Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-02-26
HALE wins FIGHT
REIMBURSE WIDOW
OF GEN. PATTERSON
Especial to Kennebec JournaI)

\oPSSiai " henneDeC Journal
Washington. d. c., Feb. 25-Sat-
urday in the Senate Senator Hale
successful fought Democratic oppo-
sltlon and succeeded in having pass
ed a special bill for the relief of
Marion Is. Patterson, widow of Brig
! adler General Robert +. Patterson,
formerly of Bangor. Me. which pro,
vides $2O.9G; in full of compensation
for claims on account of the losses
| IN reduction and allowances sustain
! ed by General Patterson from 1888
to 1906, while he was United States
consul general at Calcutta, India.
A bill similar to Senator Hale's has
been in Congress for II years. but it
never came to a vote in either House.
1t did at one time reach the floor
OF the House of Representatives but
was objected to and larScd in sew
eral Congresses. In 1918 Mrs. Pat
terSon appealed to Senator Hale.
who introduced Il bill in the 5tith.
Congress for her relief, but the bill
lapscd and was never reported out
by the committee on claims. 1t was
subsequently introduced in the next
| Congress and met the same fate.
1t was again introduced in the 9th
Congress and the committee on
| claims recently made a complete
| favorable report on the bill that it
pass without amendment.
The bill was taken up on the reg
ular calendar day today and was OBJ
Jected to by Senator King of Utah.
senator Hale answering Senator
King in part said:
Mr.. President. this bill has been
introduced several times in Con-
gress. IL has received favorable re-
ports from the committee in both
branches of Congress at various
times. but it has never come to it's
final passage. The bill is for the re-
| lief OF the widow of General Robert
+. Patterson. who served as consul
general at Calcutta, India. from Nav
: 1917, to July 1906. The salary of the
office was paid out of the fees that
were collected by the Office.
AT that time the commercial
nuctuatlng value of the rupee in
india amounted to thirty-two cents
as an average, whereas the bullion
value of the coin in the United
States amounted to only twenty
cents. When General Patterson first
TOOK office the custom was to collect
the ices on the basis of bullion value.
that is twenty cents value for the
rupee and to deduct his salary in the
same way from the fees collected bv
the office after he had been in of
nee matter of six months. AN or
DER was put out by the department
requiring him to collect the fees on
the basis or the commercial fluc-
tuatinS value of thirty two cents and
to take his salary on the same basis.
he did SO and protested to the State
department. every year. He was in
Office eight years and during that
time the loss to him through this
method of paying his salary amount
ed to something over twenty thous-
and dollars. AS 1 say this matter
has been acted on and favorably re-
ported on by both branches of Con-
gress." Senators Mcclellan of Ten
of Massachusetts. CAME to the sup
portsof Senator Hale while the meas
ure was on the floor and briefly out
lined why the bill should pass. Cen
eral Patterson went from Bangor to
Iowa while a young man and at the
time the Civil war broke out headed
a regiment from his state and was
one of the effective generals of the
campaign. At the close of the war
NACAlSl1l IIdHL dppOlIleu IllIl cOiIeC-
tor of internal revenue in Memphis
where he served for q number of
years. Later he was appointed con-
sui general to India through the ef-
forts of Senator Allison in 1897. He
returned to the United States in 1906
and died shortly after. His widow
has been trying to have the govern
ment settle the claim due her hus-
band while he was in Calcutta and
recommendation was made hy the
State Department in 1912 that the
widow should be reimbursed.
Congressional action was neces-
sary to adjust this claim and to
Senator Hale is due the credit of be-
ing the first member of Congress to
secure the passage of bill providing
for her relief. Mrs. Patterson, who
originally came from Baltimore.
married General Patterson and they
lived for many years in Tennessee.
She is now past 80 years of age and
has been a familiar figure in the
Capitol for more than IS years maxi
ing a losing fight to have the govern
ment recognize the claim it owed her
husband. AS soon as the bill was
passed today. Senator Hale notified
Mrs. Patterson that it had been pass
ed by the Senate and the news nearly
overcome the little Southern woman
who has been such q familiar figure
about the Capitol.