The national Republican., 1869-01-30
Communicated.
aOutheru ClAfma.

have read, with much interest, the debate
in the Senate on the bill for the relief Of Miss
Sue Murphy, Of Alabama, which bin was 70
turned TO the Committee on Claims for further
as to the loyalty OF the olsimant.
That question, II seems TO me, IL the opiy one
which remains to be decided In the case That,
under the American system. u 10 the duty Of |
yate property, purchased or seized, for the |
supply Of our armies In the field, or for the |
successful prosecution Of war, 10 no longer an |
open question. The able speeches OF Msssrs. |
Howe, Wiley, and Fowler, OF Tennessee, and
= late alton over the signature Of "a
Republican in the Chronicle of the nat In
stant, seems to settle the principle beyond con.
troversy.
In former times, a thing, saith the Consti.
tuition, enforced by q solemn decision Of the
Supreme Court, WAS considered final and
conclusive; but in these latter days even
grave Senators hint at a "higher law" and
argue from yattel that private property Of an
American citizen, II found In an " "ensmy's
country" may be seired as "enemy property"
and used without Compensation" The sdvo.
Gates Of this doctrine are not, hope, very
numerous.
As the principle involved will come up again,
would suggest that "a Republican might,
with great propriety, have referred also to the
almost uniform practice, or usage OF the Gov.
ernmsnt in similar cases.
After Shays rebellion In Massachusetts 4;
the whisky insurreetion In Pennsylvsnis the
| Dorr r"unpleasantness' In Rhode Island, and
| the Morgan raid In Indiana, claims OF this
character were presented and paid and since
| the rebellion, our War Department has paid
John NJ. Bolts, J. Rawlings, and others, Of
Virginia, for wood and other supplies for the
| army, and to citizens Of Nashville some sT0,OOo
for houses removed to make room for the cree
tion Of fort or line Of fortidoations in that
city. A case very similar to Miss Murphy.
In relation TO another class Of olaims-claims
for supplies OF food, forage, &C.. furnished by
loyal citizens, in the Southern States, where
our armies operated, 1 have something to say.
As construed by the War Department, the act
OF Congress, February, 1897, has worked gross
injustice to many worthy, suffering families.
And II that construction cannot be ovcrruled
by the offieial dieid OF the Attorney General,
Congress should at once repeal the law, so
that loyal citizens, either North or South Of
"Mason and Dixon's," may get justice. Al
though the Department has rejected and re-
pudiated hundreds Of small claims, on the
ground that they "originated in State re.
Gently In rebellion" Its action has not been
uniform. Such claimants as John Minor
Bolts, James Rawlings, SC, Of Virginia, have
been paid large sums, while equally loyal, and
equally deserving, claimants In other parts oi
Virginia, as well as In Alabama, Louisiana,
&C., have been repulsed. II It be said that In
such cases a contract existed, which good
faith required the Government to scknowl'
edge, very well has not the man who holds a
quartermsster or commlssary receipt for
property, evidence Of q contract alsof What
more or better evidence OF National indebted.
ness is a hvetwenty bondt All claims OF this
character should be paid at once. It must be
extremely mortifying to army officers, who, a.
.. A. q. Ms and A. q. SIS, issued certificates
which they promised the parties would b,
, paid, to Hnd them protested and dishonored a,
Washington. l cannot think that Congress
designed any such injustice, II not, let tn,
act be explained or repealed, and the sam,
rule be adopted for the settlement Of claim
from Old Virginia and Alabama, as has beer
accorded to West Virginia and Tennessee
The undoubted loyalty of the claimant shoult
be made clear; about this no great dif1culty
can arise, for there 10 not . man or woman, o.
any character, In any corner or neghborhoot
Of the Southern country, whose status wal
not known, sharply defined, as for or agains
b. secession or rebellion.
Nor should the probable amount involved
In these settlements deter Congress from act
ing fairly and honorably with all the highest
sglteo 81 hghesrPh PhfiitT%as hfiit%s u ShisSS isSlIysi! Iyi!
u Those which would properly come under tn
n class of army supplies are estimated, under
It stand, BY 9Hsrterms.ter General Heigs a
lower. feel pretty confident that five mil
lions will pay all Just claims Of really loya
ID men men THIS % would @ be, be, say one By or lively
country, or on Gen. Meigs' estimate two bit
sum so Insignificant that the Republica
Ir party will not risk Its claim to the confidenc
II 81 the public BY refusing to make some suit
able provision during the present session o
.e heard several anecdotes about the settIemen
OF claims In Washington, or rather the settle
= ment Of some and rejection OF others. One o
,ge oi TRhdh Wbil. dNV VIII with your permission
!, was shut up-"bottled" as 1t were, in Chats
u noogs, his supplies reduced to near the stary
= common thing to fnd valuable horses an An
:, mules lying dead In the streets for lack O
N ,9oa =, S9on site. b he IVA was re Tsnioresd the ba
Ridge" were fought, Bragg retreated, an
foLaging parties had access to the country.
!, Two good Union men, farmers q smsl
Is mile apart. They had little left 10 sell then
A selves, but were very active and industriou
saries In eoiiectins supplies Of " fresh S' mea,
and vegetables for the army.
At length the army moved towards Atlant,
d and these men, whom shall call Mr.. Smit
l. and Mr.. Jones, received "vouchers" for tn
supplies fui nished, amounting to some te
l. or twelve hundred dollars each. These a,
Q, counts were forwarded to Washington b
0, the national bank and aftet some weeks NJ
Smith was notified that his claim was allowed
D. and the amount was subject to his order. NJ
Re Jones was notified that his claim was di
allowed. On inquiry 1t turned out that in tn
examination OF MI Jones' accounts som
shsrpeyed clerk In the department discovere
f. that, although Mr.. Smiths residence was |
- Tennessee, Mr.. Jones lived across the line /
'" Georgia. That was enough; Georgia was on
Ie Of the States stately In rebellion" and NJ
le Jones' account could not be paid This wa
IA. in 1853, and the claim remains unpaid still
Another case, and one OF extreme hardship.
0, A loyal man, some seventy years old, liyIn
le In the same neighborhood, had nearly every
"a thing that was movable carried of by Bragg
,. soldiers. After their retreat he was yisite
NJ one day by a foraging party from Chattanooga
The officer in com nmand Inquired II the oi
man had any cattle or sheep that he eoui
n. spares he wished to buy. The men In cam
:, had lived so long on salt pork and hard.tAc
that they were suffering for fresh meat an
ID vegetables. The old man replied that he ha
/. no vegetables, but he had left one yoke Q
:, steers and five or six young oowsj that he ha
u fought under Jackson at New Orleans kneI
H..