Evening star., 1925-05-10
Capital Sidelights

l EsStdDllSOHlent OI% u 11Nfi war iIfu-
scum in the Pension Office Building.
! the largest brick building in the world,
and in the court of which several in
augural balls have been held. will
probably be authorized by Congress
soon after 1t meets in December. 1t
has previously considered this pro-
posal sympathetically. indicating that
favorable action will be taken.
The last survivor of the Revolution
ary War was Daniel F.. Bakeman, who
| died at Freedom, N. Y. April 5, 1859,
aged 109 years and 6 months. The last
| widow pensioner of the war was F,s-
| tfler S. Damon of Plymouth Union.
VT. who died November II, 1906, aged
~ years. The last survivor Of the
War of 1872 was Hiram Cronk of Ava,
\. Y, who died May 13, 1905, aged 105
years.
II history repeats itself at least n
quarter Of century will elapse before
the chronicler of events will note the
death Of the last survivor of the Civil
War and the twentieth century will
ne drawing to close before the last
widow pensiOner will have passed
away.
In the last fiscal year II 1854 veterans
Of the Civil War and 21.296 widows
OF veterans were claimed by death.
These figures give rise to many serious
thoughts, the commissioner of pen.
sions points out. What shall be done
% preserve to future generations the
history, traditions. lessons and inspira-
| ton Of the wars, the intimate personal
history of which is found in the 1000.
900 pension claims in the files of the
Pension Bureau? IA years to come
this bureau will be the mecca for
thousands upon thousands seeking in
formation concerning the brave men
who fought that this Nation "con-
ceived in liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created
quail might live.
BY act OF August Z. 1882. the Con
Sress made provision for the Pension
Building as memorial to the men
who bore the brunt Of battle in our
wars and, especially, the great Civil
War. The corner stone was laid on
March 10, 1883. and in May. 1885. the
operations of our pension system
we're transferred to the new building
The exterior frieze of the building
showing 3. procession of soldiers and
'ailors of all branches of the service
vas designed by the great artist Cas-.
Der Buberl and Is indestructible evil
1ence for all ages of the purposes for
which the structure was authorized
designed, builded and dedicated.
In Washington and elsewhere
throughout the country there is a
wealth of material that can be
brought together for display within
he Pension Building showing the dis.
.inctive accouterments and imple-
nents OF each of our wars: also mod
els. paintings. heirlooms and relics
The Pension Bureau would thus be
come one of the attractions Of the
National Capital Of inestimabIe value
rs source Of inspiration through the
| mute evidences of the struggles
through which eur country has
passed.
Now that the ranks Of our Civil
War veterans are fast thinning, 1t is
thought fitting that steps be taken to
make the Pension Office Building a
great memorial. lasting museum
| IF our Nations wars. from whose
honored dead, az the martyred Lin
colin voiced the thought in his Gettys
burg address. I'VE take increased de
votion to that cause for which they
gave the last full mea sure of devo
ion: that we here highly resolve tl1s,
'hese dead shall not have died in vain
that this Nation. under God. shall
have new birth of freedom. and that
government of the people. by the
people and for the people shall no,
| perish from the earth"
= y
Due to the big Lexington. Concord
md Bunker Hill celebration this Sum
ner, in observance of the 15Oth an
niversary of the Revolution, the in
quiries of individuals and patriotic
Ind historical societies concerning
genealogical and historical matters OF
The Revolutionary War and the War
IF 1872 are constantly increasing. In
he archives of the Pension Bureau
here are about $4,000 manuscript
documents. consisting of claims on &C
count Of Revolutionary War services
md about $4,000 cases relating to the
! War Of 1912. Many Of these papers
are of the greatest value from an his
,orical and patriotic standpoint. Dur
ing the last year more than 1000
persons called at the Pension Bureau
TO examine these records, 1857 cases
were drawn for consideration, and
more than 5000 communications were
prepared in response to requests for
Information concerning persons who
served in the Revolutionary War and
the War of 1872.
On the last lap of his third TRIP
around the world. Mr.. Hobo Hat" ac
| former chairman of the House ways
| and means committee. has landed in
this country and is en- route to the
Capital to pay his respects at the
| White House to the President.
This hobo hat is a battered straw
lid" that started on it's wanderings
from Wilkes.Barre. Pa. on September
12, 1922. 1t went first to New York
| thence across the continent to the Pa
cific coast, next to the Orient. 1t trav.
eled on the steamers President Adams
and President Hayes. and it's last voy.
age was on the President Garfield
ticket personally indorsed by. Capt.
Robert Dollar, president of the Dollar
Steamship Co.
Mr.. Hobo Hat wears many tags in
token and testimony Of his around the
globe voyaging, which now aggregate
more than 100 900 miles In each coun.
try and in many important cities, Mr.
Hobo Hat has called upon the most
prominent persons in political and so.
cial life.
+
"It'ss an ill.wfnd that blows nobody
any. good" is being proved true again
in the welcomed recovery of Repre-.
sentative William A. Oldf1eld of Ar
kansas. He Is chairman Of the Demo
cratic congressional committee in ad-
dition to being Democratic whip of
the House. So during the few days
that Representative Oldfield wavered
between life and death following a
critical operation, there was consid-
erabie trepidation lest the party in.
terests might suffer.
Now Representative OldfieId. than
whom there is no more popular men,
Der of Congress, Is on the high road
to recovery and with a more intense