The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-03-22
Collection of Soldiers, Claims.

III Iuo housO VI AVVPi iSoShVs'1A'SEil
Washington city, March 8, 1866, Mr.
Cobb, of Wisconsin, said:
/ have some acquaintance with this
business of claim agency, and / wish to
state what think is known to most
members of this House, or ought to be,
1t is not in Washington city where
claim agents services are valuable to
the soldier or where they are required
at all. 1t is at home, at the points ac-.
cessible to the soldiers where the evi,
dence of the claims is to be collected
and the proof obtained and prepared
TO be sent here. And when it is pre-
pared by the local agent then the inter-
vention of any agent here or Of the
service of any member of Congress is
the most useless thing that can posi-
bly, be imagined.
The experience of every member
here certainly will bear me out in this,
that we at our rooms or on this floor
are scarcely nearer to the Department
here practically than at our residences
at home. We are scarcely nearer than
are the offices of these local claim a
gents at home, whose services, such as
are absolutely necessary in preparing
the papers and proof, should be paid
for, and would have these agents ad-
dress these intelligently and properly
to the Department at Washington; if
they would eschew and ignore these
Washington claim agents and not pay
too much attention to members of Con.
gress, then their claims would be prop
erly presented and would be in great
majority of cases acted upon and in
due time properly and fairly paid.
All of these local claim agencies at
Washington, whether those establish.
ed by individual enterprise or sent
here by the States are in my opinion
and | claim to have had some ex
perience at both ends Of the line-en.
tirely useless and unnecessary, anC
tend to impede the prosecution of the
payment of claims rather than to facil
: late them. And ifI should say any
} thing TO my old companions in arms
, or to my constituents at home who
have these claims against the Govern
/, ment, it would bo that they look to i
we'll that they employ honest and ca
;, pable claim agents at home who viii
procure the proof upon which th'
0 claim rests and send it directly to th
8 Department and wait REASONABLE
f time, and then, if necessary, make fur
Y thor communications through thei
!. agents at home, and in extraordinar,
: cases it is necessary, apply to q mem
i, Der of Congress. But by all mean
: let them avoid the claim agents tina
{. hover around the Capital and the De
/. partments of the Government here =
b. Let them employ the local claim agent
s established by the State governments
Soldiers and citizens in Ohio shoul
+ send their claims to Il. W. Tallmadgt
| who is an authorized agent for collect
. ing Soldiers Claims, at Columbus, 0
p cave them with his agent, b, Il. Relr
mund, in Lancaster, Ohio. He has th
| experience of years in the bust mes
8 besides having served in the field q
. Quartermaster and Commissary., II
t employs constantly large corps
Y competent assistants, one of whom RI
Vt sides in Washington City, who make
: personal application for him at th
, Departments when necessary, He
}. recommended by every officer on dut
}. for the State and the United States
n the city of Columbus, and members
the Legislature daily cntrust the bus
ness of their constituents in his hand
- Mar22-lt ... .|r.