Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1897-07-03
FACTS.

FACTS.
The Statesman says: "The Re-
publican newspapers of this district
and especially the Herald and Inde-
pendent OF this city, used to be CON
stantly assailing Mr. w. i. Wilson
charging him with doing nothing for
his constituents in the way Of getting
private bills through the House. How
many private bills have passed the
House since Mr.. Dayton's election. in
which the people OF the Second district
are interested And yet we hear moth
ing from these fellows. Senator
Faulkner, each succeeding Congress,
has been getting numbers Of bills
through the Senate, but they have all
met their death in the House. The
Senator is ever on the alert for the in
terest Of his constituents, but the re-
cords show that he has had very weak
backing in the House"
The above is in a measure correct.
Senator Faulkner has done all that is
attributed to him. Injustice, how
ever, is done Mr.. Dayton. No one
could have labored more zealously
that he to secure consideration by the
House. Two absolutely insurmount-
able obstacles have confronted him.
One was the insufficiencv Of revenues,
caused by the Wilson bill and the
other was the acts OF Mr.. Wilson
himself. The first trouble is too we'll
known to require explanation further
than to state that the policy of the
House has been to keep expenditures
to the lowest possible notch--to pro-
vide only for the actual current ex-
penses of the Government-refusing
to act upon private bills.
One or two illustrations of the
other will suffice to make clear what
is not generally known. Some years
since, while Mr.. Wilson was still
representing this District, the Editor
of the Herald was requested to look
after the claim of the First M +.
church. The Senate had passed bill
granting $500. A search of the
record disclosed the fact that Mr..
Wilson had introduced bill in the
House in full of the same claim for
$1,000
On the advice of the chairman oil
the House committee the matter was
dropped for the time being on the as
surance that if the bill was pressed to
passage not more than $1,000 could be
realized.
In the case of Mr.. John Lyons, Mr..
Wilson allowed an unfavorable report
to be made and although Mr.. Dayton
has repeatedly striven to have the
committee reverse its action he has
been unable to accomplish the task.
Thus an honest man and good soldier
who served faithfully for three years
is charged with being a deserter be-
cause he happened to be absent from
his regiment on furlough when it was
mustered out of service.
In the case of the church, it is de-
prived of its just dues because Mr..
Wilson took upon himself the respon-
sibility of reducing the claim from
$500 to $1,000. In the other, Mr..
Lyons is forced to occupy humiliat-
ing position because his representa-
tive failed to do his duty. 1t may be
possible that other claims are barred
in the same way. However, we are
authorized by Mr.. Dayton to state
that he has the promise of the COM
mittee that all of the claims referred
to will be paid just as soon as the rev.
enues will warrant. Until then, he is
informed, no action will be taken.
One more fact: Those bills have
been pending for so years. Mr.. Will
son served II years, Mr. Dayton two
years.
Last week Hon. A. G. Dayton was
the target of Popocratic abuse and
then there was a fling at Senator Ell
kins. 1t is now evident that the plan
of the next campaign is already
mapped out. Vilifcation and calum-
NATION are to be the weapons and the
Senatorship the capital prize. 1t there
fore behooves Republicans, especially
Republican newspapers to be on
their guard. Efforts will be made to
poison the minds OF voters and there