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Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS
Newspaper Page Text
t 1 l-X . : ) 1 1 7 VOL. V. HO. 2. 1 $1.00 A YKAB.. j TOPEKA, KANSAS, WEDNESDAY, MAY 81, 1893. OFFICIAL STATE PAPER. THE FIEST SUNDAY. Thousands of People see the World's Fair After Church Services. Chicago, May 28. One hundred and twenty-five thousand people after a week of toil took in the fair grounds to day, and with souls freed from care drank in inspiring musio and feasted their eyes upon the artistic and natural beauties of the White City, while their minds were improved by studying the works of genius and industry. It was the first open Sunday, and it was a success. The Sabbath sun was butstwo hours old when the people began to come into the grounds. All modes of transporta tion brought their quotas, and from the steamer piers and the railroads came long lines of people. But the masses did not begin to arrive until afternoon. Be ginning about 2 o'clock the multitudes flocked into the grounds at every gate and by 4 o'clock (50,000 people were in side the enclosure. The people kept on coming the entire afternoon and over flowed the midway plaisance, whose every show was crowded, until the at tendance mark had been elevated to 100, 000. After dark the grounds were lighted up and this, together with other features of the illumination, attraoted still more, and when the crowds were about ready to go home a conservative estimate placed their number for the day and evening at 125,000. It was an orderly, well-dressed crowd, which evidently was of the opinion that ' it had already been kept away from its property altogether too long, and they took possession in the name of "toiler's day." "There is no sounder religion," said Mr. Armour, "than a stand for humanity, and a protest against bigotry." There were clergymen in attendance, pillars in the church took delight in standing up and being counted with the Sunday openers. But there were pro tests without end. The British exhibit ors all closed their displays and so did those from Canada and New South Wales. Each of the New England states locked their state building, and so did Missouri, but Kansas stood up to be counted alongside of Mr. Armour and his Sunday school proteges. The doors of fifteen state and terri torial buildings were locked for this day only, and visitors were generally in formed to that effect by cards. Missouri, Delaware, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Massachusetts were among the buildings which the people obtained only an out side view of. Utah had the closed sign on its door, and North Dakota added to its announcement the invitation, "Come on Monday." On the doors of the Bay state house was the following type written legend: "By order of the great and general court of Massachusetts this building ia closed on the Lord's day. Signed, E. C. Hovey, executive com misaioner." On the elevated lawn in front of this building a gardener worked all day plant ing beds of beautiful pansies. When asked if he was employed by the World's Fair board of Massachusetts to labor on Sunday at the state building, the old man said he was working for a Massa chusetta florist who was exhibiting the pansy beds, and that Commissioner Hovey had not told him to stop. He added the information that there was work going on inside the build ing, and, being of European birth, he ex claimed: "This Sunday closing business is all wrong. It's a fraud." The Maine commissioners had a sign outside their building which read: "Open- to Maine visitors and their friends only," but everybody who pleased entered, ig noring the attempt at eiolusivenees without absolute closing. The influence of the Angelican church was seen by the visitors who desired to enter the buildings erected by Great Britian and her majesty's colonies. All were closed tight and no person could be seen inside, which was not the case with the "closed" state buildings. The great carved oak doors of Victoria house were shut, although the union jack floated from the roof. Canada's flag was flying also, but the doors were closed and not even a sign was put out for visitors to read. New South Wales sup plemented the "closed to-day" sign with the following unnecessary words "keep out; this means you." Even at the India building, which is chiefly a pri vate commercial enterprise, the closed sign was hung out. Machinery hall, under whose domes the Sabbatarians think the acme of Sabbath breaking is sheltered, was a remarkably quiet place. Two or three high speed, and but one big engine a Buckeye were all that ran during the day, to furnish the power necessary to run the fair, and their hum could scarcely be heard 100 feet away. The crowd in this building was not very large, but every other department struc ture was jammed. Columbia avenue in Manufacturers and the main aisles in Transportation and Fisheries were crowded all day, and it was with much difficulty a spectator could force a pas sage. Aa indicative of the character of the crowd, it may be stated that the fine arts building held the greatest multi tude. Every salon was packed and the foyers were jammed by a quiet and or derly crowd of picture lovers. The officials in chargs of tha govern ment