TRAGEDY IN A HOTEL, j
Cleveland Mat l-'atatly Shot by ii Woman
—The Latter Suicide*.
Denver. Col.. Sept. 10. —\Y. 11. Law- |
renee, of Cleveland, was shot, ami prob- !
ably mortally wounded in a room at |
the Oxford hotel Friday by a woman !
known here only as Florence Kichard- |
son. The woman then shot herself in j
the heart, dying almost instantly. |
Lawrence was taken to a hospital. |
The doctors give no hopes of his recov- j
cry. The ball entered his back and i
passed clear through the body. The |
couple had registered at the Oxford
hotel about half an hour before the i
tragedy oceurred as 11. C. IJockwell |
and wife, of (Ireely, Col. The motive i
fur the shooting- is not known. Mr. !
Lawrence rushed out of the room after j
lie had been shot and sank to the floor j
in the hallway. "I don't know" why she |
hot me," he said. Beyond that he de- j
dined to make any statement.
Mr. Lawrence and the woman who j
had shot him had just returned from !
i three weeks' tour over the state in j
a covered wagon. In their trunk wass j
an express receipt in the name of i
Florence Montague. The woman was j
about 24 years of age.
WAS HIT WITH A BRICK.
American Naval Officer tietn a Strong He- j
ceptlon at the <>ate of the Palace at San j
•Itian, Porto Kico.
San Juan. Porto l!ieo, Sept. 10. The j
\merican evacuation commissioners, ,
it a meeting- held Thursday afternoon, |
decided to notify ('apt. lien, Macias i
that they were present and ready to
proceed with business. A communica
tion to this effect was drafted in
courteous terms. It asked where and
when the Spanish commissioners
would meet the Americans. Lieut.
Si-ars. Hear \dmiral Schley's Hag- lieu
tenant, delivered the communication
to the captain general, driving- to the
palace in a carriage. At the gate of
the palace a brick was hurled at hhx: 1
from the sidewalk. Being- ;v,'i old base
ball player, he was able partly to ward
the missile off with his hands, and it
fell, striking- him on the ankle, doing
only slight injury.
About noon the American military
commanders received a reply from
('apt. (ien. Macias to their communica
tion. Macias said the Spanish evacua
tion commissioners would be ready to
meet the Americans at the palace this
morning.
Il>t4 ItftMi ( onsidiTKl for Soin« Time.
Washing-ton, Sept. 10. It is said that
the proposed commission for the inves
tigation of affairs of the war depart
ment has been under consideration for
some time by the president. One reas
on for its creation will be to visit and
report upon the conditions in the
camps and to satisfy the relatives of
soldiers that the care that is being
taken of them is the best that can be
afforded and if not, to ascertain what
should be done. Officials at the war
•department say that army officers have
been sent to make investigations, and
where any fault has been discovered
it has been corrected.
Sleanicr and All llmikl* l.nMt.
San Francisco, Sept. 10.— The steam
er Coptic brings the news from Hong-
Kong that the American steamer
Wingfoot is supposed to have gone
down with all hands. During the war
I'nited States Consul (ieneral Wild
man charged the Wing-foot to carry
dispaches to Admiral Dewey at Manila.
Since her last departure for Manila
she has not been heard from.
Wit* CaUIMMI l»V M iMtll'i flti'M'llMMlt.
Chickymauga National Park, (!a.,
Sept. 10. The report of (lens, Mat toon,
Sanger and Hoe, appointed to ascertain
the cause of the sickness at Camp
Thomas, has been made public. The
report was submitted some time ago
and was largely responsible for the re
moval of troops. The board finds the
ground not well adapted for the en
campment of a large body of trops,
but states that much of the sic-kness
was due to mismanagement and poor
sanitary arrangements. It reflects
somewhat on the generals in command
b-iure Gen. Breckinridge arrived.
Shatter and Aly er Review
20,000 Soldiers.
"IT IS ALL POPPYCOCK."
| Shatter Thus Refers to Reports
of Friction wit h Miles.
■
HE ASKS FOR NO FAVORS.
Lieu. Alj;pr Hay* that all the War Depart
ment l>«!HireH is Fair Treatment at the
Hand* of the People He 1 nHpcrtt the
Lamp and in Much Pleased with It.
