Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-08-10
the error Of a newspaper article noticing

gentleman rs non0faDle anu 10 tIust-
worthy as he or any other man.
Let me contrast his virtuous indigna-
ton. over this matter with his course
toward me and my record.
After had investigated the manage
ment of the pension office and placed on
record over 1000 pages of printed testi-
mony showing where and how pension
frauds ARE committed, and had driven
Green B. Raum out OF the office of pen
sion commissioner for corruption In Of
flee, after Mr.. O'Neal, of Massachusetts,
in reporting the pension appropriation
bill to the house, had declared to the
house that his committee had been en-
abled to reduce the appropriation for the
next year $4,000, 900 by the fight made
for an honest pension roll and after Com
missioner Lochran had turned back into
the treasury $l5,000,000 of the money
appropriated for the current year, saved
by the fight on fraudulent pensions
which | inauguraied and conducted, as
Speaker Crisp has told you, Mr.. Sims
went all over this district four and six
years ago md told the people that there
was nothing In the pension question.
That it was all humbug and buncombe
that Enloe got up to keep his seat in Con-
gress. He was sent to Congress and was
put on the committee on pensions, a
place they would not allow any man to
occupy who was not friend to the pas
sage of private pension bills.
For three years he remained there, and
was silent on the pension question. The
record shows he only attended two ses-
sions in that time, as he appeared In The
Record. Where was he? Until |
announced myself candidate last
December, his voice was not heard on the
pension question. In February last he
made speech In Congress indorsing H..
Clay Evans, the Republican commits
sloner of pensions, as u statesman and a
patriot for fighting fraudulent pensions,
and said we ought to stand by him.
Fellow citizens, what sort OF chop logic
is it that makes it humbug aud buncombe
In Gus Enloe,s Democrat. to fight fraudu-
lent pensions, and makes the same thing
craftsmanship and patriosm in II. Clay
Evans, a Republican? Then Mr.. Sims
made speech in Congress for his con.
stituents, showing that the soldiers Of the
East and of the North and West are hun
grier for pensions than those Of the South,
and he appealed to the people of the
South to send men there to fight the pen
sion evil. Then he went up to the house
and gave us II sample OF his lighting
qualities They brought up bills, to
which he objected, and he criticized them
and said they ought not to pass, but
when he had 1t in bis power 10 defeat them
by demanding quorum, he got up and
boosted on the floors of Congress that he
never had and never would make the
point of no quorsm against private pen
1 Ssn bill. On the 18th of May private
pension bill passed for the benefit Of one
Dinsmore. The proof showed that yea 6
month was all he could take under thu
law, but they gave him $79 a month. /,
total disability rate Of the highest grade
The proof showed that this man was a
the time clerk In the Interior department
drawing salary Of 1900 year. ant
thai he was drawing salary OF 81 200 I
year in addition as clerk to a Congress
man. About two weeks after the bill
passed and the treasury had been rob
bed for the benefit of pinsmore, Mr.
Sims found 1t out, and he got up ant
made speech against the bill that passed
two weeks before. WHY didn't he de
feat the bill at the time? He was alb
sent, but II he had been present he would
have allowed 1t to pass because he say,
he never has and never will make tn,
point OF no quorum against private
pension bill. will tell you how il Is
fellow. citizens. Private pension bills ar
introduced to place men on the pension
rolls WHO are not able to get Commits
sioner Evansl ] mention him becaus
you know him. to give them pensions
J under the law. In other words. they ar
not entitled to pensions under the won
derfully liberal pension laws we nov
have. The bills are introduced by mem
bers who understand that securing pen
sion for the applicant secures a vote O
votes for the member. They are referre
to the pension committee, made up @
. the friends of such legislation. They al
reported, the reports being often write
: by the author of the bills. They 60 o
: the calendar, and under the rules thu
, have prevailed until just before this Cor
{ gress adjourned, they were taken up fo
consideration at special pension sessio
? on Friday night, when no other bushes
) was allowed to be considered. Onl
! those who had such bills attended til
{ pension sessions. Any member who ol
{ jected could stop the legislation by d,
, handing a quorum. One objectio
, would brake up the session II persistent
, pressed. 1t was regular log-rollin
business.
| "Y0u let my bill pass without an
I objection, and l will not object to yours
So the doors ofthe treasury stood wide O
, en,eyery Friday night, and the log-rollel