The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-10-03
THAT OESERTER BILL
Mr.. Simmons Turns Lighton
PritChard's Claims.
Never Acquesced In il and Has no Recollection
Ut Being Present When Pri:chard
thought He Made Speech.

me Win reference TO the various ana sun
dry statements that Senator Pritchard is
making with reference to his attitude
towards the Pritchard deser.er pension
bill. Senator Simmons said tha- Senator
Pritchard, in his desperate efforts TO cs-
cape the wrath and condemnation of the
people, was making some very remark
able statements concerning himself and
the rules of procedure of the Senate
In his first reference to this matter,
Senator Pritchard said | was silent when
this bill passed. In his next reference
he warmed up a little and said he pre-
sumed | acquiesced in his bill In his
next reference the Senator went a step
further and said that ! had acquiesccd,
or at least the newspapers have so re-
ported him. At this rate of progress.
how long will it be before the Senator
VIII have me speaking for his pill and
voting for it? There would be about as
much foundation for this statement as
there is for the inference drawn by the
Senator as above stated"
Now Senator Pritchard' must know
that / did not acquiesce in his bin and
that ] do not acquiesce in it, and that
failure to vote in the Senate when the
bill was under consideration, even if /
were present would not justify any such
inference In the next place, it would
seem impossible that he believes that all
the Southern Senators are in ia or of
the bill, or that they acquicsce il 1t.
Senator Pritchard knows when there is
a favorable report from the committee,
as there was on this bill. there IS very
seldom a roll call or division upon a
nom political question, and that very fire.
quently when such a bill is put upon it's
passage but few Senators vote either
for or against it, and the whole thing is
merely proforma. Senators who are oppos-
ed to such bills generally know that OPP
position will be futile, and they do not
take up the time of the Senate, either
in demanding a roll call or in opposing
it. Nothing, I think, is better under
stood in the Senate than that no such
inference as Senator Pritchard draws s
to he drawn from the proforma failure of
Senators to demand a roll call or, when
there is proforma vote, to actually
vote. Any other rule would make 1t ne
cessary for Senators to be constantly in
their seats and ON their guard to see that
they were either recorded against every
measure that they disapproVed, or that
their opposition to it was actually an
ncuncAd in order to exclude the inference
that they acquesced in the measure
1.-THE newspaper report of the joint de-
bate between Mr.. Craig and Senator
PriLchard at Greensboro represents the
Senator as saying that his deserter bill
IL
that | could have objected and prevent
cd its passage. 1 cannot believe Sena-
ter Pritchard is correctly quoted, be-
acuse the Senator knows so we'll that in
the Senate when unanimous consent is
asked, if there is objection, a vote can
be Immediately taken upon the motion
to consider the bill, notwithstanding the
objection, and that this is a common
practice in the Senate.
Senator Pritchard said in substance
in his speech at Raleigh that when his
bill was up and while he was speaking
away as hard as he could for the bill
he looked across the aisle and saw me
in my seat. and the Hon. E w. Pou sit
ting by my side. The Congressional Re-
cord reports everything a Senator says
upon the floor, and here is what the Re-
cord represents Senator Pritchard as say
ing at the time his bill was called VI
and put upon it's passage. l give every
word of it. so that it may be seen how
strenuously the Senator was speaking al
the time he said he looked across tho
aisle and saw Mr. Pou and myself:
Mr. Pritchard. 1 understand that the
Joint resolution Is. r. 81 constituting The
act approved June q, 1890, entitled "Ar
act granting pensions to soldiers anC
sailors who are incapacitated for the per.
Torrance of manual labor, and providing
for pensions to widows, minor children
and dependent parents was passed over
| should like to have it considered at this
| time THE Senator may call this F.;
speech, but l do not
Now 1 have talked with Mr.. Pot
about this matter, and neither he no.
myself have any recollection of being
present at the time of the passage of thu
bill or hearing Senator Pritchard address
| the Senate at that time, and until | eX
amined the Congressional Record, I sup
posed this bill was passed during thu
| last few days of the session"
Upon examination of the Record
| find that the vote was taken upon this
| bill on Saturday and that that day haC
| beer set apart for the consideration o
pensions and eulogies upon the late Sen
| ator Kyle and | am certain | was NO
present during the delivery of any eulogy
upon the death of Senator Kyle IN
| deed, 1 did not hear a eulogy during tr'
whole session. And, as l took but littiC
| interest III pension bills, because these
bills We're generally in the hands of tn,
! congressman or Senator Pritchard, who
was a member of the Committee on Pen
sions. l seldom remained in the Senate
when these bills were being considered
Since Senator Pritchard's statement, be
fore quoted, that / was present wher ht
made his speech upon this bill, | have
said several times that l had no recol-
lection of hearing the Senator's bill reat
in the Senate or of hearing him make any
speech upon the bill except when he Of
fered it as an amendment to the genera
pension bill, and that ] did remember
that at that time, after his amendment
had been ruled out upon point Of order
he made a threat that there would be
but little more pension legislation if he
could prevent it, until some bill slmi-
lar IN hiS was naSsed Today have eX-