( amp Meade. Middletown, I'a., Sept.
j 10. Secretary Alger and (ien. Shafter
l were at Camp Meade yesterday. The_\
I witne.-sed a rex iew of the troops and
| made a tour of the camp. Secretary
| Alger resinned his journey at noon to
j Detroit, ntid (ien. Shatter went to
1 Washington. They were closeted to-
I gether for an hour in the secretary'.-:
i car. While (ien. (irahaut was arrang
ing for the review Secretary \lger and
I (Sen. Shatter had another conference
lasting !0 minutes. What passed be
tween them neither would say.
Speaking of the controversy with
(Sen. Miles, (Sen. Shatter said: "It is
all poppycock. There is no friction be
tween Gen. Miles and myself, at least
there was not when he left Santiago.
Our relations have always been pleas
ant and 1 do not understand the mean
ing- of all this talk. The general may
'have been talking, but I believe that
much of it is due to antagonistic news
papers whose motives are certainly
not patriotic."
(Sens. Alger and Shafter were driven
to (Sen. Graham's headquarters in an
open carriage. After being received
by Gen. Graham and his staff the sec
retary was asked if he would like a
review. He said he would and the
entire corps of 20.000 troops were
massed in two great fields and march
ed before (Sen. Graham and staff and
his guests. It was an inspiring sight
and Secretary Alger and (ien. Shafter
were very much pleased. Moth said
they were delighted with the camp
and the superb arrangements.
Secretary \lger complimented Chief
Surgeon Girard on the sanitary crndi
tion of the camp and gave directions to
extend the water system to the general
and regimental hospitals. He said ; t
was too early to determine whether
this would be made a permanent bar
racks. He would have to know morn
about the climate and its effect upon
the boys before he established perma
nent rendezvous. When asked what
he had to say about the criticism of
the war department, the secretary re
plied that the people have no idea of
the great task of equipping and send
ing an army across the water. "The
war department," he added, "asks tin
favors; all it wants is fair treatment."
Shafter at the Cap't *l.
Washington, Sept. 10. Gen. Shafter
arrived in Washington last evening
from Camp Meade. No demonstration
occurred at the railroad station.
lforrililo Atrorlt les.
London, Sept. 10. —'The Athens cor
respondent of the Daily Mail says:
"Horrible stories of atro.-ity are told
In the refugees from Cutidia. They
1 sav the Itashi I'.azouks cut open tin
bodies of their Christian victims and
1 thrt w the entrails into the burning
houses. They hurled the British vici
consul bodily into the flames."
Miles < alls on the I're-hleiit..
Washington. Sept. 10. (ien. Milef
paid his respects to the president yes
i terdav. The call was brief and was-
I confined to a formal exchange ul
courtesies.
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 189 R.
BLAMES THE OFFICERS.
Secretary Algrr MaktH a Stalfiiient IS« -
r lintc ll»«* ( omlitloii of the Army ll»«'
Kat ion* are All Klglit-llumMlckueM
C auifed !>lany Drutlm.
Washington, Sept. 8. Secretary Al
ger is now putting his affairs in shape
to admit of his absence from W ashing
ton on a tour of inspect ion oft lie army
camps throughout the country. Ho
will leave this evening, <^<»ii first to
Camp .Meade, I'a., and then to Detroit.
Now that active war operations have
closed the secretary feels free to ex
press certain views entertained by the
president and himself respecting the
plana of the treatment of the soldiers
and touching the persons upon whom
responsibilities should be placed for
some of tile matter.-, of complaint. In
this connection he says:
"The regiments that have been or
dered mustered out will be mustercit
out. The regiments that have been
designated b\ the president to remain
in the .service will have to remain. As
goon as »!■ have mustered out I'.'U.OUO
more or less we shall reorganize the
army -every brigade, division and
corps -and put them into comfortable
camps mi til such of them as are needed
are withdrawn for service in Cuba,
I'orto liico and the Philippines. In
these 'amps sanitary conditions will
be strictly enforced. The men compos
ing the army will be treated as sol
diers. They will be shown every possi
ble consideration and their health will
be preserved. The officers command
ing regiments and companies will be
held strictly accountable for the sani
tary conditions of the camps. During
the war many otlicers disregarded the
instructions that had been given look
ing to the proper care of their men.
