The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-19

measures, 437 being for private PEN
sions. The others included bills for
claims against the government and
to correct military records of soldiers
seeking pensionable status. Mr.. Austin
has always been known as a long dis
lance champion bill introducer and
his penchant is for private pensions.
In the document room of the House
of Representative one whole day was
given over to getting Mr.. Austin's 700
bills Strengthened out for recording
and filing.
Every one of the 437 old soldiers of
the Second district of Tennessee in
whose behalf these private pension
bills were introduced will soon receive
a printed copy. And then their hopes
will begin to rise.
Should every one of these private
bills receive favorable consideration
by congress it is estimated by pension
experts that it would require period
of at last 40 years for the enactment
of the total number. This estimate is
based upon the present rule of the
House allowing each member to pass
an average of ten private pension bills
each year, or an average of twenty
each congress.
1t is true that during the past de-
cade some Republican members
prominently identified with the ma
chinery of the house under Republi
can rule succeeded in passing more
private pension bills than the average
quota allowed the ordinary member.
In the case of Congressman Austin
such a thing is not now probable be-
cause he is a Republican in a Demo-
cratic house.
This is just one of many examples
of how members of congress deceive
the old soldier constituency of their
districts for political purposes
Vice President Marshall has earned
the thanks of the country by holding
that the charges made against the
personal conduct of a senator are not
cannot be officially presented to that
body. The senate is not a court and
the senators are not policemen.
Whether the accused senator is
guilty of the acts charged against him,
or is the victim of a conspiracy to de-
fame him, it is no part of the Senate'S
business to decide. The senate should
not be censor of private morals. 1t
may become one in the day when gov
eminent has heart put into it, but
until then it's concerns should be only
with the public acts of it's members. |
Vice President Marshall, Speaker
Clark and the other members of the
senate and house who hold the thirty
third degree of the Masonic frater-
nifty, were guests at dinner given at
the Ebbitt House by James D. Rich !
ardson, grand commander of the SUI
prehe councll OF the ancient and Ac- |
cepted Order of the Scottish Rite |
Senator William H. Thompson and |
Victor Murdoch were
among the guests.
All the patronage Senator ThOmp- /
son of Kansas will have in the senate |
and senate office building will amount |
in total not more than from $4,000 to |
5000. This amount will not provide |
for more than two or three fairly |
good positions, or a half dozen small |
ones Therefore, it can be seen that |
the junior senator from Kansas will |
not have much to dispense Senator |
Curtis had at least a dozen or more |
big jobs at the capitol building to his |
credit. He was one of the managers !
of the Republican senate and natural |
ly controlled a goodly share of the |
good positions.