Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1850-11-07
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We have received and read with much interest, tho
speech Of Hon C. L. Durham, on the conduct Of the
late Secretary Ewing in the payment Of certain Indian
and Virginia Claims. We regret that the crowded
state Of our columns will not enable republish it.
1t an able and fearless expose of the whole fraud by
which, ony interest, but compound interest was paid
on old obsolete Virginia claims raked up from the Rev.
dictionary Archives the principal of which had long
since been paid Mr. Durham deserves great credit for
his labor and research member of the investigating
committee on the conduct of Mr.. Ewing. As Illus
traon of the conduct OF this member of the Galphn
Cabinet give the following history of the celebrated
Barron case from Mr-Dunbam's speech
The last case TO which shall call the attention of the
House is the payment Of the claim OF Commodore James
Barron who served in the Virginia navy during the Re-
volution This involves only several others
which have been paid, but many yet unpaid, amounting
probably to some five SIX millions OF dollars. shall,
therefore, give it careful examination. Commodore
Barron served until the end of the in the Virginia
navy and according the decision of the Virginia courts
entitled to his half pay for life from the end Of the
He died in 1877 On the fifth day Of April. s2l,
his administrator filed claim with the Auditor OF Nir-
ginia for his half paw from the 22d Of April 1873, the
close of the war; until his death, which the Auditor
fused to allow. The administrator appealed, under a
law Of that State, TO the Superior Court OF Henrico
county, and that Court, the 18th December, 1923
rendered Judgment in his favor for the half pay and
interest thereon from the 9th o! April 1921 the time
il was presented to the Auditor for payment and pay
refused The whole amount 50 $50 81 and on
the 10Th of that month it paid to the administra
by that State. This all that he claimed at that
time, and it oil 70 which he was entitled by the clear
and emphatic decisions Of the Virginia Courts upon Vir-
ginia laws. and indeed he clad to get that, for il
was some time considered douhul whether he en-
titled to it, This was one item of The amount which
was refunded the State of Virginia Ivy the United
States by tie LIST section of the act Of 1892 The case
rested here every body suppoSing il fully settled
and ended, until July 1919, alter Mr.. Ewing becams
Secretary oil the Interior, when Messrs. Lyons & Vim
cent, attorneys OF the administrator OF Commodore
Barron made application to the Commissioner OF Pen
siOnS for Communication OF five fall pay and interest
in lieu of half pay Cor e which had been received al
leging that the administrator had made mistake wher
he had sued for and recovered against Virginia half pay
only The Commissioner Of Pensions rejected the claim
and they appealed to the Secretary of the Interior who
Opened the casoset aside not settlement merely. bat
the Judgment OF a court rendered and paid of more
than twentysix years heioreoverrued all the decisions
Of the of Virginia. and the decisions Of the At
;orneys General of the United States since 1892 among
whom Of the ablest iurists OF the land-ds
regaTed the action of Congress for the period,
allowed the claim. The case was finally decided jam
ary 81 1850 The amount allowed as communication wa:
81 25S 81, and upon this he allowed interest from the
22l OF April, 1888 up to the time the claim paiC
oin 1S23 there made rest, carried the interest 10 the
principal and deducted the payment then made by Vr
oina and up0n thu balance allowed interest again unit
he paid the claim in 1850 So that a claim which hat
been fully paid all that the claimant asked in 1923 witt
50 $50 3D. was paid again in 1850, with S32 3S2 81
over and above the amount first paid. which makes the
whole amount paid S34 391 %. The interest up t. h.
time Of the payment in 1928 slO,395 s3-the pay
ment was 50 0S2 81 so that it will readily been seen
sir that from that time onward interest was allowed
upon 50 303 81 of interest; hence only allowing in
upon the claim in violation OF the settled practic
of the the Government from its establishment, hut
pound interest. The amount of compound interest al
lowed is about $13 ,99l 3d. We thus paid, in settling
this claim, that sum than should have had Il
pay, if not a dollar had before been paid upon it.