Now it i~ time for them to take this
work upon themselves and. with the
knowledge that they are to remain in
service, they will be expected to devote
their best energies to the work. W here
men are incompetent to discharge
these they must give way to com
petent men.
"Now a word as to ihe feeding' of the
troops. The army ration is all that is
necessary for a soldier. I hope that
there will be less food given ~H>
men from outside sources. The dain
ties gratify the taste of the men. but
they are of no real help and only tend
to breed dissatisfaction where they
do not actually destroy the health of
the men. The army ration to-day, as
il has been, and it will be in the
future, is a sound, healthy diet.
"The principal difficulty we have
had to contend with is the rcekle:—
ness of youth. In the vigor of sound
health the young men who went to
make up our army could not be in
duced to take proper care of them
selves. They think that nothing can
harm them: that they can violate any
and all of the laws of health with im
punity.
"When a regiment is designated to
be mustered out, no further appeals
will be allowed to influence the depart
ment to change its program. I hat
order is going to be strictly observed
until the president decides that he can
make a 112 urther reduction in the army.
"The great complaint of the soldiers
is homesickness and a great deal of
this has been caused by inconsiderate
publications in sensational news
papers. Some of it is chargeable to
the fact that the men entered the
army with the expectation that their
services would lie very short. Kverv
experienced officer knows that a great
many men died of homesickness, fol
lowing the depression that ensues
upon homesickness come other mala
dies to which the homesick soldier
falls an easy victim and it is impossi
ble to check their course. Now .to my
mind the American people should try
to brace up these men: to encourage
them and cause them to remembr that
they are soldiers and are expected to
meet a soldier's duties."
A POLITICAL TRAGEDY.
Kittle lldttvern Sllvorites at Colorado
•Spring** IIHN Deadly Itesutts.
Colorado Springs, Colo.. Sept. B.—A
pitched battle occurred in this city at
daybreak Wednesday between the two
factions of the silver party of this
state, in which one man was killed and
three wounded. The dead man is
Charles S. Harris, of Denver. The
wounded were removed by their
friends and their identity has not been
definitely established. It is said a
man named Palmer was shot in the
' cheek, but not seriously injured.
Another man had his hand shot nearly
I off and another rt#eived a flesh wound
' in the arm. The fight was waged for
possession of the opera house in which
' the silver state convention is to meet
> to-day.
An armed guard representing the Teller-Illood
Teller-Illood wing was in possession.
" An armed force representing the fac
-1 tion deposed by National Chairman
' Towne was sent to drive the guards
' out of the theaU-r. After a hot scrim
mage in which many shots were fired.
* the Tellerites fled. Harris and the men
' who were wounded are supposed t
' have been members of the attacking
force. Chairman Mood, A. M. Steven
' son and other leading silver men
' charge Sheriff ISoynton, of this county,
] and Internal Revenue Collector Frank
' llowbert, of Denver, with leading the
attack. Sheriff Hoynton states that
he, llowbert and Chief of Police Gath
| right did not goto the opera house
until the battle begat** and then only
to take possession of the place,
r Five men were arrested in the opera
i house anil one, it is claimed by the
i police, had a smoking Winchester in
his hands.
Will NIK* for Royally and Damages.
Pittsburg, Sept. S. —The recent de
: cision in the ease of the Carnegie Steel
' Co., against the Cambria Iron Co., in
1 which the validity of the patents of
I the late ("apt. W. 11. Jones, of the
former concern were established, is
~ said to be the most important gained
;n the industrial world of the Cnited
States within recent years. Almost
all the large concerns have, if is said,
! infringed on the patents for years.
• and the Carnegie Co. will, it is under-
Istooo. 1 agaiiSt every one to
compel them to pay damages for past
use and a royalty for future tonnage.
DOES NOT I)m 11
Gan. Miles Fathers Rc-ontly Pub
lished Interviov/3.
