was no truth in the
published statement that each member
of the committee would make a sepa-
rate report, and from these the report
of the committee would be made.
The desire of the committee to prevent
the anticipation of its report had led
to compact among the members not
to discuss the subject at all. Every
thing had been carefully inquired into
and the investigation had been thor
ough. There is little doubt expressed
as to the entire vindication of Commits
sioner Evans by the committee from
the attacks made upon him. Every
thing in the shape of a complaint was
looked into and the files of the pension
bureau were thrown open to inspec-
tion.
Particular cases where the commits
sioner had been criticised were called
up and chiefs of divisions were called
upon for explanation of certain action
by the bureau. Not single instance
was shown where Commissioner Evans
could be called to account. His action
In cases, some of them apparently
harsh, was found to be directly in line
with instructions from the interior de-
partment, and it was plainly shown
that all of the important rulings which
had been the subject of such violent
attack originated with the secretary of
the interior. There is no concealment
of the fact that the committee will en-
deavor to have the secretary of the in
terror change some of his rulings and
amend some of the rules of the prac-
tice. There will be another meeting
OF the committee next month, when
the report will be agreed upon. 1t
will be presented at the national en-
campment, which meets in Philadel-
phia early in September.
Casualties In the Philippines.
Washington, July 16.-The prospec-
tive early return of some of the regi-
ments of volunteers that have been
fighting in the Philippines give addi-
tional interest to a resume of the casu-
alties in the insular campaigns. Full
records of the losses by death, wounds,
sickness and otherwise, since the be-
ginning of operations there early in
the summer of 1895, show that the Min
nesota regiment was most susceptible
to the baneful influences of the
tropical climate, "a of these volunteers
having expired in the hospitals up to
the Fourth of July. Oregon was next,
with "a. and Nebraska third, losing 81
men from sickness. The Nebraska
regiment lost more men killed in action
than any other organization engaged,
except the Fourteenth infantry,
26 members losing their lives at the
front from that state, against IS of the
regulars.
A comparative showing of the regi-
ments which lost heavily, as compiled
from the official reports. is as follows:
Killed-Fourteenth infantry 80; Ore
gon, IA; Nebraska, 26; Pennsylvania,
13; Kansas, o5; Eighteenth infantry,
13; South Dakota, 25; Montana, IL;
Washington, 10; Twenty-second in
fantry, 9; Third artillery, 10. Wounded
Nebraska, 1872; Montana, 1872; Kan
sas, 124; Washington, 100; Third ar
tillery, 93; South Dakota, 81; Mime
sofa, so; Oregon, 76; Pennsylvania, 50;
Twenty infantry, 67; Califor-
MIA, Sc.
Exclusive of the deaths on the trans
ports, the total number of men to lose
their lives in the Philippine war was
693. OF this number, $50 were killed or
succumbed to wounds or disease. The
number wounded in action was 1881.
Five committed suicide; one, the colonel
OF the Tennessee regiment, died of
apoplexy in an engagement, and 10
were accidentally drowned In detail.
the report, from June 80, 1898, when
the first military expedition landed at
Cavite, to July 4, 1899, shows the fol.
lowing casualties: Deaths-Killed in
action, 2s3; drowned, 10; accidental
deaths, IA; suicides, S; apoplexy. l:
sickness, 275; wounds, 80. Total deaths,
6s9. Others-Woundded, 1851; miss
ing, f. Total casualties, 2,2S4.
Land Grabbing Under Reservoir Act.
Washington, July 16. = Secretary
Hitchcock has applied vigorous check
to the attempted land grabbing under
what is known as the reservoir act.
put through the last congress. This
act authorizes any person to go upon
arid or semi-arid land and construct
reservoirs for watering stock. Under
the provisions, title is acquired to a
tract of land on which the reser.
voir is constructed. The person build
ing a reservoir and thus ac
quiring title is obliged to permit
the use of the reservoir to the general
public for stock watering. Senator
Pettigrew is the author of the bill.
Recently attention was drawn to re-
ports that certain persons in the west
were taking up quarter sections under
the act in such numbers as to indicate
that a very encouraging opportunity
for land grabbing had been found
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