| Show PRIVATE PENSION BILLS I I Almost Entire Attention of the House Taken Up by Their Consideration I jl sideration Yesterday I I Washington Jan 1511 Allen Rep Utah started business in the I house today by presenting a resolution I I I resolu-tion calling on the secretary of the interior in-terior for information as to why patents I pat-ents had not been issued for land secured I I se-cured by bona fide purchasers from the I Union Pacific Railroad company the I lands having been given the company under government grants The resolution I resolu-tion was agreed to Mr Johnson Rep Ind secured the adoption of a resolution providing for expediting the contested election case of Benoit vs Boatner from the Fifth I district of Louisiana so that it might be disposed of at the present session The regular order was then demanded de-manded This was the consideration of private bills An interesting fight developed over a senate bill granting a pension of 100 per month to Mrs Annie Gibbon widow of General John Gibbon Mr Tracey Rep Mo offered an amendment reducing the amount to 50 per month This was warmly opposed by Mr Curtis Rep N Y who made eulogistic references to the services of General Gibbon Mr Grosvenor Rep 0 was also against the bill He said in answer to Mr Willis Rep Del who had protested pro-tested against discrimination for the widows of distinguished officers that < TI 199 out of every 100 privates of the late war would vote to Give Mrs Gibbon the full amount Mr Wood Rep III opposed granting grant-ing special rates of pension through the medium of private bills on the ground that it was contrary to general gen-eral law The previous question on the passage of a house bill granting pensions to Grays battalion of Arkansas volunteers volun-teers veterans of the war with Mexico was ordered on motion of Mr Thomas I Rep Mich but the bill went over until it could be engrossed under a demand de-mand for the reading of the engrossed copy A house bill to increase the nension I of Clara L Nichols the present postmistress post-mistress of Fort Leavenworth and widow of Brevet MajorGeneral W A Nichols developed some slight opposition opposi-tion In committee of the whole the house had reduced the amount of the increase to 50 > but on motion ofMr I Dalzell Rep Penn the house after listening to an eulogy of General Nichols by that gentleman made the amount 75 and thenpassed the measure meas-ure A house bill granting nension t < J Sarah E Comly widow of Major Clifton Clif-ton Comly was also passed A number of other private pension bills were passed and the house then at 156 took a recess until S p mAt m-At the night session of the house around a-round dozen of pension bills were passed The widows of General Green Clay Smith and George A Morrow were the beneficiaries in two of the bills I passed the former receiving a pension I of 50 per month and the latter 75 per month The house at 1030 p m adjourned |
