Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-03-13
A BIT OF HISTORY.
Col. TaylOr's Part in Securing Prompt
Relief for the Flood Sufferers.

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Relief for the Flood Sufferers.
The Daily Guernsey Times of the 4th
of March gives some facts concerning
the passage of the act of Congress for
the relief of the flood sufferers in the
Ohio valley, and the plan Congressman
Taylor took to secure funds for imme-
diate relief, without awaiting the slow
course Of official routine. The facts are
these:
Col. Taylor received the first telegram
on Saturday night after Congress had
adjourned. He went out that evening
and hunted up the Ohio members, and
arranged to have a meeting on Sunday,
so as to be ready for concerted action on
Monday morning. They went, two or
three of them. Col. Taylor among the
number, before the committee of ways
and means on Monday morning., and got
them to recommend an appropriation,
succeeded in having the rules suspended
in the House and the bill passed. Monday
afternoon, Senator Sherman agreeing
with Col. Taylor to hold the Senate from
adjourning until the bill should be re-
ceived there, which he did, and it went
through the Senate in about two minutes.
Then the thing was to get the Demo
cratic House officials to go through their
red tape performances quickly, and got
the bill to the President. The case was
urgent, and Col. Tay or, Gen. Warner
and Gen. Golf, (W. Va..) had been push
| ing it all day, and had succeeded in get
ting it through Congress. That evening
they found it had not gone to the Presi-
dent They (these three mem took Col.
Taylor's carriage and went to the resi-
1ence of Secretary Lincoln. The man
who epeHed the door said the Secretary
was entertaining the President and
other guests at dinner, and could not be
interrupted. They said their business
was pressing, and they must see him.
The man went hack and returned saying
the Secretary could not attend to any
business that evening. Hhe third time
they sent him back to say they must
insist on seeing him just moment
Then he came, apolOgized for giving
them so much trouble, and appointed
meeting at nine o'clock next morning,
saying the bill had not been engrossed,
OF sent to the President for his sigma
ture, consequently was not law. Next
morning the three men met the Secretary
at the war Office, and he made the same
point, that he could do nothing until the
bill came from the President, and that
then the supplies must be sent through
the regular officials, as very few civilians
understood how to purchase supplies and
keep the vouchers in proper form for the
files of the War Department. They
urged TIE pressing needs of the people,
but he stated that he was without dis
cretiOnary powers in the case. Then
Col. Taylor told him he would become
personally responsible for the sum of
$4,000 to be sent to four points on the
river, (and Gen. Warner told the Secre-
tary that Col. Taylor was financially re-
sponsible,) and if the war Office lost anv
thing by sending it in this way, he would
make it up. to which agreement he is
still held. He wrote to the mayors OF
these cities to urge them to be careful
to keep their papers and vouchers
straight The arrangements were all
completed, the kilograms TO the different
points were all prepared, and the moment
the President telegraphed the Secretary
that he had signed the bill. they were
sent off. This was on Tuesday, the 18th,
at half past four o'clock in the afternoon,
which was as soon as the Democratic
officials were able to get the b Il to the
President, although it only took the
Senate very few minutes to do the
same thing.