The news & observer., 1900-10-28

pension bills for widows of the Revo-
lutionary war, which closed in ltS0.
Only two or three weeks ago l saw IN
the newspapers where one of those
widows whom | helped to pension in
1893 had just died. That state OF al
fairs was a great mystery to me at
first, and 1 determined to fathom it
how those widows had come down 10
US from the past century-and l sue
ceeded in the investigation. The way
it comes about is this: A soldier of the
Philippine war, now IS years old, lives
to be 90 and becomes a widower. He
marries him a wife 10 years old, and
she lives to be 90. She will be draw
ing pension 147 years from now! And
she will be drawing pension after we
and our children and our grandchildren
are gathered to our fathers! OF course
this is an extreme case, but that
great many of them approXimated this
condition is the only way to account
for those Revolutionary widows who
are still living.
AS matter of fact, if Revolution
ary soldier was Is years old in 1888,
the last year of the war, and lived to
be 70, then married girl Is years old
who lived to be 75, she would still be
drawing a pension up to the present
day. l do not believe that either the
veterans of the civil war or the tax
payers are in favor of fastening on the
backs of three generations of our de-
scendants large pension debt grow
ing out of q war whose results will be
a curse to us instead of blessing even
if we succeed in it.
Senator Chandler In Trouble.
The New Hampshire state railroad
trust has declared war on Senator
Chandler Republican, and has Joined
hands with Senator Gallinger to pre-
vent Chambers reelection. 1t is per-
tinent here to recall the fact that these
two senators had bitter quarrel a
few months ago in which the feathers
flew to some extent.
William E. Chandler was selected by
President Lincoln 35 years ago to probe
and prosecute in the case of the Phila-
delphia navy yard frauds. He is one
of the few remaining relics Of the Lin
coin style of Republicanism and is now
linger railroad trust gang of political
buzzards, all because Chandler is the
kind of bimetallist that the Repub-
lican party declared itself to be in it's
1896 platform and because he opposes
trusts.
Chandler was a leading Republican,
the friend of Lincoln, when Hanna
was making his pile by hook or crook,
when Roosevelt was in school, and
has for years, like Schurz and John B.
Henderson. stood as one of the few re-
naming representatives of what Re-
publicanism was in it's best estate, be-
fore Mark Hanna and his evil days
came. Schurz and Henderson have
turned their backs on Hanna and his
flock OF cormorants-they have walked
out and closed the door forever. Chan
dler has seen the fall of all that was
good in the party Of Lincoln, like
leaves in wintry weather." Will he
remain in the Republican party as now
constituted? 1t does seem to me that
he will be mighty lonesome there.
still They Come.
Mr.. Bryan has been touring Indiana.
speaking as only he can speak, endur-
ing q physical strain that would kill
FitZsimmons or Corbett and making
friends and votes by the thousand.
Gus Thomas, the playwright-the man
who wrote "In MiZZoura''- been
with him and says the plain people
throng to the car steps merely to touch
his garments. as the Jud9ans locked
in the footsteps of the Nazarene.
In one day Bryan visited nine coun-
ties around Indianapolis and made IL
speeches of considerable duration. At
Richmond eX-Congressman Henry U.
Johnson, who, with Thomas b. Reed.
constituted the brainiest pair of Re-
publicans in congress since Blaine
died, presided at the meeting. 1t will
be remembered that Johnson refused
denomination at the hands of the Re-
publicans and declared for Bryan. And
still they come through the woods!