Ina I'uhlic Statement Hi* Keeall* the Sat.
tiago C ampaign to .Memory ami Huyit
that When lit* Went to Cuba it
U .IH Not an a Visitor, but an
t uniinaiiili rof the Unit
etl States Army.
Dew* York, Sept* B.—The transport
Obilam, having on board Maj. lieu
.Milt's and hi> start', tin- Second Wiscon
sin v Dl nnteers and the hospital corps,
from Porto Kico, arrived here Wednes
day. Ihe surgeon in charge reported
all well on board and no sickness 01
deaths during the voyage.
(•en. Miles admitted to the reportej
who interviewed him the substantia
accuracy of the statements attributes
to him by the Kansas City Star's cor
respondent in Ponce, Porto Kieo.
There are, (ten. Miles said, a few minor inac
curacies in the published reports such as usu
ally occur in such interviews. I «!•■ not care t<
point out the inaccuracies referred i<» ;it tins
titni , they are unimportant.
It is true that I requested that my troops
in Porto Rico on their return home should l><
.1 • ed to camp somewhere nea •« York
preterably Brooklyn Heights, Fort Wadsworti
or Governor's Island. I also requested •»! tli*
war department that the troops be allowed t«.
march through New York City. I never in
tended to paradi m> elf, as 1 sl ill t<3 \\*.-»!i
iqgton in .t few days and would not be here
at the time of the contemplated parade.
I asked t!;it the Wisconsin men aboard the
Obdam be permitted to stay in this victtiity
for a day <<:• two, give them .t chance to Bee
tii" city. Surely they merit it. Many of them,
1 think, have never seen the city and perhaps
will n< 1 ave another opportunity '<» see it.
I'o mj in-i request, namely, that mj troopi
be permitted to ramp hereabouts, and that they
be allowed to parade. I have received no re
ply. '!<• m> get tntj request I received a re
ply. ordering the Wisconsin boys home forth
wit n.
(Jen. Miles *aid that he did not desire to
criticise th< conduct of any officer in the late
war. Il«- expressed the opinion that there has
been t-< > much criticism, complaint and con
demnation published already and that the pub
lic had lost sight of the success and glories "i
the war.
Gen. Miles gave to the press a document
treating • 112 the prosecution of the war with
Spain. The paper is written iti the form of an
interview with the general. In it he is repre
sented as recalling to mind that in a public
statem< nt made at the beginning of the war.
referring t<» the talk of a rush for the fever
stricken city ot Havana, lie said:
"No officer is fit to command troops who,
frfrm any motive wl .• •. would needlessly
ri-k the life <>f a single soldier, either from dis
ease 1 i the bullets of the enemy. I have never
sacrificed the lives <-t men under my com
mand, and do not propose to subject them to
any unnecessary risks in the present cam*
paign."
Further along the interview says: Owing
to the fact that the season suited for campaign
ing in Cuba had been exhausted in debates and
delay in congress and in necessary prepara
tions, Gen. Miles was opposed t«» rushing an
i'l prepared, undisciplined and unequipped
army in a movement against the capital of
Cuba t defended by 100,000 Spanish troops, and
in this position he stood practically alone for
several weeks. Havana, Matanzas, Santiago
and a few other points were drawn on his
military map as hotbeds of disease, destructive
to an army, and places to be avoided, especially
during the -ick season.
\\ hen called upon t«> submit a plan <>f cam
paign I c did •><) and put it in writing. In sub
stance he took the stand, first, that every effort
should be made t" equip the Cubans and there
by enable them t<i harass the Spanish forces.
The cry of"on t«» Havana" should be encour
aged, out when the transports, loaded with
ti top . wen out of sight of land they should
sail straight t«» the gate of the Antilles and the
key of the whole position I'orto Kieo then,
having seized and occupied that island, ;i move
ment to ( üba wa to follow by means of a
strong t avalry force, which wa- t<> be organized
and equipped f>\ August or September. He
contemplated that 20,000 cavalry thrown t<» the
centei <•! ( üba, cutting the Spanish forces in
two and moving west to Havana by the time
the rainy season was over and it would be pos
sible t<# maneuvre an army, we could move
against that city a well equipped army and
complete the capture of the Spanish forces.
The enclosure of Cervera's fleet in the harbor
of Santiago changed the condition and made
it necessary to move a military force t.» thai
point.
