Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-19
HARD LUCK STORIES.
Told by Men Who Have Claims


 Against the Government.
 Especial Washington Letter.l
 r7 LA1MANTS for justice before X V congress usually have a hard " row to hoe. The congress bends its best energies upon national affairs, so that individuals have hard time ln their endeavors to attract attention to themselves and their claims. It is the same old story, year after year.
 Some of the claimants, in fact ma iority of them, deserve the legislation which they vainly seek through the passing years. But there are many who come here as freaks seeking to tap the treasury till with very slender founda- ton for their pretenses of a claim upon the blindfoided goddess.
 The man who was arrested because he looked as much like John H. Surratt as a twin brother, and who appealed to congress for S1UO.0Oo damages, after five years of patient waiting, gave up his fight.
 The story is strange one. In June, 1865, John George Ryan, then living in Memphis. Tenn, but now residing ln Chicago, was arrested by provost mar shal and conveyed as prisoner to the old Capitol prison in this city "under strong guard and with hands and feet heavily chained" Then he was taken to prison in Vicksburg, where 'heavv balls and chains were cold welded on his legs and he was staplad down to the floor of a solitary cell" He had h idea why he was arrested, although while coming through Harris burg. on his way to Washington, his guard showed him a paper in which the arrest. of Surratt was announced with great headlines. One Of the experiences Of the eventful journey was thus graphically and even spasmodically described in MT. Ryan's petition:
 At Baltimore a very large crowd had gathered al the depot, and many members of t used very vulgar language to your pc titioner.
 And cursed,
 And threatened him SaVa Sely, and nc doubt would have
 Fatally assaulted him if it were not fer the presence of his escort and the friendly action of some of the bystanders.
 The situation being so serious.
 Ard feeling that his lifr would be at tempted, your petitioner shouted
 That he not the person that the pa pers said Ee was,
 But was John c. Ryan, confederate c soldier on parole.
 In a style, which is thus combi- nation of Victor Hugo and Walt Whit man. Mr. Ryan relates the incidents of his arrest and imprisonment, even to his desperate encounter with rat in the midnight watches of his solitary confinement II was not until 1885 that he learned. through an official letter from Secretary Endicott. that he had l. l~<, to have been John il. Surratt. Three years later, through Sena tor Farwell, he presented his petition for damages, with the almost pathetic assertion that he would have done so sooner but for his belief that congress would prompt ly do him justice whenever he brought the facts to public attention.
 That man was an atom ia the ocean of claimants. No one gave him sym pathy, and few gave him attention. He is merely mentioned as sample of a class. The writer, like all others who have become accustomed to these eases, does not even give Ryan's memory a moment of pathos or regret. Thus, you see. the people here become unconscious ly hardened on these subjects. Any senator would willingly give any claim ant a fye-dollar bill rather than give the time to listen to his tale of woe. Any ordinary newspaper man would cheerfully give a quarter to q tramp rather than listen to the story of a claimant. They are all so earnest, and each one believes that the government is willing to do him justice. That is true. too. But the government 0eye, hears his story.
 There's the rub. The government is so complex, and the innocent, earnest claimants ignorant. ThiEis truthful. " said of hundreds Of claimants whC are men and women of education and refinement. For. when it comes to tackling the government, right here in it's home, the claimant is ignorant, densely ignorant. This is a rule to which there seems to be no exception The reason of it is that every claiman, is human and natura-; while the aver. age politician is inhunanly unnatural. ly selfish, and has no time to look after the interests of others. except when do- ing so benefits the politician And the aggregate politician is our govern ment.
 The easiest way is the best way" is the motto and maxim of all politicians Therefore, when they are cornereG by q claimant, they sit and listen to the tale of wee, just as they have listened to scores of others. They are seldom cornered. Occasionally a claimant comes here with a letter Of introduc lion to congressman from a county chairman CT other prominent poi tician. He gets an audience on that l letter. The congressman receives him politely, listens with interest to his story, tells the claimant that he has ! good case and that he will help him. 1 The claimant goes to his boarding | house and tells his acquaintances there that he has the support of Congress ! man So-and-So, and is bound to win. He goes often to see the congressman, but always is informed that ''he has just gone to the white house." or some where else. He writes letters to the ! congressman, and receives letters in ! reply, stating that the bill is intro