The Washington times., 1918-04-20

4
lar order Of business at o'clock in
the Senate yesterday, and at the
same hour there might have been a
vote on a brief and inconspicuous
pension bill, introduced by Senator
Smoot of Utah. A suggestion of
the absence Of a quorum was made,
however, and as a rollcall confirmed
it, Senator Overman explained the
exceptional circumstances which
made adjournment until Monday
noon advisable. At 2 o'clock ad-
journment was had accordingly.
As Senator Overman explained
the absence Of Senators, it was
chiefly due to patriotic business"
as well as to service on funeral
committees. Three funerals, fol-
lowing close on each other, are of
Mr.. Jones Of Virginia in the House,
of Senator Stone of Missouri and of
Senator Broussard of Louisiana-all
within the week. 1t would be well
if members of Congress and all 9TH
ers of us could learn from history
more of the physiology and pathol-
ogy of war periods. Among many
evils, possible from waiting to learn
from experience only, death from
unsuspected cerebral overstrain may
be one-and perhaps not the worst.
Mr.. Smoot's brief and inconspicu-
Gus pension bill for the benefit of
veterans of the Mexican and civil
wars is one of the kind Congress
usually passes in from five to thirty
minutes after the committee has in
dorsed it and read letters indorsing
it from patriotic societies of vet
Grams and others. The Smoot bill
was proceeding smoothly in this
regular order, until Senator Thomas
of Colorado intervened. Modest as
the bill appeared, he announced
that it carried increases in the total
of pension expenditures amounting
to S40,000,000. He questioned the
advisability Of increasing a total of
5000 900 900 year for pensions 20
per cent at present. He reviewed
the steady increases in appropria-
tions Of all kinds, as an incident
not only of the war emergency, but
of the habit of counting in billions
instead of millions
AS a result Of this habit, with bill
lions in sight. he had observed an
unprecedented number of people,
with ideas and ideals of all kinds,
patriotically convinced that the well
fare of humanity required their i'm
mediate participation in apropria-
tions, increased as much as possible
10 permit activities, ranging from
methods Of realizing the loftiest
ideals Of morals or physics such as
the Garabed 10 the study Of tumble
bugs" lightning bugs or bugs OF
other kinds, supposed to interfere
with food production 10 win the war.
Willing 10 make any sacrifice-and
he suggested vaguely that he had
committed self-immolatiOn OF some
kind I'm the matter OF the Bland Dol
lar Melting bill-Senator Thomas
was still OF the opinion that as We
had once considered S240,0O0,0 or
even $4,000, 900 quite a considerable
sum Of money. We might do so again
at some time in the distant future
when We come to paying of the bill
lions we find # so easy to count In
now.
AS aresult Of the arguments, here
rather than reported, Sen
ator Thomas might have defeated the
modest SmOot bill, II a quorum Of
the Senate could have been summon
ed. AS none was available. the
Smoot bill and all other Senatorial
business went over until Monday.
Senator Chamberlain Of Oregon had
a highly successful day, in securing
support for his bill substituting
for trials I'm the civil
courts for war Offenses. Under such
courts-martial. the same methods
might be applied which we're so ef-
fective in clearing the prisons OF
Paris during the French revolution.
Much the same kinds Of arguments
are now being made before his COM
mittee which Robespierrs and Dan
ton approved-until applied later TO
themselves. One Of the most efIec-
tive Witnesses yesterday was said TO
be connected under Major Bldd!e
with secret service work in New
Tur!. 'i'v - Informed the commit