(>n July 3 Gen Shafter telegraphed that his
losses had been greatly underestimated; that
he met with stronger resistance than lie had
anticipated, and that he was considering the
advisability <>f falling back t«» a position five
miles to the rear, and that he had bean unable
t• > be up during the heat f«»r four days. Under
such circumstances (ien. Miles telegraphed
Shafter that he would lie with him within a
v eek with strong reinforcements, of course,
taking the troops prepared for the second (\
pedition, which had been ordered l>y tbc presi
dent to operate against the enemy in Cuba a c
well as in I'orto Rico. These reinforcements
were pushed forward and some of them ar
rived in advance -t' Gen. Miles and were put
in position in the trenches around Santiago.
Under verbal instructions from the president,
Gen. Miles was directed t-> go wherever he
deemed his presence was required and that he
should give such directions as in his opinion
were best for the army and the government.
Tie arrived at Santiago July 11, not as a pri
vate individual nor as a visitor. Any pretense
that he went there disrobed <»f his authority or
official capacity is too childish to be considered
by sensible men. From the moment he ar
rived at Santiago he was responsible for what
might occur. He then proceeded to the front
ami after consulting with (ien. Shafter. a note
was sent to the Spanish commander by Gen.
Shafter saving that the commanding general oi
the United States army had arrived with strong
reinforcements, and would pieet him between
the lines at any hour agreeable to him. The
meeting was held, and (ien. Miles informed the
Spanish general that it was then the determina
tion of the government that this portion of the
Sormish army must be captured or destroyed.
Tie also informed the Spanish general that he
must surrender.
On returning from this conference a dispatch
was received by Gen. Miles from Washington
as follows:
"Maj Gen. Miles: You may accept sur
render by granting parole to officers and men,
the officers retaining their side arms, the offi
cers and men after parole to be permitted to re
turn to Spain, the Vnited States assisting. II
not accepted, then assault, unless in your judg
ment an assault would fail. Consult with
Sampson and pursue such course as to the as
sault as you jointly agree upon. Mattes
should be settled promptly
"K. A. ALGER."
This, the statement says, does not look as il
Gen. Miles was there as a visitor. He wai
charged with responsibility <»f ordering an as
sault upon the entrenchments and fortification!
of an enemy, which, it successful, would havi
cost at least a.OOO men. or of withholding tin
assault if in his judgment such assault wouW
fail.
Captured Battle Flugs It«>t limed.
Cincinnati, Sept. 8. —While then
have been many meetings of the hi in
and th»' gray together this week, the
most impressive was the one of theii
meeting's last n'i»ht when Confederate*
returned three federal flag's. (ien
I'asil Onke, who was one of the raiderj
with Morgan, was master of eeremo
niesonthe restoration of the flaps. Tin
flags of the Sixtieth, Fifty-eighth an/
Twenty-first Ohio regiments were re
turned.
Sitgnstit Fears ''rltlcl-in.
Mat)rid, Sept. s. The chamber hai
followed the senate in discussing* tin
late war behind closed doors. This ac
tion has caused the greatest sensation
Hcnor Salnieron, the republican leader
moved that an investigation be madf
into the responsibility of Sag*asta'i
government in connection with tin
declaration of war, the negotiation;
for peace and the violation of the con
ptitntion. Sagasta asked that the de
liberations be conducted behind closed
doors. The republicans and conserve
tives protested and amid great confua
ien the galleries were cleared.
PUILI? TOOK THE CAKE.
Co in in under of tlie Tex a* llnde the
llpient of a Fine Piece of
ton fectlonery.
Next to the battleship Oregon, per
haps the war vessel which attracted
most attention at the naval parade up
and down the Hudson river was the
Texas. The fact that she had lived
riowi her reputation as a hoodoo may
possibly account for so much interest
beir.jy displayed in this marine mon
ster When the parade was over and
all (he warships were lying quietly at
anchor an excursion steamer from As
bnry I'ark suddenly appeared boide
the Texas. Before the crew of the
battleship knew what was happening
/ i r
ppl *'/-•' J)
\ v + l. '
W"*;\
TRIUMPH OF THE BAKER'S ART.
