The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-24
PRIZE MONEY.
RepOrt OF y. cretary mcOuIIocO.

BY the acis of Congress of Juiy and August, 1861
all property of the citizens OF lnsnrrectOnary
States, found therein, and all vessels belonging
TO insuree ents, were required when captured, to
be forfeited, and the proceeds OF sale PAID into
tie treasury for the u'e OF ihe Unite1 States.
The proceeds OF large captures of sucn property,
amount ng 10 several millions or dollars are claimed
by military ana naVai officers, and they are &C.
cordingly alinR measures, through the Admiralty
Courts, to have the property condemned and adj
judged 10 their own use and that OF the Naval Pen.
SION Fund. lhe question IS now pending before the
Superior Court whether such property so captured
should be forfeited TO the Uneo States or for the
benefit Of the capoIs. In view OF these facts the
House of Representa ives recently directed the
Secretary Of the Treasury TO Withhold dstlibu.
ton OF proceeds until the Judicial question shall be
determined, and requested him to take such means
as1n his judgment might seem pro er, to have the
claims OF the Uniteo states, in spcn cases, fully
heard
secreta y McculoCh's reply we give in full:-
. II does not appear by tue flies of the Treasury
Department. that the receipts of any such property
as is described in the above reso utIon have been
claimed by officers OF the army does 1t distinctly
appear b row much II any has been claimed by OFF,
"Cerifcates IN due form of law have fIom time to
time been reported to this Department SINCE the date
OF July S 1861, OF DEGREES OF the proper courts for
the dstrbu ion of prize money captures purport-
ing to be prize OF var six hundred and eightyseven
IN numLer amounting to S2l sS3, 186 TO- which
amount, deductiDg say one-haI credited 10 navy
pension tund, has been paid as follows, Wiz
An cunt paid officers of the navy. $4 1852 39S11
Amount paid enlisted men OF the navy. 5,3i1S56 90
Total on 6S7 prizes. $40, ,lo3 7e4 66
These Gums rerIesenta y proximately the amounts
as theS stood on the LIST instant,
"on the same premises there remains to be distri-
bued, on account OF the same prlzes the OF say
SS97 $50 of which tne major part will go 10 the
officers OF the navy, but poruon TO enlisted men.
THE files o the Treasury Department do not Iur-
nsh satisfactory means Of det TminIng hat prOpor-
ton OF these amounts consists of tLe proceeds pro-
perty comprehenoed within the scope of the act of
JuJ Is 1861, and the acts supplementary thereto
nasmuch that tact is not distinctly shown by the
certificates OF distribution, and can be ascertained
only by examination Of the records of the several
on the flies OF the respective courts.
LAS 10 all the above cases. it is obvious that no
such suspension OF distribution the resolution con-
templates can be made If indeed those cases can be
considered ss within the purview of the resolution
AT the date OF the resolution there were thirteen
cases in the Office OF the fourth auditor certified Tor
distribution as prize but on which distribution had
not commenced.
"On careful inspection of these thir cen cases. IL
appeared hat several of them vessels other
property within the scope OF the resolutions but
they were on certificates OF rlbuton as prize after
final aojudest on either OF the supreme Court of
the United States or of the several district prize
courts, the proceeds of Which have therefore assed
be} Ono the jurisdiction, of tie department, accord
ing to my judgment In view of the tenor of the
act OF Congress of June 30 1864 entitled VAn
act 10 regulate prize proceedings and the dis
trlbution Of prize money, and for other purposes
which expressly provides H. hat the net amount de-
creed or distribution TO the ULted States or IN vas
sells OF the navy, shall be Oroeed by the court to be
paid Intothe Treasury of the Uned States to be dis
tributed according to the decree tue court (sec-
discreuon to the Department
1t luTtL er appears that thrty.two cases remain
peuulup III SupTtm6 COuIG OF the O0lteQ states,
aud two hundred ard sIXty-eight cases in the Cir.
cult and District Couris, IN ali three hundred cases.
all OF them nominally of prize of war but
more or less Of which may be cases of revenue
forfeiture under the act of July l9 1861, and other
supplementary acts.
"Assuming that these three hundred cases of
capture represent an everage value of possible
proceeds corresponding to that afforded by the SIX
hundred and eighty seven cases the amount still IN
litigation would be equa to, say $9,555 977.
"Several OF the cases, however, have been
already adjudicated finally by the courts although
the cert fcates of stributiOn lave yet reached
this Department
"DeGucrnR such cases, there will remain a large
number sIll penoing in the courts, as to which the
intervention OF the treasury Department will be
lawful and proper for the purpose OF ascertainlng
how many Of them cases of prize of war and how
many cases OF revlnue forfeiture under the inter
course acts.
Il have taken steps to investigate the character of
al these cases. and to intervene therein so far as il
may be just to do so in behalf OF the Treasury De
partmeD the result OF which examination and in
tervent on wi in due time if require be reported
to the Ii ouse OF Representatives
81 am, respectfully, your obedient servant
"H. MCCULLoCH,
Secretary OF the treasury.
"HoD. SCHUYLER CoLFAX, Speaker of the House
OF Representatives"