The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-05-30

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part of the Washington, is neither
a day Of rest Eor Of religious OBJ
servance. Government officials
are constantly engaged in unneces-
sary Sunday labor; building con-
tractors uninterruptedly fulfill
their contracts and storekeepers
without let or hindrance, open
their stores.
simultaneously while these are
toiling at business tasks, others
by thousands are toiling for pleas
ure. Dinner parties and recep-
tions are being more and more
given on Sunday. Golf is claim
ing an ever-increasing number of
votaries, while Sunday riding and
driving is many times greater than
on weekdays. Even the morning
hours of Sunday, heretofore sacr ed
to divine service, are now devoted,
IN certain quarters, to breakfasts
at which as many as 200 or 500
have sat down. Theatres are gen.
erously patronized and all sorts of
amusement are in full swing.
Whether the city officials or the
Representatives in Congress who
have the city of Washington un-
der their supervision, are to blame
for some of the existing conditions
is not stated, but now the clergy
have so loudly protested it is likely
that a part of the evils will be
routed out.
Hundreds of thousands of Civil
War veterans who have filed APP
plications for pensions under the
new service pension law, will be
disappointed in the long delay
that must necessarily result in their
cases receiving attention, due to
the rush of work in the govern
ment Pension Bureau. The law
was enacted at the last session of
Congress and is now less than
ninety days old, yet the applica-
tions for pensions under it already
exceeded by nearly 100, 900, total
estimated benefciaries. The rusk
OF applications has swept the force
of the Pension Office off its feet
and the applications are coming in
at the rate of 5000 day with no
signs of let-up. So far $4,000
have been received and the clerks
have barely had time to file them
without attempting to pass on
their respective merits. The cler-
ical force is being pushed to the
limit and several new bureaus have
been established.
When the demand for a pension
from every soldier who served
ninety days in the Union Army
became SO insistent that Congress
could no longer ignore it, request
was made of the Commissioner of
Pensions for an estimate as to the
probable cost OF such law The
Commissioner put his experts at
work, and after studying the pen
sion rolls informed Congress that
provision for 1884, 900 benehciaries
would be ample and that he figur-
ed the yearly cost as $4,000, 900.
Evidently the Commissioner was
mistaken in his calculations, for
figuring on the basis of the 325 900
claims already, the total yearly dis
bursement out ofthe Treasury will
be more than SIS, 200, 900.
The Pension Office officials have
not had time to examine many
claims, so it is impossible to state
at this period what proportion will
be allowed, but there is serious
doubt whether the appropriation
made for the service law will be
sufficient and the chances are that
it will be exhausted before all the
claimants have received their law
full allowances.
The house and Senate of the
United States evidently believe in
the saying that cleanliness is
next to goodness" judging from
the fact that during each month of
the last session the Legislators and
their henchmen used on an aver
ana Of ,, ooO tOua1c 49, L.. 4