Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-03-02

five days i'm the year. and for as many
years as il wishes. and no limit is
PLACED on ITS EXPENSES,
which. with witnesses, mileage sta-
tiOnery and office rent etc. will be
vast. do not believe i'm the policy of
the act. Thirty years have passed by
since these services were rendered. and
this commission is now ordered TO so
State. virtually with a search warrant
around i'm the different districts OF the
I'M it's hand, and hunt mp evidence
which. i'm it's nature. cannot but admit
of the greatest fraud. and open vast
room for perjury and ong-dOing.
The class of troops who are herein
mentioned were not the regularly en-
listed soldiers i'm the war. They We're
not men who were on the regular mus
ter rolls and who were enlisted in reg
imeuts and brigadeS. and whose pay
rolls and discharge papers have been
preserved. but i'm the vast majority
of instances they were people loosely
gotten together without being regu-
larly enrolled without being regularly
enlisted or discharged. and with the
exception of some four or five compau-
les. there lis no written record of these
troops and their service. To would
cost this State a hundred Thousand
dollars. If after thirty years Wlapse of
time, they would open up this flood
gate. They were not soldiers i'm the
true sense of the word, they belonged
90 the class known as Home Guards,
and without criticising them as @
class for there were many good men
among them. still the vast majority of
them were men who We're not i'm active
service
AND NOT AWAY FROM HOME
Under this act any camp follower If
he may SO desire may blossom into
pensi0ner of the State.
The policy is bad. so one can con-
ceive what it would cost If this policy
was once adopted. and no one would
know where it would end. I believe
that / am acting for the best interest
of the State when I disapprOVe legis-
iation OF this kind. III this policy were
once adopted. and a pension system
virtually fOistei upon this State. the
taxpayer i'm q short time would see the
great mistake which had been made.
These claims would have 10 be proven
almost entirely by parole testimony.
by virtual hearsay and circumstantial
evidence. Lapse of time and no wit
neSSes TO diSprOve would be relied up
ON I'm the vast number of instances 10
iOist claims upon the State. which
when the service was fresh would not
have been attempted TO De proved. /
don't desire for one moment TO say
anything against the regular soldiers
of the Union army. They deserve
their pension but the men under criu-
cism were not the regular soldiers Of
/ the Union. / have talked with num-
/ Der of the best soldiers i'm the Union
army, and without exception they
have iuyeighed against the policy
of this bill BY the acts Of the
| Legislature of 1863 chap. 100. board
was created consisting of the Auditor.
Adiutaut General and Treasurer of
I the State. to audit the claims for ser
/ vices rendered by the State troops dur
ing the war.
! WHEN THIS MATTER WAS FRESH
i'm the minds of the people, "a number
4 of these claims were audited by the
/ board which sat i'm Charleston, and
I the audited claims amounted 10 $19.-
l1q.6S. BY an act of the legislature Of
I 1871. the sum of $19A746S was appro-
I Driated 10 pay these claims, but it pro
vided that only such claims as are rec
ogniZed by he United States govern
/ ment should be paid ont of the amount
/ hereby appropriated. This amount was
never paid. I see no good objection 10
the amount which was audited, closed
mp and settled, being paid. We know
/ what they were and what they amount
90. and that they We're audited when
proper. but I DO vigorously and heartily
object to any commission whose eN-
penses are illimitabie. and which can
sir at AN times and for AN time going
into the business of trumping up
claims against the State of West Viz
ginia. nearly "a third of a century after
they We're due. I ann informed that
the government may pay these claims,
| but it would be entirely dependent
upon q bin which must bee passed
through the Congress of the United
States. reimbursing this State il Con-
gress SO desired. The State OF West
/ Virginia has a just claim of one hum
dred and eighty-for thousand dollars
against the general government which
I Congress has so far refused TO pay
and do not care 20 see the StSte bur
den itself with this vast sum of money,
| which amount is not known TO amy cit
[ iZeu and which
CANNOT BE ESTIMATED
hv any citizen. and then trust itself 20
the tender mercies of the Congress OF
The United states to reimburse us for
the sum SO expended As 1 have be
fore said DO not object TO the sum
which was before audited but / wish
to know why the people who had these
claims if they were just did not IN
t 1850 come before the auditing commit
taa with whom the vast majority or
claimants were i'm political sympathy
/ Why did not these people who are now
asking for committee TO audit their
/ cIaims come before that committee
when the war was fresh in the mind
or every MANI Every opportunity was
afforded them. they could easily prove
their claims if they had amy JUST
I claim The war was only over uNe
, wears. any claims II just could oe
/ proven. or fl dishonest could DE DIS
proven do not believe for the fea-
sons stated above that this bill shou' d
become law. There is no power TO
. create the commission. it cannot Zee
oDeratei for lack OF appropriation. lt
NAY SIT FOR ALL TIME.
IFS czpenses may DEE made without
F. limit and I do not believe i'm the poi
/ fcr of going into these claims after t'e
iaDse of an these years, when the par
lies have had ample time and oppor-
I unity when the claims were Young.
...r 81, ,,,,- r,rrf.ff. rar4 IN Hp