The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-02-14
WnEaLlNl, W VA, FEBRUARY a, 1884.
Goir ani tn, I.r %" tho flo,d Appro
Ilrt TO- printiOn.

toll and Ta, I.r 0n the tloud Appro.
l4 @ printi0n.
When the joint resolution nppropria.ing
100000 for tho food sufferers came before
the Houae, there was d general eagerness
10 Say smart thinga-while thousands oil
people stood hhiyering and hungry, home.
lees and in deepair, on the banks Of the
Ohio and Ito angry tributariea, It was en-.
tirely fitting that General Golf, represent.
ing in part one aide Of the river, and
Colonel Taylor the other, should endeavor
to Impress upon tho House the nature and
measure Of the calamity. From the Con.
gre@ional Record oil Tuesday VIC are able to
give those speeches In full, assured that
they will be read with interest:
Mr., Coil take II for granted that there
Is not n member upon tho door OF this House
who IN not entirely familiar with the fact
that for the past week an UNPARALLELED haod
hos devastated the great valley OF the Ohio.
hot even In the memorable flood OF 1852 was
such unparalleled disaster visited upon that
people. nor las such disaster ever been visit.
ed upon tho people u auy other section oil
this country.
Ny fris.a from New Yoik tMk. Hiscock
BpeaEs Ga II the great State OF Ohio should
tato care OF this matter for herself. Sir,
thtra ars to-day a million OF people suffering
en- tho banks OF that grta! stream. They All
partly residen.s OF the State Of Pennsylva.
mia, partly OF the State OF Ohio, partly Of the
State of West Virginia; and your own State
ii OF Kentucky, Mr.. Speaker, has It's shiyerlng
snd starving thousands upon the banks Of
thGt stream. e -m
In the feco Of this great ca'amity 1t Is no
time to spill! hairs on constitutional ques.
tons II we have mt tho constitutional
right 10 grant this reiief, which / do not con.
cede, thon 1t may bs based upon charity, o.
appealing to tho llner Instincts OF humanity,
in which the peopls Of this country have
never got been found wanting. BRsing Il
upon that, I say there should not be a dls
senliug vote IN this House to-day on thi.
question. It has grown 10 be n practice, II
bus bscatne almost u custom, In the face Of
these great national calamities, fer such OPP
prhprlatious IS this 10 DO made.
Lst me my right here that on account o.
thu Tact private subscriptions and private
donations hnve not poured In and will no
pour In az they luye in the past.
a word only, fer my tins Is limited, as to
the extent Of this calamity. Commencing
al the city Of Pittsburgh aud extending
down tho valley for over seven hundred
miics We have to-day this unparalleled di.
trrsg. At the city OF Wheeling alone, q CITY
OF Is, 600 population, there are at this VERY
moment 10. 700 OF her citizens camped upoi
tho hill!ous shove the city, withou. food and
Without shelter from this Indictment weather
They ara lEbOring zen, men who work il
furnaces. men who toll in glaze works, mer
who delyn In tbs earth for ore, or who worl
at the forge. These men who arc dependent
upon their daily labor, are not only without
employment but Nhat makes it calder be.
You'd ull computation Is that the places a,
which they have lahored will know them nc
more, bocause the food has stolen in aud pu,
out their fires, destroyed their retorts, ruined
their furnaots. It will be weeks or months
before these men can resume labor and be
able 10 earnihair sustensnce.
This condition Is not confined to the CITY
OF Wheeling. / cav this morning q dispatch
from the city OF Bsllaire, Ohio, whore the
ssnlGl ata'e Of .hiags exists. Thsre Is one
village on the Oaio shore that has been en-.
tifely. swepsaway.. Tho city ofNew Martins
vlllc, in We9t Virsinia, has lost farty-eight OF
Its houlcs, which have lloa.ed or bsfore ti.c
eyes of the people. Thuy have been driven
from their homes to tho hilltons and from
those hilitops they saw those homes swep,
away.
tdcre The hammer fell.
Gif. Hitcock. l now yield five minutes 10
the gentleman from Oaio Ialr. Joseph j.
Taylor.
M. joseph D. Taylor. hi. Speaker, I had
supposed that thin reso!ation would DO passed
at once, unanimously, without my discus.
sion on the part Of anybody; but as it is to be
discussed on the one side and the other, !
will, in order TO sava time, appropriate the
r@marks of my friend from West Virginia
Mr. Gcl], who's, district ia Immediately on.
posite mine on the Ohio river, US a part OF nv
spacch, for the sake OF brsvity aud also fol
the reason that he has made q most excellent
address.
| do not think there Is any necessity for
discussing the constitutionality OF this mea-
sure. I do not believe thereis a single rentls:
man on this door-t know there is none on
this side, aud I do not bslieve there is any
one on the other side-who will hesitate a
single moment because Of any constitutional
dill culty TO cast his vote for this resolution.
understand tho remarks OF the gentleman
from Nsw York; We al IN lerstand them.
Thsy are cose, and joc.se only; hence will
not waste II single moment OF time in that
discussion. ! wish merely 10 say. in addition
to villa. my friend from West Virginia has
B1ll, that at this time ttle.e is in nv district.
Tor htty or aixly miles along the Ohio river.
great distress. Thousands and thousands oil
people, have heard the number ya.lously
estimated; some gentlemen who profess TO b.
very well advised Say that there are TODAY
10000 psop!c-meu, women and children,
who have been completely driven from their
homes and arc gathered In groups on the
H hillsides aud in remote parts Of the country
where tho water bus rot yet reached,
Gentlemen have asked whether the great
empire State Of Ohio hns nude a request for
relief Of this kind. l wish to say, Mr.. Speak
er, that this calamity .alls very heavily upon
the upper and eastern part OF our State,
Whers 80 h1ye 40 charities orr anizsd sach as
there are in the city OF Cincinusti and other
locslitics. This district 10 which I have re-
fessed is for fifty miles occupied very largely
with blasting furnaces, glssa works, coal
banks, iron mills, and nail mills Thousands
OF these people delye beneath The earth, AND
rarely ste the sunlight except when leaving
theis homes In the morning or returning at
Bs!laira aud In that neiShborhood thousands
OF buildings ARD now collected in great
wrecks, aud are being drif!ed down the Ohio
river. Several housosand church buildings oc-
cupylng ground high enough to be safe iron,
the waters havs besn thrown open TO shelter
these peopls, who would otherwise be house
less. Tho distsess is great, aud il We have
any generosity wa should no.: waste time
here On this reGolutien, but pass 1t, and pass
It at oncs, a II may 20 to the other end OF
the Capitol and BIS acted on there. 80 that tho
Secretary OF War may promptly send relief
to thoss paonle who ut this very hour are cold
an nsksl mi hungry. 1t IL a matter Of i'm.
perativa duty; and trust that we shall moi,
waste time in this discussion, but act at once.
! wish only to add that $500, 900 will be bnt
II beginning, a million OF dollars viii not
nors than NEE. tho immediate wants OF these
people along the Ohio river.