buildings and the battle ship, Illi nois, did all in their power to Bhow the thousands of visitors who passed by that Uucle Sam officially did not approve of allowing American citizens or foreigners to view on Sunday the panorama of art and genius or the industrial works of the nations. The big painted signs,. "Closed," which were used originally when the government building was not finished, were placed in front of the doors and guards were stationed there to keep people from breaking in and disturbing, Uncle Sam's peaceful ob servance of the Sabbath. Even "Old Glory" was hauled down from every flagpole on the big domed building. The other structures which form part of the United States government exhibit were also closed and visitors were stopped at the entrance to the north pier by the announcement that the model battleship was closed. CUTTING PENSIONS. A New Interpretation of the Disability Pension Law. Washington, May 27. Probably the most important pension decision ever sent from the office of the secretary of the interior to the commissioner of pen sions was filed to-day. It is believed by those high in authority in the pension bureau that it will reduce the payment of pensions under the act of June 27, 1890, between $15,000,000 and $20,000,000. It involves the repeal of an order passed by General Iiaum and approved by Assistant Secretary Bussey, and a return to the language of the statute requiring the disability, not or service origin, to be such as to prevent the applicant from earning a support by manual labor. Secretary Hoke Smith has been considering the principles in volved in this decision for several weeks, and so important did he deem it that when it was called to his attention from the Pension Board of Appeals, he sub mitted the question involved to Attor ney General Olney and Judge Lochren, the commissioner of pensions, both of whom concurred in the correctness of the decision. The decision is in the case of one Bennett, who sought a pension under the old law alleging that while in the service at Kaleigh, N. 0., he was pros trated by sunstroke? which resulted in partial deafness in both ears. His ap plication was denied on the ground that while the applicant has slight deafness as alleged it was not of sufficient severity to warrant any rating. The testimony showed that Bennett could hear a watch tick at the distance of half an inch from either ear. Bennett subsequently ap plied 'or and received a pension of (12 a month under the act of June 27, 1800. Thia act allows a pension racking from (Gto $12 per month, to ex-soldiers or sailors suffering from any disability of a permanent character, not the result of their own vicious habits, which incapaci tates them from the performance of manual labor in such a degree as to render them unable to earn a support. The inability to earn a support is there fore made the basis of the law. During Commissioner Raum's administration an order was issued, known as order 164, which directed that all claims for a pen sion under the acta of Jane 27, 1800, should be rated the same aa like disabilities of service origin and that, all cases showing a pensionable disability which, if of service origin, would be rated at or above $1G a month, should be rated at $12 a month. The only re quirement to obtain a pension under the law applicable to pensions of service origin ia disability by reason of wounds received or disease contracted while in the service and inline of duty. "Incapacity to perform manual labor," says the secretary, "which is the foun dation to the right to pension under the act of June 27, 1890, fixes an entirely different standard of disability from that just mentioned, contained in the revised statutes, covering injuries of service origin. Disabilities incurred while in actual service and incapacity coming upon applicant long after service ceases are made by the law to stand upon an entirely different footing. Those in curred during service in line of duty are pensionable without regard to capacity to earn a support and are graded with out reference to this condition. Dis abilities resulting from causes other than of service origin are only pension able when capacity to labor joins with incapacity to earn a support, and grades of rating are dependent upon these two conditions. When by order No. 1C1 it was declared that disabilities under the act of June 27, 1890, should be rated as of service oririn. the verv DrinciDla which governed the rating under the act of June 27, 1890, was displaced ond a rule applicable to a different act was substituted. "This case illustrates the effect of the department by your bureau, from the terms of the act of 1890: First The ap plicant was awarded for 'slight deafness,' not of service origin, $12. The award was made under the act of 1890, which required the rate for deafness of both ears to be graded from $0 to $12. The highest amount ($12) was only to be allowed in the severest cases of deafness. It was given by your bureau for 'slight deafness,' because under an entirely dif ferent act, applicable to disabilities of service origin alone $15 was the lowest rating for 'slight deafness.' "Second The inability of the appli cant to perform manual tabor waa not (Continued on page U-) r I I'