On this date in 1917, North Dakota Senator Porter J. McCumber announced that the Senate had passed his bill mandating the draft of alien residents. It directed the president to enter into negotiations with European allies to approve drafting their citizens in the United States into the American Army.
Most Civil War veterans had been farmers or laborers prior to their military service. As they aged, it became more difficult for them to work. By the 1890s most of the veterans were in their fifties and sixties. Their hometowns threw parades for them and they were honored at public functions, but what they really needed was financial assistance. A pension system had been in place since 1862 for Union soldiers disabled in the war. Dependents of those killed were also eligible. The pension provided eight dollars a month. It was a popular program and even served as a recruiting tool. But as time went on, it became obvious that aging veterans also needed help.
What do these three men share in common: Sam Houston, Harold Stassen and "Jefty" O'Connor? Answer: All three were candidates for governor in two different states.
Near the end of 1909, Republican US Senator Martin Johnson of North Dakota suddenly passed away. Governor Burke, a Democrat, soon appointed state senator Fountain L. Thompson as interim senator, pending a special election.