Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-02
DESERVES INCREASE
Sad Story Of Gen. A. B. SpurI-
ing's Financial Reverses.
Gen. chas. Haywood Will Probabl,
Be Made a Major General.
Gov. Dole Of Hawaii Daily Expected
Gov. Powers Speech.


floor of the House few days ago,
when a bill to pension Gen. Andrew
y. Squirting at the rate of $50 a month
was passed. He was lieutenant colonel
of the % Maine Cavalry. but now re-
sides in Chicago. A bill was offered
TO give him a pension of 500 a month
in lieu of what he is now receiving
$3.50 a month-but during considera-
ton in committee this amount was
made $50. However, when the bill was
being considered on the floor of the
House. Representative Boutwell, of
Chicago, made a statement of Gen.
Spurling's financial condition, at which
the House Immediately agreed to in
crease the pension to $50 a month.
1t was stated on the floor that Gen.
Squirting, who served at different times
with both the 1st and I'd Maine Caval-
ry, and who was honorably discharged
with the brevet rank of brigadier gen.
eral, is now 20 years old. In the last
is months he has been twice paralyZed
and is now entirely helpless. During
the financial depression of 1894 he lost
all his property. Prior to that time
he had invested all his means in
property at Elgin, near where the
watch factories are. Real estate values
suddenly slumped and he lost all he
had by the foreclosure of mortgages.
Men who We're indebted to Gen. Spurl-
ing failed to pay him and this left him
in very hard straits.
There was great willingness to in
crease the amount of his pension when
these facts became known to the House
and it was stated that the committee
would gladly have increased the
amount had all the facts been placed
before them. There is little doubt that
the bill will pass the Senate at an early
day and that this veteran of the Maine
Cavalry will be given enough pension
so that he will not be in immediate
want. He was wounded four times,
twice by gun shot or pistol shot, once
by sabre cut and once by falling off
u bridge.
The House committee on naval af-
fairs a few days ago took up the dis
cussion of bill to make Gen. Charles
Haywood of Waterville, formerly. but
now commandant of the Marine Corps,
Il major general. 1t is probable that
such a bill will pass at this session
of Congress. The secretary of the navy
has recommended an increase of 1900
men in the force of the Marine Corps,
which will put under the commandant
Il force of something like 1000 men.
much more than brigadier general
is usually given to command.
Gen. Haywood, who has just returned
from a trip of inspection at Dry Tortu-
gas, has brilliant military record. His
father before him, whose native town
was Waterville, served as Il naval Of
ficer many years. Gen. Heywood's
mother came from Waterville to Wash
ington during the Civil War and per-
suaded President Lincoln to appoint
her son as a lieutenant in the Marine
Corps. He served with Farragut and
was in the midst of the fighting in
Hampton Roads at the time of the bat
tie between the Monitor and the Mer-
rimac.
The efficiency of the Marine Corps,
today, is largely due to his careful Or
ganization and drilling of it. Congress
all but made him Il major general when
the bill for the reorganization of the
navy and Marine Corps passed. 1t was
a captious objection at a critical time
in the life of the measure which pre-
vented this particular clause from
passing.
Within Il few days now, Gov. Dole
of Hawaii, whose parents came from
the Kcnnebec valley, is expected in
town. The Hawaiian colony here are
waiting his; coming with much eXpec-
fancy. The islands are hotbed of pO-
litical strife and hardly one Hawaiian
here is in accord with any one of his
associates. The indications are that
President Roosevelt will want some
, other man to be governor, who can
plaCatc the factions, but there are
powerful influences at work to keep
Gov. Dole in office. He has done q
vast work for the civilization of the
islands and even his opponents do not
question his honesty and high stand
ards of dealing with public questions
T.. NJ. Briggs of Lewiston, while here
last week purchased a fine residence on
Yale street, Mount Pleasant. as an in
vestment. This is in one of the acces-
sblc suburbs of the city, which was
founded by Mr.. Brown, native of
Bluehill Me-, who used to be a mem
Der of the Maine Legislature and q
friend of Hannibal Hamlin in the days
before he came down to Washington,
where he held many prominent local
offices.
The Maine holdings in Washington
realty are quite large. The constant
and steady rise of values here, with
only occasional depression, have made
Washington a popular field for inves-
tors in houses. People in Portland own
quite number of houses here, which
rent for good prices. Some Bangor peo-
pie also have realty holdings here.
Many Republicans have come to ex-
Gov. Powers to thank him for his
speech on the election contest of Rhea
and Moss from Kentucky. Some of
them tell the Governor he saved the day
for the Republican contestant and that
otherwise the Democrat, who was well
known in the House and generally
liked, would have held his seat. The
Republicans who managed the contest
did not handle it altogether satisfacto-
rily. but when Gov Powers got time
TO speak he set forth the conditions 81
plainly that he made votes from the
doubling Thomases.
Representative F. c. Stevens of ST.
Paul, Rockland boy, is one of the
members of the subcommittee of the
committee on military affairs. which