Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-10-24
from the Pension Department the fol-
lowing letter;
So. Div.
w. p. A. Exr.

s-1so. ).
So. Div.
w. p. A. Exr.
Orig No. 781, 1903.
Department of the Interior,
Bureau OF Pensions,
Washington, D. C.
Sir: The claim above entitled, filed
under act of June, 1890, is rejected on
the grounds that you are not disabled
for manual labor in a pensionable de-
gree.
WIN. LOCHRAN,
ADAM GROW, Commissioner.
Co. B, Sixth w. Va. INIT.
Four months later Lieutenant Grow
died pensionless and penniless, burn
ing disgrace to the country he faith
fully and brayely served in the time of
need, while those who violated the law
of 1890 and who wronged this brave
man, were, and are still holding office
and drawing pay from the government
they never raised hand to sustain.
You, as Department Commander,
having but a limited acquaintance
with the warning factions" should
have, at least, caused an investigation
to have been made, and found out if
there were warning factions" in Reno
Post before you made that incorrect
publication.
| do not believe that you. had any
idea that there were warning fac
lions" in Reno Post, and l believe you
were afraid to call for the records, or
to look at all into the matter, for you
1yn don of q
tunity to come out in an official politi-
cal circular. If your attention was Oil
cially called to this, who did it? Was
it a member of the G. A. R.? / think
not, and, if not, had you any right to
publish an Official political circular,
without investigation, defaming one OF
the best Posts in the department be-
cause some political candidate, who is
not even eligible to membership in the
G. A. r, has asked you to do SO? You,
as Department Commander, mentioned
in your circular the names of Thomas
e. Davis and DR.. Thayer.
Allow me to explain that these two
gentlemen, with counsel, appeared be-
fore the Post to make answer why
they should not be disciplined for their
part in the matter. At that meeting
their attorney notified the Post that
they must rescind the resolutions con-
demning Dayton, or they might all be
dishonoral3ly discharged; at the same
time he offered a resolution resembling
the same, and, Notwithstanding that
many present had been drummed UP
for the purpose Of revoking the resolu
ton censuring Dayton, many not hay
ing seen inside the Post hall since
their imitation years before Zone saying
l have not been in Post meeting for
over fifteen years. the resolution was
lost by vote Of "a to 4, and among
the four were the two gentlemen you
referred to, and their attorney. Never
since, has any one asked for any action
in the Post that favored reputation
of those resolutions. Had you, as De-
partment Commander, called for the
records of Reno Post in this matter,
you would not now be placed in the
embarrassing position of having pub
licly misrepresented and vilified one
of the bests Posts in the department
in an ofTicious attempt to further your
political preferences. If your inten-
tons were good, and carried with
them a desire to be just to your
beloved order" you would have at
least made some investigations, and
learned the facts as the records of the
Post will show them.
l am constrained to say I do not
think you wanted the truth, but that
the same political spirit that slipped
into the Department Encsmpment, and
smuggled and buried the resolutions
censuring the Commissioner of Pen
sions, has slipped into Department
Commanders Office and caused you
to issue this official political circular.
You sat in the chair as Department
Commander at the last Encampment,
when the weak resolutions condemning
the Commissioner of Pensions were re-
ported by the Committee on Resolu-
lions. You know the storm that raised
against them. You know strong reso-
lutions were offered and passed in
their place, and that special resolu
tion was also passed, instructing the
A. A. G. to send type written copy
to President Mckinley. You know
that the comrade who offered the
strong resolutions took them to the
desk as soon as they were adopted,
and you also know that the resolu-
tons given to the press were the weak
and sniveling resolutions reported by
the committee and rejected by the En-
campment. You could, and should
have ''toted fair" and not, to satisfy
your political ideas, have allowed that
matter to pass as it did, any more than
you should have jumped at the oppor-
tunity to wrong Reno Post by publish
ing your political feelings in an official
circular. 1t is time your administra-
ton was looked into. We, of Reno
Post tell the truth and stand by it.
We can prove and sustain every word
We have ever said. We do not, and
will not allow politics to come in our
meetings, but, when we know that any
one of our comrades is wrongfully
abused and injured we will defend him
against the assault be it made by rich
man or poor, Democrat or Republican,
Piebian or Congressman.
Again I say, had you done your I'M
biased duty and called for the records
Of Reno Post you would have had the
truth, and not have placed yourself in
the embarrassing position Of having
turned your back on your comrades for
vour nolitiaa1 heneit even m tho ev