Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1900-05-10

/ UltnUCL VI A--N
j. X. JONES House of Repre-
sentatives in 1881. He served two terms
in the lower house, and then was ad-
vanced TO the Senate, of which ne has
/ been u member fourteen years. Senator
Jones is a Mississippian by birth, but
since boyhood has lived at Washington,
Hampstead County, Ark. He served as
| private in the Confederate army
throughout the war, and at its close went
| back to the humble life of planter. AT
| the age of 81 he began the practice or
| law and at the same time entered politics,
| being elected to the State Senate III 1878.
| He was president of that body during one
term. He has long beens regarded as the
most influential man in Arkansas poll
tics.
| -Four widows of revolutionary veterans
are still on the pension roll, although the
war of the revolution ended 12O years
ago. They range in age from So to 90.
| Seven daughters of revolutionary soldiers
| are still drawing pensions. OF the $685.
| 100000 which has been paid in revOlu-
| tionary pensions $20,00000O was drawn
! by widows. One penSioned survivor OF
| the war of 1912 remains. He is Hiram
| Cronk, 80 years old, and his home IS in
northwestern New York The last pen
| stoned soldier of the revolution did not
| die until 1869. He was 100 years 8
months and s days old. He lived in Free
| dom, \. Y. More widows than soldiers
| of the war of 1912 were pensioned. In
! that war 296,916 soldiers served sixty
| days or more. The pensioned were 3d.
| 600 soldiers and 81 900 widows. To the
| sole survivor Of the war of 1912 the Gov
ernment is now paying $193 a year, and
| to widows of that war 1898, ,097. To Mex
lean veterans the payments now are ST.
| 107, ,594, and to widows of Mexican war
soldiers, $S1S,067. On the Union side the
| enlistments for the civil war were 2,778,-
| 394. OF these there died in service 349,-
| 944. The pensions paid on account Of
the civil war amount to $1,000 900, 900,
and there are now on the pension rolls
991, ,519 veterans and widows. The PEN
/ siOners who died last year numbered A.
O66. At. the rate the veterans are dying,
it is estimated, there will be q reduction
of the pensions to $SO,00O,0O0 in the next
fifteen years, a little more than one-half
of the present annual appropriation.
Since the present system of money was
adopted in 1866 the United States has is
sued a grand total of $S, ,152, ,621, ,10S in
United States notes, treasury notes, gold,
silver and currency certificates and other
forms of paper currency, of which ST.
25O, ,6S3, ,4S9 has been presented for re-
demption, leaving outstanding S901, ,937,-
619. How much Of this money is actually
in circulation, and what proportion of it
has been permanently lost, worn out or
destroyed can only be conjectured. United
States notes or greenbacks have been is
sued to the amount of $2,997. .1S9, ,S0S and
s., $50, sos, 1872 has been presented for re-
demptiOn, leaving $346, ,6S1 ,016 outstand-
ing. The latter sum is daily reported to
be the amount of greenbacks in circula-
tion, but, striking an average in the opin-
ions of the treasury experts as TO the
amount lost and destroyed, the actual
value of greenbacks outstanding is not
more than $500, 600, 900, and is growing
smaller every year.
Speaker Henderson wears a wooden leg
and uses a heavy walking stick He was
wounded at the battle of Shiloh. and the
injured leg was cut off on the battlefield
to save his life. The surgeons made a bad
job of it, the wound never healed and
the Speaker has been subjected to four
operations upon the stump since, the last
about two years ago. On that occasion
he declined to take ether and sat upon
the operating table directing the sur
geons. As the three former operations
had been unsuccessful, he was determin-
ed that the fourth attempt should not fail
md bic 4, L
suits, because the stump has troubled
him less since the operation was perform
ed.
AT the close of the last fiscal year there
were 2,617 railway mail routes. of total
length of 17G, 1865 miles, over which
the mail cars Travelled that year 2S7. .5g1.-
269.21 miles. The Government paid for
the railway postoffice cars S4.17J. 724.S6.
and for the transportation of the mails
$31, ,942, ,150.SS, or total to the railroads
Of S36,117 ,S15.74, which was an average
of 1212 cents per mile for transportation
and postal cars combined, o.. ~ cents
mile for the cars alone
Congressman King, the successor OF
+ Brigham Ii. Roberts of Utah. who was
not permitted to take his seat in Con-
gress on the ground that he was a big
amist, has undertaken to convince his col
leagues that his predecessor should be
recOmpenSed for certain of his disburse-
ments made in the endeayor to obtain
his seat.
The labor bureau has completed a very
important investigation bearing upon the
subject Of trusts and the effect Of the
consolidation Of industries upon wages.
The results will be published in the July
bulletin. Detailed and accurate informa-
ton has been obtained of the variation in
wages paid to the different trades from
1880 to the 1st of January, 1900. The
report wiz be very interesting and valu-
able contribution to the discussion now
going on.