The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-07-26
A wnrnlnr @ ,he reopIs.

eNNN N~ANWA
appointed by the Federal Government,
has been In session for some time In this
city, for the purpose Of taking evidence
In regard to claims filed with them by
parties whose property has been dam
aged In consequence Of the occupation Of
this place aad the country adjacent by
the United States forces. his Boardbas
no au00ityo taIe esiderps IN regard 10 hs
claimants bgahg; all e has authority 10 DO
iso rcceive he claim and take evidence as %
he extent Of Ge damages incurred. The
payment Of all these claims rests entirely
with the Government hereafter. The
considerations involved in this question
of The payment Of claims deeply affect
not only every loyal citizen Of Tennes-
see, but Of the whole country. The ag-
greeate of these claims will DO onor-
NOUS; ss large, perhaps, as the national
war debt which is ever one billion Of
dollars. The Board in this place will Of
necessity, be but QUO among = multi
tude Of Boards convened al over the
South for the same purpose, New Or
leans, yicksburg, Norfolk, Baltimore,
Jackson, Charleston, and every city, VIII
lage and county in the South will have
their Boards as Nashville now has, TO
hear the complaints, and file the claims
Of oil porsOns loyal and dislOyal, whose
lands, tenements, improvements, crops,
"a stock, farming implements, boats, shop
tools, etc, have been injured or destroy
ed by the United States forces. Nineteen
out Of every twenty Of these claim
ants aro enemies Of the Government
whose influence, and in many cases
whose time, money and personal labor
have all been assiduously exerted TO
overthrow the Government of whom
they now demand payment as injured
creditors, although il Is notorious that
the Government did those injuries in en-
deavoring TO counterfeit their treason.
II is exactly al IL A were 20 siesl up
s and strike i in ho back, and then bring
auit for damages against 3 because the
latter wheeled around and dealt B a blow
which tore his cont, or mashed HE hat.
IL is the nggrcssor prosecuting the per-
son whom he had wantOnly assailed.
Who are these claimants whose names
bs appear in the columns Of the city papers
m daily? SONS Of them are loyal persons,
but many others are Of a very different
character, and notorious enemies Of the
Government. One of these claimants
bOasied two years ago hat millions Of
dollars had passed through his hands for
the benefit Of Che Rebel Confederacy,
which has cost the lives Of so many
thousand loyal men.
Another claimant is now in the Rebel
0onfedsracy, an i~nsolent and OPEN
moulhed traitor still. Another offered
the Rebel Confederaoy a building site
on which 10 erect . Capitol.
And we might increase this list al.
most indefinitely. BUTT Is not necessary
TO do H. perhaps, IN this community
where the facts Of the case, and the evil
denee Of the treason of the parties are
notorious. The damages claimed by
these parties varies from $4,000 to
$4,000.
The Government should announce its
policy definitely, and unmistakably in
regard to the disposition which II intends
TO make of claims fled by disloyal per-
sons. Their payment may be pressed
Intellectually, by the individual claim
ants, for years; bat if they are bought
up, after tho lapse Of five or ten
years by large capitalists, who win
accumulate Sl,00O,OOo worth at perhaps
rs cents on the dollar, q frightful
amount Of pressure, corruption and bribe-
~, can DO used to secure their payment
even though the original claimants were
JET. Davis and lsham q. Harris. Sup
pose that a combination Of bankers, spec
~ulators, aud perhaps foreign capitalists,
were to enter Congress ten years after
the close Of the war, with claims calling
on their face Tor 100000, 600 with in
terest, but bought mp by them for ono
fourth Of their value, Ia IL not evident
that The claimants could well afford to
buy up the votes al 100000 apiece 2
Suppose the case be referred TO the courts,
cannot the bride be largely increased in
that case No loyal man can contem-
plate such a contingency with the least
liberation. 1t must excite the indigna-
tion of every honest patriot. We say
that the Government should proclaim its
determination 70 receive no claim for
charges from rebel sympatbizcrs. The
people cannot iustly be taxed topay any
such debts Shall We ask the loyal men
OF the Northwest aud Of East Tenucs-
see, TO sell the products Of their farms 10
pay tho taxes which are needed 20 liqui.
date debts due from the United States,
to Gen. Washington Barrow, or General
Harding Neverl We hope the people
will never submit to such impositlons AZ
that. There are claimants who should
be paid for the losses which they have
suffered not on account Of their treason,
h,a Al. ~.t-toffau, Wkau havn h,av