The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1867-05-30
Soldiers Pou count,

eTal mace among the soldiers on &C.
ccount of the suspension and non
receipt of their bounties due under
the act of July %, last.
+ Itwould seem that twelve months
having nearly elapsed since the pas
sage of this act) the Secretary of
the Treasury and the Paymaster
General should have by this time
gotten their red taoe machines in
good running order. and be able to
dole out the pittauce so faithfully
earned to those thatshould be regar-
ded as the nations preferred credit
ors.
1t is however a we'll known fact
Tat Sec'y. McCulloch and Paymas-
ter General Rice were both shostil,
t, the measure at the time Of it's
passage, the former because he fear
ed that it would initiate against the
realization ofhis pet scheme of re-
turning to specie payment, and the
latter for ''pure cussedness'' and reg
ular army obstinacy, and hostility to
the volunteers. Tt was therefore ex-
peeted that these custodians of the
public funds would not exhibitan ex.
traorainary amount Of alacrity in
carving out the provisions of a law
they were hostile to, but it must be
confessed that the annoying delays
snperf1uons forms &c, adopted by
these departments, precedent to pay
ing the bounty has given the public
an unexpected exhibition Of the high
|ly ornamental ss;oficial art Of show
/ not to do it," -
In this connection we lay before
our readers the following extract
from a Washington correspondence
of the Davenport Gazette that will be
interesting to expectant soldiers and
their Attorneys engaged in collect
ing these claims saissy.3
PAYMENT OF BACK PAY AND BoUNTIEs.
"Your readers interested in this
subject have recently been disturbed
with fears that payments Of officers
and soldiers is to be stopped for one
year. Let me tell them tho facts so
far as can get them.
A Cabinet consultation was un-
| doubtedly held with view to stop
ping payments one year, and it is un.
derstood the proposition was strongly
urged as necessary. It did not pre-.
vail, however. My opinion on this
subject is this, that Mr.. Johnson has
determined his load is about as heavy
as he can carry without adding to il
the odium which would attach to a
reputation Of the nations debt to its
soldiers. ,.
An investigation would show that
the Treasury DEPARTMENT is paying
private claimsin large amounts daily,
without compunction, and favorities
It is nothing for the Secretary to pay
out fifty Or one hundred thousand al
one time and often, but it is hard
Gerry, to bear the constant drain OF
/ boaaties. Now look at it. One man
Uorks his claim of 100000 through
the Treasury-that money will pay
the bounty of one thousand soldiers.
Query-must the thousand give way
to the one? However, there is no
immediate suspension, but claimants
must not expect rapid adjustment till
after the fiscal year ending June
Both.
Apropos of the Treasury and as IL
Illustrative of the way things are done
in its "gresa room,' | must tell you OF
a nice little development of a recent
date. One Lane obtained a jndg-
ment in the Court Of claims. Mr..
Lane got transcript OF the j1dg-
ment and presented it at the Treasu-
ry for payments lie was told that
the judgment could not be paid un-
til 80 days. the time allowed for an
appeal to the Supreme Court, had
expired. Lane then went to Ma
tional Bank and sold his judgment
at a large shave. The bank got the
money on the judgment in day or
two afterwards. CKissing goes by
favor it is said:-possibly other
things follow this rule.) An appeal
was taken to the Supreme Court
within the 80 days and the judgment
may be reversed there. The Treas
ury is in stew and the National
tank fretteth. Mr.. Lane is tran.
quill and the happy possessor of the
spoils- Selah r
8. OBSERVER.