American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-11-04
From the Boston Bee.
The Florida Claim q.

The Florida Claims.
The question Of the payment of interest on
the Florida claims is now before the Treasury
Department. The amount Of interest awarded
on these claims by the judges Of the United
States district court in the late Territory of
Florida is understood to be about 100000.
The number of men, women, and children in
terested in, and demanding the payment of,
the awarded interest on these claims, is about
two thousand The counsel for the claims are
Messrs. William Cost Johnson, Charles f. Sher-
man, David l.. Yulee, John M. Berrien, and
Thomas Ewing. Messrs. Webster and Corwin
were also among the distinguished counsel, be-
fore they took seats in President Fillmore's
Cabinet, and gave very clear and luminous
opinions in favor Of the payment of the interest
part of the awards on said claims, which the
Treasury Department has hitherto neglected to
pay, upon the ground that it would be in con-
fiict with the usage which that department long
ago established, and has since observed, in re
gard to domestic claims Bnt it has now been
established, and conceded by the proper officers
Of the government, that these Florida claims
are treaty claims, and not domestic claims
They arose in this wise:
In 1872, when the people Of Eastern Florida
were prosperous and happy in raising sea-island
cotton, for which they found ready market at
fifty cents pound, and in cutting timber and
selling it at good price. unrestricted, and un-
molested by the authorities of the government
Of Spain, under whose protection they lived,
the Government of the United States, by a Sc
cret act of Congress and the action Of the Exc
cutiye, set on foot a movement for taking
possession Of the eastern portion of Florida,
including St. Augustine, The movement was
successful. Adventures from the United States,
with the cooperation Of the United States
agents and troops, Joined citizens of Florida in
raising the flag of rebellion, or the patriot Rag,
as it was styled, and taking possession Of such
portions of the peninsula as they desired, and
annexing the same in form to the United States,
through the agent Of this Government, General
Matthews appointed by President Madison.
In this sort of conquest, the patriot forces
and the United States troops took whatever
crops, horses oxen, mules, poultry, &C., be-
longing to the citizens, they could find. They
devastated the country all round about st. Au-
gustine.
Afterwards our Government got ashamed Of
what had been DONE and withdrew the troops
from the portion Of Florida which had thus
been subjugated. When, finally, Florida was
ceded by treaty from Spain to the United States,
it was expressly stipulated and agreed to- by
both parties, that the United States govern
ment should ascertain, by due process of law,
who had had their property taken from them
or destroyed by the operations of the troops
and citizens of the United States who had made
excursions into Florida and laid the country
waste in 1S12-'13, and indemnify said citizens
for the injuries they had thus sustained.
Congress subsequently, in 1928 and in 1884,
passed acts to carry the provisions Of the treaty
with Spain, on this subject, into effect, and
directed that the Judges of the United States
Territorial Court of Florida should examine the
claims of the citizens of Florida, for injuries
received in the loss or destruction OF their pro-
perty, and award what our Government ought
to pay them, and that the awards thus made
should be paid by the Secretary Of the Treasury,
provided he deemed them Just, within the
treaty.
The Judges examined the claims and awarded
the amount Of the worth Of the property of each
claimant. at the time it was taken from him,
and interest, at five per cent, as q measure n
damage for the loss Of the use Of said property,
from the time it was taken from its owner, until
the time the year lS85) Congress stipulated
the payment should be made
The Treasury Department has from time to
time, paid the principal awarded on these claims,
but not the tire per cent. interest awarded by the
judges as a measure Of damage That measure
Of damagc is now demanded. The question is,
Shall the Treasury Department pay 1t! If
honest, just, and right, it certainly should.
The scoldng that has been heard about the pay
ment Of the Galphin claim should not deter the
Government one moment from doing fearlessly
its duty in the matter OF paying honest and
meritorious claims. And if ever the Govern
ment was bound in honor and good faith to
meet and pay any claim against il, then is it
douby bound to pay the entire a,card upon these
Florida claims, for injuries which the Govern
ment itself inflicted upon peaceable and unof-
Tending citizens Of territory then belonging
to Spain. We hope and trust that justice will
at once be done in this matter, and that Presi-
dent Fillmore, who Is sworn to see the laws
faithfully executed in all things, will see them
executed in the matter Of the Florida claims.
We have not n doubt but that he viii do 50. 1t
is like his high character for dealing fairly by
the people as well as fairly by the Government
The first settler upon the ground where the
city of Rochester now stands, the venerable
Enos Stone, died in that city last week. lie was
born in Lenox, Mass, in 1776, and emigrated
to New York in 1890, having been sent by his
father to look after n land purchase. lie took
with him drove of cattle and swine, and the
company were twenty-seven days in making the
journey! Col Stone, in the year 1912, built
the first rude dwelling that was erected upon
! the site Of Rochester.