The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-01-15

of precedent congress proceeds VIII
trepidation.
1t will not do, of course, to as
sumo that the caution OF congress
and the other government machinery
is not at times justified, but on the
other hand, no excuse can be made
in many cases for the delays in final
adjudication of matters that compel
the parties interested TO spend year
after year of idle endeavor at the
capital.
A claim that for many years has
been heard of in Washington, and
in which a large percentage of the
boarding house keepers of the Dis
trict of Columbia have an interest,
is an ancient one arising from the
winding up of certain land grant and
government subsidy concessions to
the Southern Pacific and the Central
Pacific. 1t is known as the Durkee
claim and is now alleged to be worth
$40, 100000.
Arising out of the reorganization
of those roads by Coils P. Hunting
ton parties who asserted they had
been fraudulently dealt with in that
transaction, and that they had put
I'D the bulk of the funds for the re-
organization, sought to collect large
sums from the government on the
ground that their losses had been
due to laxity on the part of the gov
eminent in permitting the reorgani-
cation to be conducted as it was.
This claim was originally about $780,
100000, but has grown 'by interest
accommodations to more than double
that sum. For years various dele
cations of interested parties have
camped in Washington for the pur-
pose of getting favorable action on
this claim. Interests in the claim
have been given to landladies in eX-
change for board and lodging. Ennis
saries in behalf of the claim have
promised slices of it, running up
over the 100000 mark, for assist
ance, and strange stories are told
of the reduced straits of some of the
persons who have lowered about liv-
ing from hand to mouth and talking
in the multi-millions.
Many of the pension applications
present a pitiful sight The average
seeker for a pension, or for an in
crease of pension, needs the addl-
tional pittance which the government
is asked to allow. One of the re-
markable phases of the pension bust
ness is that it has served to uncover
to the officials a surprising number
of matrimonial arrangements.
A study of the pension rolls and
the pension cases that have been con-
sidered by the pension bureau would
show no small number of instances
wherein men had two wives at the
same time in different parts of the
country. Sometimes two women
have drawn pensions as widows OF
the same husband, and the pension
officials have encountered such cases
often enough to cause them to won
der whether the mOnogamic method
of living is not losing it's hold.
A Pathetic Instance.
Years ago there came to Washing
| ton from a southern state man
twho had served on the bench in his
own commonwealth. He was a
strikingly handsome man of marked
ability. He came to press against
the government claims to the amount
of several hundred thousand dollars
| in which he had an interest. He
lived at the best hotels and received
regular remittances from the parties
interested.
For four years past he has been
engaged in the transition from pros
perity to poverty and degradation.
He has been steadily going to the
goal of down and out From good
hotels to cheap restaurants and
boarding houses he finally passed to
the free lunch counters and to lodg
| ~ IN hO ri Hn has
been repeatedly committed for va
grancy, and is now little more than
beggar on the streets.
Instead of getting his claims al
lowed he has met with rebuffs and
repulses, and his hopes of getting
| anything at the hands of the gov
eminent were long ago blasted. He
is but one of-many who have found
difficult the paths to favor in Wash
ington.
A common sight about Washing
ton not long ago was a man from a
neighboring state who had been a
consul general He wanted another
office. He had considerable proper
ty, but the fever for a government
appointment was upon him.
He went to Washington we'll
| dressed ana prosperous ne udu
many Endorsements of a perfunctory
sort from members of congress and
others. He had many acquaintance,
who slapped him on the back and
told him he was all right.
That was while his money lasted.
He found much good fellowship, but
no job. He hung around one session
after another, his silk hat disap
peared, his clothes became shabby,
his shoes ran down at the heels, and
his soles wore out.
Yet he stayed on, certain some
thing would turn up. He was finally
. so reduced that, to keep from going
hungry, he had to address envelopes
containing speeches and garden seeds
for a member of congress who had
Endorsed him for a federal job.
JT1tiuo rpla tiUpc iOtprUnnnd