The National tribune., 1910-12-29
THE MOUND CITY RoADwAYs.


Representative n. B. Thistlewood, of
Illinois, has been much interested IN
retaining the roadways leading t1 tie
National Cemetery at Mound City. He
made a fight on the floor of the House
at the last session of Congress. and
had a controversy with the Quarter
master-General and Acting Secretary
of War, who contended that the Fitz-
gerald amendment gave them authori-
ty to abandon the road. He took the
matter to the Attorney General, VINO
has reversed those officials.
An amendment was made to the sun
dry civil appropriation bill, which was
approved June 25. 1910, as follows:
mo part of any appropriation here
in for National Cemeteries or the re-
pair of roadways thereto shall be ex-
pended in the maintenance of more
than single approach to any National
Cemetery"
Under this clause the Quartermaster-
General proceeded to notify the grant
ors Of the land upon which the road
ways leading from the Cache River
and from Mounds were constructed,
that the roads were abandoned and
thereby reverted to the original owners.
Congressman Thistlewood combatted
this proposition strenuously, and
showed the Quartermaster-Gene that
the roads were constructed for the pur-
pose of establishing, constructing and
maintaining a public roadway" and
hA
expenditure of the repair fund for the
fiscal year in no way destroyed the
purpose for which they were built, and
further pointed out that they could be
abandoned only when they ceased to
be used as public highways, or when
Congress specifically directed that they
should be abandoned. He further
showed that the amendment above re-
ferred to did not furnish the necessary
authority for the War Department to
order their abandonment.
On Oct. 1. 1910, the Acting Secretary
of War ruled that the Quartermaster-
General had proceeded legally, and
stated that "in abandoning the road
ways the War Department has COM
piled with the provisions of the sundry
civil act approved June 25, 1910"
To this Congressman Thistlewood
again took exception. and insisted that
the matter be referred to the Attorney
General for an opinion as to the mean
ing of the amendment, and in a letter
dated Nov. 81. 1910, to the Quarter
master General, the Attorney General
states:
1.-The restriction contained in the sun
dry civil appropriation act is not gen.
eral legislation. but is only limitation
on the appropriations carried in the
act. As the case now stands none Of
the roads to this cemetery have been
abandoned by the United States"
The War Department has for some
years past endeavored to secure speci-
fic legislation thru Congress authorizing
them to abandon these roads, but in
every instance Congressman Thistle
wood has prevented any such enact
ment and now that the Attorney-Gen-
eral has decided, in effect, that they
can only be abandoned by the Govern
ment when Congress specifically says
so, the chances are that the Depart
ment will cease its efforts to unload
them.
The cemetery contains the graves of
about 6,00O Union and Confederate SOL
diers, among them the late Gen.
Turchin. The roads leading thereto
were constructed by the Government,
and have been maintained by the Gov
ernment. ana the Congressman holds
that it does the Government no credit
to attemrt economy at the expense of
the cemetery or the approaches there
to.