Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-02
Ohio Society Of Frisco Wants the
President.
INVITATION TO BANQUET GIVEN TODAY
A Petition for Reimbursement d
Colored Men Presented.
SOME OF TODAY'S CALLERS

! The President had so few callers today
hours for walk. accompanied by Secre-
| tary Cortelyou. He likes a stroll when the
air is crisp and bracing.
The President received a visitor who has
travelled $500 miles to extend an invitation
and who. when he returns, will have COW
ered 1.ooo miles The caller was ex-State
senator Gleaves. now surveyor general of
the United States for California Mr..
GieaVes came all the way from California
for no other purpose or business than to
invite the President to attend a banquet of
the Ohio Society of California when he goes
to that state in May next. Mr.. Gleaves was
sent on by the Ohio society. The banquet
Will take place A day or so after the launch
ing of the battle ship Ohio. on May 1s.
The President accepted the invitation The
exact date Of the banquet which will be a
big affair. will be determined later
The Presidents proposed trip to the Pa
clnc coast has been well advertised that
towns and cities throughout the south and
west are flooding the White House with in
Vltations to secure his presence.
Representative Slayden of Texas visited
the President and gave him a hearty invi-
tation to stop at San Antonio Texas, on
his way to the coast. The President said
he would be glad to accept the invitation If
the matter could be arranged. The Pres
ldent has been asked to stop at Austin also
and will try to go there.
Petition for Reimbursement
A petition was presented at the White
House today by local colored people asking
the President to recommend that Congress
reimburse class of colored men who
served in the quartermaster and commits
sary departments in the civil war. The De-
tition reads:
I'VE. the undersigned. eX-employes Of the
quartermaster and commissary departments
Of the Army of the Republic during the war
of 1S61-65 do respectfully request you to
call the attention of Congress to the fact
that $5.25 per month deducted from our
pay while in the service, for the alleged
purpose of aiding contra bands and to main
tain hospital for sick colored employees of
said departments, and that said fund is
claimed to have been collected by various
officers under an order of the Secretary of
War, dated May 81, 1862, and to have been
accounted for by Col Elias NJ. Green and
others
I'VE do not believe that any law can be
found which authorized the issuance of
such order for the collection of said money
Congress did at no time authorize action
applying to the deduction of money from
the pay of colored employees alone for any
specific purpose or purposes. No fund for
such hospital or to aid contrabands
authorized by act Of Congress at any time:
therefore We have respectfully requested
you to lay the same before Congress- in or
der that it may look into the merit of our
claims, and pass a law refunding said
money to all claimants who can properly
authenticate their claims by such evidence
as may be required.
IF Congress had passed a law creating a
hospital for sick persons in said service 1t
would have made an appropriation for the
support of the same. If 1t had taxed part
Of the people to support contra bands or the
alleged hospital it would have taxed all Of
the people
LAS this class of persons who served their
country during the late civil war between
the states are not provided for by the pen
sion laws. we hope that their claims will re-
ceive due attention"
The petition presented by delega-
ton composed of ]. w. Poe, Rev. James
Young, VIM. ]. Bullman, NJ. Payne, Dan
iel CAN'T. John Brown. Virginia Anderson,
John Wallace, Catherine Buckner, Annie
A. Mason and Mary Golden.
A bill authorizing a return of money was
introduced in Congress four five years
ago. but was not ted upon.
The President had long talk with Sena-
tor Spooner regarding legislative matters.
He also had talks with Senators Warren
and Hale.