The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1868-12-12
Letter from Washington.

WASHING TON, Dec. s. 1868.
Apropos of claimants formir.cne class ofvisitors
til Capitol as lke4~e~esfoied heretofore the claims
made for cotton seized by army during the rebellion
and confscated by our Government form an item Of
pockets interest to your readers if of other kind
From Judge Hale, who is assduously scrunzing these
claims in the interest ofthe Government get approx
mate estimates of amounts About $4,000 900 worth
Of cotton the outside, has been conscated, all told
belonging loyal and dsloyal parties the confederate
government and private individuals. Now, the iea
sonable assumption in this case would be that with
these disoyay is the rule and loyalty the
exception In the face of this high probability however,
the claims already put in for conscaed cotton claims
to which the asseveration of the loyalty OF the claimant
is an initial and indispensable step, exceed in amount
by onehrd all the cotton conscated and still more
claims coming in!
Two frauds are evident here at once viz in respect
the loyalty and to the amounts claimed and this by
people who given to an habitua inefIably better
than-those air towards the poor Yankee for his
cupdity One chivarous gentleman, according to his
claim first made, file in the archives, had lost
fire bales since then the quantity has grown to serenity
fire bales There other cases of men who hud sold
their cotton to the rebel government and received their
price for it, who make claim on our government for
pay for 1t second time and on. The attempts Of
many of them prove their loyalty at the time reveal
as wide departure from truth and honesty
On the other hand there are claims founded in truth,
and entitled to be paid partially at least Hence the
necessity for unceasng and close scruting and Seere
tary Mccullough did not go wide Of the mark when he
employed Judge Hale for that duty.
Another matter in which your readers-and all ofus-
possess the sort of interest hear from
which believe to be entirely reliable, that nconsd
$780, $50 and 10 40 bonds and their coupons have been
presented here in Washington at the Treasurers Office
and to assistant reasurers in different parts of the
try and the full value Of their authorized prototypes
received for them. hope the committee entering
upon the examination of the affairs Of treasury
printing bureau where all these bonds
ed, under the supervision of s NJ Clarke, will leave
nothing undone necessary to the entire unravelng OF
this dark and costly byplay of some official scoundrel
The suffrage question now bids fair to form the chief
business of this session Of Congress 1t is complcatng
and in its completely will be found the hndrance to the
speedy disposal oft There three sides and parties
suffrage in all the States regardless of color by amend
ing the Constitution 2. Chase men, wishing equal
suffrage, but holding that it must be left to the States
as least for State elections 8. Including in the
equalization of the suffrage, by amending the Consttu
ton as proposed by Senator Pomeroy. There is
chance for and therefore interest in No. than at
first blush may be perceived We have pretty large
representation from the South again in Congress, and
shouldn't wonder IL they would favor it with much
unanimy adding their votes to those Of favorable Re
publicans and Democrats. j. Z.