The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-06-29

sion is a worthy one. He was a brick
mason by trade and one day, while
mixing mortar, he fell from scaffold,
with the hot mortar following after
him and, just as he glanced up to see
what was about to strike him, the
burning stuff went into his eyes and
burned the sight out OF both of them
forever.
He has no property in this world,
was deprived of a means of making
his living, offered his blood for the
stars and stripes when the roll of the
nations drum sounded from shore to
shore in an appeal for volunteers, and
now-now that he is blind and poor
and old and helpless-he has appealed
and his comrades of Mathewson post,
Grand Army Of the Republic, have ap-
pealed in vain, time after time, to
Congressman Mccarthy, this districts
representative, for the granting of a
pension which would be an aid to this
sightless soldier in his declining and
very lonely years.
But all beseaching of the old sol
diers of Norfolk to their congressman
for help in this pltiful case, has met
with cold-blooded Indifference.
And while Mr.. Mccarthy is busy
boasting about his wonderful achieve
ments in congress, though he admits
that pensions and rural routes are all
that he has ever even attempted, this
Norfolk soldier, in dire need of help
from the government that he helped
to maintain, continues to wait day af-
ter day, week after week and, indeed,
year after year, for any letter to come
from Washington offering him the as.
sistance which he so badly needs and
so richly deserves.
In the congress before this one, an
appeal was made to Congressman Nc
that a pension be secured in proper
tion to the disability. No pension was
secured.
When the present session of con.
gress convened, a brother of Mr.. Mills,
who lives at Laurel, wrote to Con-
gressman Mccarthy, asking him to
do something for the Norfolk blind
soldier, and it is said that Mr.. McCar-
thy promised to introduce a bill and
push it.
The matter ran along from month
to month and no word came in regard
to the desired pension. At last the
G. A. r. post in Norfolk took up the
matter at a meeting held in Norfolk
and passed resolutions something like
this:
Resolved, That the commander and
adjutant be appointed committee to
write to Congressman Mccarthy and
inquire what has been done toward
securing a pension for Comrade Rob-
ert Mills"
Rev. j. c. S. WELLS, pastor of Trim
ity Episcopal church in Norfolk, is
commander of the post. w. H. Vida
man is adjutant. Commander WELLS,
as chairman of the committee, wrote
to Congressman Mccarthy and asked
for information in regard to what had
been done on the matter.
Did Congressman Mccarthy reply,
with the desired information? Not
he. The statesman from Ponca did
not even grant the courtesy of reply
to the inquiry of Commander Wells
to this day has received not one word
from the representative. That letter
was written long ago.
But the brazen feature of it all was
what Mr.. Mccarthy did do Having
assured the blind soldiers brother
that he would introduce bill for a
pension for Mr. Mills, it was naturally
supposed that at least some steps had
been taken toward that end by the
busy congressman who was down at
drawing $4,000 per year
for that purpose.
But not SO. After the Ponca politi-
clan had received the letter from
Commander Wells, instead of reply
ing to the writer as common decency
would require, Mccarthy paid no at
tention to the commander, and wrote
to Mr.. Widaman, whom he knew per-
sonally, asking for an affidavit show.
ing that Mills has no property, and
not mentioning in any way any ac.
tion on the pension, nor any previous
interest in it.
The post here has interpreted the
letter to Mr.. Widaman as an indica-
ton that nothing whatever has been
done by Mr.. Mccarthy toward secur-
ing the pension that is needed for this
blind veteran in Norfolk.
And so Veteran Robert Mills, whose
life is one of darkness and who is
rendered by an unfortunate Fate un-
able TO make n dollar for himSelf Ioolx