(Cake Iticontly Presented to Commodore
of the Texas.)
500 excursionists swarmed fibca.tj,
fl outing' that they wanted to see ( apt.
Philip. The captain came forward in
considerable wonder and was greeted
with enthusiastic cheers. An elderly
estimable citizen stepped forward,
bearing in his arms a nuge frosted
cake. In the center of the frosting
\\:is a miniature Texas, whib around
In r candied wrecks of Kpuuish vessels
foundered in seas of sugar. Upon this
prodigy of saccharine art the commo
dore stared in bewilderment until
brought to himself by the voice of the
bearer.
, "(.'apt. Philip," said be, "we, the
Christian people of Asbtiry Park and
vicinity, present to you this token of
our regard. We know thai you are
r.n tamest Christian man, and we know
you are a good lighter. (Chct rs.) We
give you this cake as a fitting testi
monial, because you take the cake, any
way."
The 112 niile that had been growing on
the commodore's features broadened
into a laugh, as he replied:
"I really thank you from my heart.
This very appropriate design i.s high
ly appreciated. 1 can't make a speech,
because 1 never have had any practice,
and I don't want to drive you oIT the
ship by practicing on you. Make your
selves at home on the Texas and we
shall be glad to have you go over her. 1 '
Then he escaped, and the boarders
swarmed over the battleship like ants.
TOOK IT SERIOUSLY.
IIIM Friend* Knjoyeil tlie l-'uii, liut
I)2t(l(ly <'oul<lii*t See Where
tlie I.Rujch <ll ille In.
He arrived in this country from Ger
n.any only a short time ago, says the
Philadelphia Keeord. Of course he
brought his own name with him from
the fatherland, but his new friends in
this country immediately nicknamed
him "Daddy," and the name sticks to
him. Daddy is very fond of horseback
riding, and he recently notified his
friends of his desire to indulge in his
favorite sport. As he is at work dur
ing: the day his only chance for recrea
tion comes in the evening. His friends
4kh A,;/ o#^#.
TOOK IT SERIOUSLY.
(Armed Himself with a Stable I.at tern
so Conform with the Law.)
told him of the city ordinance which
Requires that all vehicles abroad at
night shall carry lights. They further
assured him that a horse was a vehicle,
but they never supposed that he was
taking' them seriously. On Wednesday
night these friends, a group of whom
were standing at lileventh and Oxford
streets, were surprised to see a man
on a horse trotting slowly down Elev
enth street, carrying in his left hand ■
an ordinary lantern. A great crowd .
gathered and enjoyed the unique ,
sight, but Daddy was very serious and '■
he hasn't found out yet where the
laugh came in.
SocinllNt Town in France.
At Itoubaix, one of the socialist
strongholds of France, the 11,000 pub
lic school children receive free food- i
and clothing at the expense of the j
town. Their dinner at school consists
of soup, bread, vegetables, meat and
a glass of beer. At the beginning of
summer and of winter each child re
ceives a complete suit of clothes.
Field (inn* Made of Paper.
Krupp is building five centimeters
(two-inch) paper field guns for tl:e
German infantry. They are so light
that a single soldier can carry one,
while the resistance of the paper is
greater than that of steel of the same
caliber.
To Draw Suit from Mi'fiU.
To insure the proper drawing out of
snlt from meat or mackerel, soak it
irer night in milk instead of water
Pour milk will answer as well as sweet
'TIS FINISHED.
(*. A. R. Encampment Coil*
eludes Its Labors.
THE PENSION QUESTION.
Resolutions Censuring Official
Methods are Adopted.
WAS LAID ON THE TABLE.
Proposition to Make Kiigitile to Member"
ship in tlie Grand Army Those Soldiers
Who louglit Against Spain Uies a Nat
ural Death,
Cincinnati, Sept. 10.—The work of
the annual encampment of the Grand
Army of the Kcpublic was li;ij>|>il a v eon
eluded late Friday afternoon.
Resolutions indorsing' the conduct
of the war by President McKinlcy and
complimenting Secretary Alger for liis
administration of the war department
were adopted by unanimous vote.
