The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-10-05
A LIE, OF COURSE.
MAJOR DICK REPLIES TO THE OUT
RAGEOuS ISLANDERS OF THE
NOTORIOUS BILL TAYLOR.

NOIOHiOOS BILL TAYLOR.
Hot Shot Fired at the GANG of shu,r.
Who Are Working Under the "Colonels'.
Direction.
Special Dispatch to the Cleveland Leader.
AKRON, o., Sept. 18.--Major G. w. F.
Dick, Chairman of the Republican
state Executive Committee of Ohio, re-.
turned yesterday from Chicago, where
he has been for several days preparatory
TO his entering upon the active work of
the campaign. This morning he was
seen by reporter relative to the attack
made upon him by "Colonel" w. A..
Taylor, candidate for Lieutenant Gov
ernor on the Democratic ticket, in his
speech at Silver Lake last Wednesday.
The charges made by Taylor were that
Major Dick and pension attorney
named H. D. Phillips, of Washingt on,
D. c., had formed partnership for the
purpose of swi ding old soldiers by in
ducing them to fill out circulars sent to
them and to inclose five 2-cent stamps;
that thus $50, 900 was to be drawn from
the old soldiers, their widows and or
phans, and that Major Dick was to
have $4,000 to be used for campaign
purposes, and Phillips was to have the
remaining $4,000. Taylor also com
planned bitterly because of an attack
upon the Democratic party for its pen
sion policy. Upon request Major Dick
has given out the following statement
MY information in this matter, until
| returned from Chicago yesterday
I
read the printed accounts of the meet
ing at Silver Lake and the speech
wherein Colonel Taylor reflected upon
my character and charged me with be-
ing connected in a pension enterprise
with one H. D. Phillips of Washington,
D. G. He charges that l have been q
partner to a scheme for swindling old
soldiers, their widows and orphans.
deny emphatically and positively ever
having entered into partnership with
IL. d. Phillips or any other pension
attorney, or that l ever agreed to put
circulars of Phillips or anyone else into
the hands of every soldier, every je-
ceased soldiers widow, his father,
or mother, or minor child, or guardian,
in the State of Ohio and when Taylor
says that the alleged partnership fund
is likely to be divided even, netting
$4,000 to Politician Dick and $40. 900
to opulent Pension Attorney Phillips
he manufactures lie out of whole
cloth.
Upon my arrival here found in my
mail letter from Mr.. Phillips, which
bears directly upon and supports my
denial of any connection with him. AS
this letter contains matter not only of
particular personal interest to me, but
of general interest to the public, think
Mr.. Phil ps will not object to its publ
cation in full. Here it is
WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. Is, 1898.
Hon. Charles Dick, Akron, o.:
Dear Sir: My attention has been
called to certain statements made by
Colonel w. A. Taylor in speech de-
livered at Silver Lake, o., Wednesday,
September 13, that you were interested
in my business and were to participate
in certain alleged profits to be derived
therefrolu. l desire to say land you
may use the statement in any way that
you may deem proper that you have
no connection with me, directly or in.
directly, nor has anyone else; that l
have no partner and desire none; that
the correspc ldence Taylor referred to
is only part of what l conduct in this
city of Washington, d. c., as an attor-
ney-at-law; that the correspondence is
of general character and goes not to
Ohio soldiers alone, but throughout the
Union: that the correspondence has
been approved by the honorable Com.
missioner of Pensions, who is a Demo-
cratic appointee Of President Cleveland,
s being correct and in proper form to
acquaint the soldiers their widows and
heirs of the present Interpretation
placed upon the pension laws; that the
letters referred to were not printed in
Akron nor mailed from the Columbus
postoffice; that you are not to pay for
same in any way, nor is anybody else,
and that what Colonel Taylor said was
an absolute and wilful lie. 1t is proper
to add that under the present construc-
tion of the pension laws large portion
of the invalid pensions allowed hereto
fore under the act of June 81. 1890, will
be suspended or reduced, and that so
per cent of the claims made under the
act are now being rejected on the
ground of no disability. The only re-
lief open to the beneficiaries of the
pension laws thus affected is to have
their cases placed for prosecution under
what are generally termed the ''old
laws" point out the necessity of do
ing this in my correspondence, which, 1
have already said, has been approved
by the Pension Bureau. The honorable
Commissioner of Pensions has more
than once called attention to the mis-
statements made by partisan news
papers and speakers like Taylor, that
the present Interpretation of the laws
has not the effect l have stated. In one
instance the Commissioner has held
that man with one eye out is not en-
titled to pension under the act of
June 27, 1890, while he formerly would
have received $12 per month Today
he would be entitled to nothing, and
could come in only under the general
law. An attorney is entitled to no fee
at all unless the case is won and then
the fee is paid by the United States
Pension Office itself. He can only re-
ceive occasional stamps for correspond
ence and stationery-in the aggregate