Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1909-05-26


striking several of the older senators
with horror.
Senator Tillman of South Carolina
was making nothing less than an i'm
passioned speech. He was reaching.
toward the skies of oratory, when \
Senator Warren left his seat unseen ~
BY Tillman, and took station behind III
the South Caronian. The speaker III
had both hands high over his head d. III 4
recting the soaring of his thoughts s.
and words. Warren took step for 81
ward. His hand stole to Tillman's d
side, slipped into his pocket and came
out again holding in its clutch a big
black bottle. *
All unconscious, Tillman went on
with his words of fire. Warren held
bis find aloft in full view of the pre.
siding officer, Of his colleagues and
of the crowded galleries. There was w
gasp, then a smothered and stimuli. M
taneous gurgle of horror from a him. w
dred threats, and then roaring
laughter.
Tillman turned and knowledge of
the awfulness of the situation came
70 him. For once possibly for the ,...1
drst time in his life, he was stag V6/H7
gered to speechlessness. He strove 0O.S|
for words, but they would not come Am1717
His face was black with something 2eeses9
much like anger. Then the cloud
cleared and smile broke through.
speech returned, and two words
came "Boracic acid" H.
1t was boracic acid, but unfortu- / ~
nately for Senator Tillman, it had been TX
put into black and suspicious bottle IA
A sore throat was the reason for its 1V
carrying, and while the South Caro- W
Nnlan is man of truth he would II
not let the matter pass until he had .lnl
passed the bottle and had forced his
comrades to smell the stuff and make
clean his temperance record y
senator Burrows of Michigan, by u
graphic presentation of the case of
MAJ. Seymour Howell, an army pay
master, secured an order on the treas.
ury of the United States for $4,000
to reimburse the officer for that
amount which disappeared in the
fhllpplne islands. The story as told
ny senator Burrows to his colleagues
nao all the interest of Sherlock
1olmes tale, save that for the mys.
terry involved there was no solution 4ll
10 this day there has been no solu.
ton. 1t is known definitely, however:
that the paymaster was in no visa
10 olame 1or the disappearance of the money!
MAJ Howell paymaster, was travelling
through the Philippines with an armed guard,
lie had with him chest containing a large
sum OF money with which to pay the troops
at the different camps. The chest was double
locked at all times, and night and day a SEN
t1nel stood by it with loaded rifle in his
hands No one had keys to the chest save
Maj. Howell and he kept them fastened to his
person.
II one or the senttnels had been dishonesty
inclined he could not have opened the chest
without duplicate keys, and the originals were
OF kind difficult in the extreme to counter.
felt. The guard was composed of men picked
Tor the pay journey at the last moment The
trip was rapid one and no possible chance
was offered for the making of keys
Money to the amount of $4,000 disappeared
from the chest at some time while it was
under the watch and ward of sentinel stand
Ing SO close to it that he could reach it with
his rifle. Search failed to reveal a cent of
the money. Maj. Howell at once made the
loss good by personal check drawn on his
own bank account. The case is one of the
army mysteries to this day, and the recital of
the story gave congress an interesting quarter
of an hour.
Neither senate nor house makes light of pen
sion pleas in the presence of the galleries.
but some of the wOuld-be pensioners play
comic roles In the committee rooms and cor
rdors. Claimants who can prove things are
treated as old soldiers and old soldiers wild
ows ought to be treated-decently and rever-
emily.
Congress in its weakness has voted pensions
on many an occasion, though doubtless know
Ing that pensions were unearned and unde-
served. but the day of that sort of thing is
passing. II 1t has not altogether gone One
member was asked to use his influence to Sc
cure an increase of pension for the widow of
soldier. There were papers forwarded to
him which bore on the case, and these he
turned over to the committee on pensions aft
er his bill had been introduced.
The widow did not get her money, and it
was not long before the whole house knew it.
The member who had espoused the widows
cause had been in congress for years, and the
joke at his expense was too good to keep, and
one after another of his colleagues walked
up to his desk and congratulated him on the
wisdom shown in the plea which in written
form he had turned in to the committee to win
the widows case
1t is perhaps needless to say that the men,
Der had never read the plea. 1t set forth
the fact that while the amount of pension in
crease that the widow Of the soldier hero
asked for was large, it must be understood
that she came of good family, moved in the
best social circles and was in need of a large
sum of money to keep up appearances.
Upon occasions senators and representatives
permit their constituents to do their talking
for them in congress. Petitions come in floods
at times, with the object of securing legisla-
ton by external pressure. In the Smoot case
and in the pure food and canteen matters the
pleas of the people came in by the tens of
thousands The members of both houses
present these letters, call attention to their
import and then allow the petitions to do the
MAKING THE CARE