The following report of the commit
tee 011 pensions was adopted:
"Kesolved, That the repeated com
plaints of the unfair construction of
the pension law and of the making
and enforcement of rules which are in
violation of the law and inimical to the
interests of applicants impels 1 lii s en
campment to call upon Comrade Wil
liam McKinlcy. president of the United
States, toexerci.se his authority and t«»
sec that the law is executed in a spirit
of fairness, justice and liberality.
"Kesolved, That all rules which tend
to hinder the allowance of honest pen
sion claims should be repealed, and v\e
ask the president that he use his au
thority to cause those whose duty it
is to execute the laws to so perform
their duty as to do justice to the sol
diers and administer the law so as not
to obstruct the prosecution of pen
sions by technical requirements not
within the province of the law, and
which are only calculated to hinder
and obstruct in the effort to obtain
lawful pensions.
"Your committee calls attention to
the fact that two years ago the coun
try was stirred to its depths by com
plaints of the injustice of the then ad
ministration of the pension bureau.
These complaints were so specific that,
they furnished the basis of political
efforts. They were the subject of em
phatic utterances by the national en
campment. I.eyoml doubt the political
campaign of was largely influenc
ed by the hope of ameliorating th«
harsh conditions then obtaining ju
the pension bureau. We submit thai!
this expected amelioration has not,
taken place: that, in no substantial
instance lias mie of those harsh rules
been abrogated, but every one of their*
remains in full force and effect as
tinder the previous administration.
"Every day b, nigs the veterans near
er the grave in increasing ratio. Their
needs cry out more vociferously with
every changing of the moon, yet tho
number of weekly allowance* steadily
diminishes, while the pension commis
sioner officially states that he has (335,-
000 claims pending in his bureau, of
which lit- says 75,000 so f«r have receiv
ed nothing at all. Elsewhere he states
that about 200,000 survivors received
no pensions, ami yet very recently the
commissioner recommended and car
ried through a reduction of 100 in hist
force of clerks, on the ground that ho
had more than he needed. This in the
face of the fact that hardly a day
passes but that somewhere or another
in this broad land the pension certifi
cate arrives only in time to be laid
ori the coffin of the applicant.
"Ilecolved, That the rule of the pen ;
sion office by which a widow is de
barred from pension if she has an im
come of SIOO per year is un just and wo
ask the president that the order he ab
rogated and the minimum income de
barring from pensions be fixed at not
less than s.'!oo per annum.
"We ask for the re-establishing of
order 104, which was enforced undet
the Harrison regime. This order took
cognizance in rating a man's pension
of all the disabilities he suffered un
der. It was abrogated by the last ad
ministration and it was held that to
be entitled to the lowest rate of $0 pet
month a comrade must have some one
disability which is rated at that
amount. If he has thre disabilities
rated at $4 each he gets no pension a*
all. This iniquitous rule is maintain
ed up to this hour, and we submit is
not such treatment as we had a right
to expect from Comrade William Mc-
Kinley."
It was resolved that unless the rail
roads gave a satisfactory guarantee ta
make the rates to the next encamp
ment not exceeding one cent per mile,
j and the hotels of Philadelphia gave a
• guarantee not to increase their regular
■ rates at the time of the encampmenr,
then the national council of adminis
tration be authorized to select such
other city as would make these guar
antees. These guarantees must be
made not later than February 1.
' The proposition to make eligible to
i membership in the Grand Army sol
diers who have served in the war with
Spain was laid on the table. The na
tional council of administration was
then appointed.
The ceremony of installing newly
elected officers was performed by Com
rade Wagner, of Pennsylvania. Tho
last action of the encampment was tho
adoption of a vote of thanks to the re
tiring commander-in-chief, t ien. CJobin,
who briefly returned his thanks.
I>ani;hterw of Veterans Kti ct OR!eer».
Cincinnati, Sept. 10. The daugh
ters of Veterans yesterday elected ilia
following: President, Miss Anna
Chirk, New York; senior vice presi
dent, Miss M. Lizzie Kimball. Massa
chusetts; junior vice president. Miss
Lillian Phillips, Illinois; chaplain,
Misa P»»rtha Dicus, Ohio; treasurer,
ilrs. Ida Alien, Massachusetts.
3