The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-01-22
THE SUE MURPHY CLAIM.

In fortifying Decatur, Alabama, in
March, 1864, by order OF General
Sherman, it became necessary TO dis
possess the citizens OF their proper
lty. Miss Sue Murphy claims 81 900
for a dwelling house and OuthOuses
that were destroyed in building for
tiiica;ions. y bill 10 pay her is in
the Senate, and has been much de
bated and so many Senators have
shown soft side toward it as To in
dicate danger OF its passage. This
little bill, with young woman hitch
ed To it, who is represented as hay
ing burned with loyalty all the time,
is cunning.y devised to establish Il
precedent Tor the payment of all the
destruction that was caused by mill
tary operations in the South. For
the occasion, Senator Hendricks, who
generally is not an admirer of South
ern loyalists, and who considers
them traitors to their own State,
pleads the loyalty Of this young wo
man, and her prayers for the tri-
umph of the Union arms. And
Garret Davis pleads that she is Il
woman, and fair, and appeals to the
gallantry oil Senators.
The idea of a conliscation of the
property of leading rebels, ut the
close of the war, To- pay some pOr-
ton of the destruction they had
caused, was denounced rs monstrous.
But suppose we pay them for their
losses two-thirds or three quarters
will be paid by the Northern people,
and thus we shall have degree Of
cOnfiscation OF the property OF the
loyal people Of the \ orth To compen-
safe the Southern rebels, or to pay
the damage done 10y then. Thus we
shall have cOniiscatIOn for the loyal
instead of the rebels. The property
OF the rebel class shonld have been
made to pay all damages suffered by
the loyal in the war. IL the North
ern Democrats want to pay the loss
es OF the Southern inhabitants, the
property OF those who caused the
is the source TO pay
from. Ii the Southern loyal mem
bers want such 4 dispensation Of
compensation, they should have de
manded that the property of rebels |
shall be made to pay. The eXOner-
alton OF their property from ali
penalties for their crime, dismissed
the claim of the loyal inhabitants to
Otherwise il would
he remission to the property of the
guilty, and partial c0niiScatioR OF
n orthern property. OF course these
are hardships to the loyal in the
destruction made by civil war; but,
after all, the greatest hardship is in
dragging loyal men To the field to
fight rebels. The taking of loyal
life is infinitely greater hardship
and claim than the taking or destroy
ing of loyal property but million
and a half of Northern men were
10 this hardship and de-
When an insurrection spreads to
civil war, which divides the posses
sion of the country, the necessities
and rules OF war come in play. The
army o. the government is compell-
ed TO use or remove everything that
comes under its necessities, because
the enemy has already established
that rule. lie has virtually taken
possession OF all the property and
of the country to carry on
his war of rebellion. They are all
in his power. He uses them as he
wants. He stops at nothing. No
private property or private rights of
any sort are left The national army
seizes these resources from the enc
my as it can. 1t does not take them
from the inhabitants, but from the
armed force of the enemy, for these
are in his power, and lie :
subjects them to his use as he needs,
IN the exigencies of military opera
.iors. 1t is the same as capturing
or provisions from the enc !
ny's amy, which he had taken from
he inhabitants He has reduced
hem to his possession and service
therefore,, the government when it
.aptures them does not assume any
liability to the original owners, al
hough they may be loyal citizens.
Without sIch a right of war no :
could ever put down a :,
ebellion. For this reason it has to =
egard the country possessed By =
he enemy and all the inhabitants as =
n a state of war. The loyal are net !,
o voluntarily, of course bat they :
re in the enemy's power. and their
is subject TO his military N
And so it is laid down Il
y writer's on public law, and so il q
as been held by our Supreme Court n,
| works hardships, of course but b,
re these the only hardships of war !? &C
his crime of rebellion dragged al
illion una half OF innocent North
n men from their homes to the
ED of war, to be killed IN battle, or sa