The Harrison times., 1914-03-21
EXPLAINS HIS VOTE ON THE
PENSION BILLS IN THE
STATE SENATE.
TO THE SATISFACTION OF ALL
Confederate Soldier Of Lincoln County
Disguised and Changes From
Clarke to Kirby.
Who Is tho Confederate Soldiers
Friend?

one of his endless chain OF pamphlets,
and in that he charges as reason for
your not supporting me in the race
FOR the United States Senate, that |
am unfriendly to the old Confederate
soldiers. The Senator does not claim
that he has ever done one thing for
the old soldiers. You may search his
public career and you will never find
one place where he ever did one thing
for that "thinRIrs line Of gray" The
very smallest pension bill | voted for
carried much greater appropriations
than the only one Senator Clarke ever
favored. In my race for Governor !
pleaded from every stump in the state
for an Increase of every old soldiers
pension allowance and said that they
should get the full amount appropriat.
ed, and not $l6 on the 500.
In voting against the amendment to
Senate Bill No, a. proposing to raise
tho appropriation from $4,000 to S5o,'
00O did so because our edtlmate
showed that only $4,000 would be pro
duced by the tax levy; and It has never
appeared that more money than that
was raised that year, Why appropriate
more than could be pad2 ! voted
against another BILL after falling to
amend II, thinking that the soldier
who lived in the Confederate Home
should not also be entitled to draw a
pension or further allowance, 1t Is
true / did not vote for tho state to
pay tho expenses Of sending the Uni
yersity brass Land to TIE old soldiers
reunion ct Memphis, tecauso thought
II was not proper matter Of eX'
pcnse to be charged to the taxpayers
Of the state, and that It should be
taken care Of by private subscription,
| stated on the floor Of the Senate that
! stood willing and ready to contribute
privately as liberal ca possible for that
purpose, could Senator Clarke have
dore more? also voted against n
certain pension bill that provided to
increase the number Of persons on
utled to penslons, without Increasing
tNe amount Of the appropriation, say
Ing, that If passed 40 proposed, the
deserving pensioners already on the
roll would get virtually nothing, and
the soldiers who were entitled TO re-
coIyo 500 year as pensions received
emily Sis7S that year after Its passage,
! dI! not think that was right, !
wanted the old soldier to yet every
dollar that was coming to him, II the
bill had raised the amount OF the M
preparation no Os to give all Of the
pensioners 800 per year, N0 they rich
" deserved, I'd have favored the bill,
When tho law NNB proposed raising
tho levy for pension purposes rrWn n
quarter TO half mill the Senator
WHO introduced II proposed to amend
N still further by making II three
fourtha, J voted against II, because the
finances OF the state could not stand !
O thrpefourths mill levy at the time,
When It came to employing the chap.
lain IN the old Soldiers Home, was
entirely willing to pay n small add.
tloGal amount TO cover the expenses !
OF the chapl'in Of the penItentIary also
serving at the Home, and did not be,
lIeyo since no was paid for all hlB
time by tho state ~ chaplain Of the
penltentary that the additional
amount should he ,Nry great,
II iB also true did not vote 10 sus.
pend the rules and take up the bill to
appropriate money for a Confederate
In the last days Of the ses-
sion Of 1901, Thoro were other mat
ters OF great Importance pressing for
consideration, and, thought, the con-
dItion of the states finances oohsd'
cred, that II was better to pay all the
money that could be spared In pen
rIons and maintaining the Confederate
lltmp for the old soldiers living, maxi
ms their last years comfortable In
sl,ai ef then providing a monument
10 tho memory Of the dead, Our first
ard moro pressing duty Ia TO the
living
Aykaaa 4 QlanI