The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1919-09-05
Friend Of Veterans
And Their widows
Hon. W. A. Ashbrook, Indefatgable In Their Interests
Successful Work In The Past
(From The National Tribune.)


pear and a bunch OF grapes
they are remembered. by Representa-
tive ,Willia m A., Ashbrook, Of the 18th
Ohio District, as the most priced gift
he ever received from q. grateful con-
stituency. When he talks of that
fruit. Representative iAshbrook runs
his tongue, across, his lips, his voice
husks, and something suspiciously
like tears come to his eyes-Tand he's
hardened member now serving in
his seventh congress-, and newspa.
per publisher for 35 years and a
banker for, 25- years.
Every night the .old woman who
gave. me that pear, and grapes goes
down on her knees and prays for me"
he says, explaining but not apologiz-
ing for his feeling. 'She wanted to
give me. something and that pear and
grapes was all she had" And then
he tells the story: -
HAfter my first term in congress,
when I went home some of my friends
in .Millersburg, urged me to try to get
a pension for q soldiers. widow. The
hw then was that, a widow who mar.
ried after 1890 was not entitled to. q
pension. This particular widow,
Catharine Graves, was married in
1892. Her husband was paralyzed, on
hio hooL q, hod for fhrao yoo,.c ora
she supported him and herself by
washing, scrubbing. any, kind Of work
and hard work for small pay.
81 have made it a rule always to
make careful investigation before
applying for pensions. When l. was
convinced that this, was. a specially
deserving case, introduced bill
and got her a pension. The next time
l went home l thought I'd like to go
and see this widow. With one OF my
friends, who had interested. me in her
case, l walked out of town. about a
mile. When we reached her home,
poverty and almost, destitution, was
ONtuChIs III dubWSI " my
friends knock the old. lady came to
|. the door Here 's7 as- Geed-s friend, of
yours, Catharine. said my friend.
She brusehd her hand over her. eyes
/, and. took a. good look. Il cant seem
to 4 remember you, sir she said.
Why. he's the best. friend you ever
had, Aunt Catharine,' explained my
companion, taking pity on her evident
embarrassment, this is Congressman
/ Ashbrook, who's come all athe way
from Washington to, seetif you're get
ting, your pension sall right ,,
"a Widows ! Gratitude
"That old lady just bent over. and
grabbed my hand in both Of hers,
worn, puckery by much scrubbipg,
:. and she, ,fondled and kissed my. hands
and wet them with her tears of graf
itude. l can't tell you just what she
: said, except this: Sir, you've saved
me from the poor-house. You We done
everything for n1e. Every night while
I'live I'll go down on my knees and
pray for you.' She asked me to-. wait
a minute and she came back with a
pear and a bunch of grapes. I've. seen
plenty of better fruit, but that old
lady handing me the pear and grapes
is a masterpiece picture printed or
my heart to- stay. She. wanted to give
me something and she gave me al
she had.R ~,
That's how Representative Ash
brook explains. how, he has come Il
be known in congress as the cham
4pion sof widows. pensions. ":That in
cident convinced. me that could, D.
,nothing that would bring me create
e qualification for my slabors lin cor
I. gress, and would do more good t
those who need some rays, of Sur
shine in their lives than to take o
my coat and, work for widows pei
sions, and since that, day have don
all could for the soldier and tn
soldiers widow"
Stacks of files containing man
thousands Of lettersvhighly i prize
by Mr.. Ashbrook because they al
vital with heart-throbs--testify , |
how sincerely the old soldiers sreco
nize him as their champion, in a
Democratic congress or in Republ
can congress-its' all the same
Representative Ashbrook. He care
little which party gets the, credit Il
pension legislation IL he can only pl
it over for the needy veterans or II
widow who worked hard to make tt
last days OF the war-hero comfortab
and happy.
No man in congress today has dol
more. for the Grand Army man AZ
his dependents than RepEeseptati'
Ashbrook, and none Is better. know
for he is frequent visitor at the
encampments and posts and has tra
eled all over the country to me
them He has hundreds of old II