The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-03-02
VETO MESSAGE.
[Con,inuti from First pagc.l
whom 1t was known by tho persons push.

lC0htlilcl from fIrI Pd1c.
whom II was known by tho persons push.
Ing tho bill that It was imperative, but
Whatever may have boon tho reason.
Hnch has certainly boon done, II tho
promoters OF this bill really meant to
hel persons Get out thorcin, aud woto
not acting for more political object, thoy'
went about tho work In tho most neuli.
CONT and crudo manner.
III tho fourth place, tho question OF
the sessions OF tho commissions Is
illimilablc. 1t docs not expire with two
yoart, hut II tho commission 80 lusIre
It may cit for 3G5 days IN tho year, and
ior rs many years na II wishes, and no
limit Is placed on ito expenses which,
with witnesses, mileage. stationery and
oilicc rent, &C., will DO vast. do no,
bolieve IN tho policy Of tho net. Thirty
years have passed by since these service.
woro rendered. aud this commission Ia
now ordered to 20 around in tho differ.
cnt districts OF the state. virtually with
n search warrant In Its hand, and hun,
up evidence which In Its nature cannot
but admit Of tho greatest fraud, and
open vast room for perjury aud wrong
doing.
THE COST OFT.
The class OF troops who aro herein
mentioned wore not the regularly on.
listed soldiers in tho war. They were
not mon who wcro on tho regular mus.
ter rolls aud who were cnlistod in rogi.
ments and brigadoa, and whose pay.
rolls and discharge papers have bcen
preserved, but in tho vast majority OF
instances they werc people loosely got
ten together without being regularly on.
rolled. without being regularly oullstpd
or discharged, anu with the exception
oil some four or five companies, there is
no written record OF these troops and
their service. l, would cost this state a
hundred thousand dollars. Ii after thirty
years OF lapse Of time, they would opon
up this floodgatc. They woro not sol.
diers in tho true sense OF the word, they
belonged to tho class known as home
guards. and without criticising them us
class. for there worc many good men
among them, still tho vast majority OF
them were men who werc not in active
service and not away from home. I'M
der this act any camp follower IL he
may so desire, may blossom into pen
sioner OF the state.
Tho policy Is bad. No one can con.
ceive what it would cost il this policy
was onco adopted, and no one would
know where it would end. I believe
that | am acting for tho best interest OF
the state when disapprove legislation
OF this kind. Ii this policy was onco
adopted, and pension system virtually
fois.od upon this state, tho taxpayer in
a short time would see the great mis-.
take which had been made. These
claims would have TO be proven almost
entirely by parole testimony, by virtual
hearsay and circumstartal evidence.
Lapse OF time and no witnesses to dis.
prove would be relied upon in vas.
number Of instances TO foist claims upon
the state. which, when the servics was
fresh, would not have been attempted to
be proved. l don't desire for one mo.
ment to say anything against the rccu.
lar soldiers OF the Union army; they de-
serve their pension; but the men under
criticism were not the regular soldiers
OF the union. / have talked with num-
Der OF the best soldiers in the union
army, and without exception they have
inveished against the policy Of this bill.
A FORMER ACT.
BY the acts OF the legislature OF 1869,
chapter 1906, n board was created con-
sistinr OF tho auditor, adjutant general
and treasurer OF tho state, to audit the
claims for services rendered by the state
troops during the war. When this
matter was fresh in tho minds OF tho
people, number OF these claims were
audited by the board, which sat in
Charleston. and the audited claims
amounted to So 59 GS. By an act OF
the legislature OF 1871 the sum OF SO, :
47i 6S was appropriated to pay these
claims, blu, it provided tina. only such
claims as are recognized BY tho United
States government should DO paid gu. OF
the amount thereby appropriated. This
amount was never paid. SEQ no good
objection to the amount which was au.
ditcd, closed up and settled, being paid.
We know what thoy wore and whatthey
amouutto. and that they wero audited
when proper, but l do vigorously
and heartily object TO any commission
whose expense, are illimitablc, and
which can sit at all times and
for oil time. going into tho
business OF trumping Up claims against
the state OF West Virginia, nearly 4
third OF century after tuoy were duo.
lam informed that the government may
pay these claims, but I do know tina: it
would be entirely dependent upon bill
which must be passed through the Con.
gsess Of the United States. roimbursing
tho state, il Congress so desired. Tho
state OF West Virginia has Just claim
OF one hundred aud eishty.iour thous.
and dollars against the general govern.
ment, which Congress has so far refused
to pay, and | do not care to see tho state
burden itself with this vast sum OF
money, which amount is not known to
any citizen, and which canno. be os,i.
mated by any citizen, and then trust it.
self 10 the tho tender mercios OF the
Congress OF the United States to rcim-
burse us for the sum 30 expended. Z,
PERTINENT INQUIRIES.
AS havo before said, do no. object
Al H., naEa I'll