The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-05-28

lsl4 The act OF Is4s authorized the Secretary Of Sts
10 reconsider his case. and 10 admit him the benefits Of
the act OF lsl4 Therefore, according every principle
Of Justice and every dictate Of sense he was
entitled TO interest only from the orgnation Of his claim
in 1910. 10 April IS. 1914. Yet the Attorney General,
who has been made the scape-goat of these enormous
and upfoundsd claims paid by the present administration
allowed interest to the date OF the act OF ls4s-
thus compelling tss government 70 pay more than thrs
times as much ought justice 10 Aavs paid. admitting
the legality and justice Of the principal claim In prn
cpe il is no better than the allowance OF the Gapha
interest; and in appearance il would be fully as bad
cabinet minister had been the agent and halloween Of
the claim According to the Republics own showing,
the payment Of the interest ius6es in ranking il with
the other Gaphin infanies Of this administration.
With regard TO the allowance of interest on claims due
from the government to the citizen, there cannot be a
shadow OF reason for such allowance, particularly in
cases respecting which the government recognises its
indie and its readiness to pay whenever the claim
ant shall prove that he is entitled TO payment We be-
eye all the departments and Offices have been governed
BY this principle until the present administration
into power Thus the Pension Office never pays interest
on claims for pensions 1t considers the right Of The
petitioner complete only when he has proved according
10 the rules OF thai office Thus, for want Of proof an
individual entitled to pension may urge his claim before
the Office for ten years before he gets allowed and yet
he is not allowed interest The De La Frsnca claim
precisely analogous principle. II due at all il was
under the act of April 49, 1914 The claimant never did
make out his case to the satisfaction Of the officer ap
pointed by that law to settle and adjust all such
Finally, Congress passed supplement to that law, au.
thorizng the settlement OF the claim under the Of
1914, notwithstanding the lapse Of tins; and, under
this law, interest is allowed by the Attorney General from
the orginaon OF the claim to the date Of the las, act
There be no doubt that il was illegally paid
But we understand that there other irregularities
attending the payment Of this claim Il has been stated
several of the northern papers, that at FIRST the Secr
ary of State exhibited reluctance against allow.
ing the claim; to remove which, certain letter.wi.
ter in his confidence brought here, and paid a
fee Of 81 900 to intercede in its behalf which be did
successfully Then, again, il il sad that there
person legally entitled to receive III whereupon ssn
OF administration were taken out from the lazy cou
this city We state these as rumors circulating he
northern papers-not as we'll ascer,ained facts Butt they
show the necessity of an inquiry into the ownership Of
this claim, and the circumstances under which il was
allowed.
II we were alone governed bypolitical motives, we
might hope that the cabinet instead Of asking invest
ton into these matters will continue its attempts at jus
tifcaton, through the columns of its subsidised Or.
gan II it succeeds better than has in this D. b
Francia affair." there will be need OF committees Of
vestigation. According to its own showing, il nov
stands convicted Of paying out Of the treasury without
warrant Of law, $4,000 to $4,000 Of the peoples
money, HE shape Of interest claim Of sli $780, III.
original justice of which is not altogether clearly and
satisfactorily shown il ought to be. although it hal
been admitted by the legislation OF Congress.