The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-06-27

world God bless and protect, and
may we provide for these poor old wo-
men who have done so much for us.
and for whom we have done so little.
Mr.. Speaker, | think you will bear |
me out when | say | have, for more !
than three months, hung about this |
chamber like a hungry dog to the on
ly bone in sight, watching, waiting,
hoping, praying, pleading impatiently |
for the time to come when this bill |
might pass But few members have |
and St. Louis. dared not leave lest |
account of the attractions at Chicago |
and st. Louis. l dared not leave les, |
an opportunity would be missed to call |
up and pass this bill. | had longings |
not only to go to your State, Mr. Speak
er, but back to my district. We have |
primary election in Ohio soon. | |
have a worthy opponent who thinks |
l have been here long enough and
would like to draw my salary. In fact,
this appears to be the paramount is
sue, If / may judge by his campaign
| letters in which he recites the amount
of salary l have received, clerical al
lowances included. My good friend
and opponent races up and down the
| district unhindered and unmolested as
is his right and privilege, urging the
| people to have me come back and live
with them. l would rather, however,
remain here, 500 miles away, on duty;
as have been constantly for the past
six months, helping to pass important
Administration measures and be able
to secure the passage of the Widows
Pension Bill, than to be reelected to
Congress. 1t may be that l have been
here long enough, and drawn salary
quite sufficient, but l think my old
soldier friends back home know that
no one or two termer would ever have
been able to do as much for them as I
have done. When the Ashbrook Wi
dows' Pension Bill becomes a law |
will feel that l have been honored
far beyond my due, and will be willing
and content to accept the verdict of
approval or disapproval, as the case
may be, at the approaching primary.
propose, however, to stick to the job
until this bill is passed by the Senate
and signed by the President, and is the
opponent or no opponent.
wish here to acknowledge my
thanks and obligation to those gentle
men who have assisted me in handling
this bill, and also to that prince of good
fellows and to the soldiers and sol
diers' widows good friend, Col John
McElroy, of The National Tribune, for
creating favorable sentiment for this
bill.
There are some who delight to loud
ly and eloquently proclaim their alleg-
lance to the Stars and Stripes and
their great admiration for the heroes
who have defended it, but when it
comes to giving practical demonstra-
tion and expression of their apprecia-
ton, they take to the woods, or throw
stones. Eloquence and honeyed words
may sound pleasant to the ear, but it
takes bread and butter to nourish,
sustain and keep life in the body. For
whom does the hungry old woman Of
fer her most fervent prayers and
thanks and feel most deeply indebted?
To the man who praises the heroic
deeds of her soldier-hus band, and vain
ly attempts to flatter, or to the man
who seeks to place $50 bill in her
hand every month that she may buy
food and clothe her frail old body? l
may be prejudiced, but as I see it, the
best money spent by this Government
is that paid for pensions to the sol
diers who offered their lives as a sac
ritice and to their wives and dependent
children. And of all pension legsla-
ton enacted or proposed none is
more meritorious, righteous or just
than this Widows Pension Bill.
| consider it an honor to be dubbed
Pension Bill" as am often facetious-
ly and sometimes disparagingly called
The passage of this bill. and the knowl-
edge that l have and hold the graft
tude of the old soldiers ana their wi
dows to whom the Nations gratitude
is forever due, will be monument to
my memory more appreciated by me
than bronze tablet or marble shaft
-sfs---