The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-01-22
CONCERNING pensions.
Democrats in the Legislature
Fight a Resolution
FOR BENEFIT OF SOLDIERS
or West Virginia who Did Duty in
the War for tho Union-Bitter
Spirit shown..-Lively Debate.
Legislative Proceedings.

Tuition offered by Mr.. Young on Nor
day, as follows:
"WHEREAs, There were in the war {
1876, in the State Of West Virgins
numerous companies formed known a
State Troops, who (while they were no
regularly mustered into the service G
the United Stateg) rendered q great dea
OF efficient service for the Government
being frequently called into active SCI
vice by officers Of the United State
army. and,
"WHEREAs, By exposure in camp.lif
many OF them contracted diseases, from
which some died and others were disa
bled for life; also in battfe some wer
wounded and others killed, and ofteI
were taken prisoners OF war, some dyinj
in prisons, etc, leaving widows AM
helpless children in many communitiei
Of the stat and,
"WuRREAs, The Congress OF the United
States has made provisions by which
disabled soldies and widows and chIl
dren ofsuch as have died are provided
for with proper pensionP, the United
States Government also having given t
It's soldiers liberal bounties, and,
"WHRREAs, No provisions have beer
made whereby the class ofsoldiera above
stated can be paid either bounty or pen
sions, neither are there provisions BY
which widows or children Of those who
were killed or died can draw from the
general government any pension OF
other means of support, therefore,
"ReSOLred, by the Legislature of West
Virginia, That our Senators in the Con-
gress Of the United States be instructed
and our members in the House OF Rep
resentatives be requested TO use theii
influence to secure the early passage oi
such measure as will give proper boun'
ties and pensions to the class ofsoldiers
widows and children first above re,
ferred TO.
Second, That His Excelleucy, the
Governor OF the State Of West Virginia,
be requested to forward at once to each
Of our representatives, in the Congress ol
the United States, COPY OF this resolu'
tion."
When introduced, Mr.. Dandridge, oil
Jefferson, objectedto the immediate con.
sideration and when it came up to-day
he offered the following substitute:
{" "ResOlUed, by the Legislature OF West
Virginia, That our Senators and Repre-.
sentatives in Congress OF the United
States be requested to ufe every effort to
stop frauds practiced under the existing
pension laws, by which the Treasury Of
the Government is threatened with
bankruptcy, and that they be asked to
try to secure the early passage OF some
such measure as will give proper pen.
sions only to such soldiers, widows aud
children as may justly be entitled to the
same"
In introducing this substitute, he said
he was opposed to the resolution for
various reasons. In his locality his
fathers horses had been stolen by pso.
pie calling themselves State troops and
so far as his own personal experience
went robbers and plunderers were about
all the State troops amounted to.
This was the signal for war. Mr..
Haneu, OF Marshall, arose and defended
the resolution in brief speech. Mr..
Dandridge replied and Mr.. Pugh came
to the front. BE said the substitute was
sntirely useless from the fact that the
resolution, II it prevailed, would be pre-
sentcd 10 a Congress- which was the re-
suit Of the November election, and the
Democratic party had already placed it
self on record againSt pension matters.
lis members had graduated in the school
Of Democracy and obtained diplomas
from professors whose actions, II not
words, indicated clearly they had rather
bestow pensions upon those who fought
under another flag. Therefore, resolu'
tion OF this character from the West
Virginia Legislature was superhuous.
Mr.. CLARK, OF Greenbrier, replied in
defense e the substitute. He said he
was a Confederate soldier and was proud
ofit. He had nothing to regret. There
were now 700 900 names on the pension
rolls, while the entire Confederate force
was only 10000.
Mr.. Thomas, the Democratic member
from Putnam, opposed the substitute.
Horses, he said, we're stolen duriug the
war, and horses were stolen in time OF
peace. Horses were stolen by horse
thieves, not State troops, and he believed
every meritorious case was entitled to a
pension, even II not mustered into
United States service.
Mr.. Smith, Of Tyler, said that asser-
tions had been hurled broadcast that the
Treasury had been raided and frauds
perpetrated in pensioning the men who
hSd Gayed the flag. The charges were
made In o general way, with no attempt
to prove them. Ee' wanted specific
charges. He had marched With thpse
who defended the copntry in the hour
Of peril, and who made 1t possible that
we had q Government and State oi
West Virginia. A State born oi loyalty
and dedicated to freedom, an honest
star In the constellation OF states. His
name was on the pension roll and be was
proud OF it. He regarded 1t as a roll
cI honor. Perhaps the men who stole
hofses in Jefferson county, OF which
Mr.. DandridSe spoke, might have been
taken by men who marched ander tie
stars and bars.
Judge Ferguson (Den.) opposed the
substitute. He knew men in KanGwha
county who rendered material service
in the late war and received no pay at
all. Those who helped the country
should now be helped by the country Il
they needed help.
Messrs. Young, Haverman and Lynch
oil favored the original resolution and
Mr.. Welch favored the substitute. Con.
siderable feeling was manifested in the
debate on the part Of some, and the vote
being. taken by ayes and noes, the sub
stitute was defeated by 3S to so.
The original resolution coming up,
Colonel White offered the following
amendments ITO amend the first sec
tion after the reading clause by striking
out all Of the clauses after the word
''pensions" in line 4, and substituting ITO
the West Virginia State troops who
served In the war Of 1S8l-66 in supper,
Of the Government Of the United States
and who may deserve the same, and IA
their widows and children" The amend.
ment was adopted and the resolution
passed.
Tomorrow Mr.. Randall, Harrison, will
introduce a bill providing for an appro,
priation 10 erect o suitable monument 70
the memory OF the West Virginia soldieri
at GettysbuFg. i is said that West Vir
Rinia is the only State having troops