Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-05-04
LOYAL CLAIMS IN CONGRESS.

From the very able speech of Senator
Pratt, of Indiana, one of the Senate COM
mittee on claims, delivered in the Senate
on the 9th of April last, we make the fol-
lowing extract, relative to the well known
claim of our esteemed fcllow-citizens,
Messrs. Cowan & Dickinson, of this city.
We hope soon to give other extracts from
this speech, which is of great interest to
most of our readers.
In speaking of the different kinds of
claims presented for payment, Senator
Pratt said:
"In order TO bring home to the Senate the real
merits of these claims let Ine present few eX-
amples from cases now lying upon your table
awaiting your action. Bear in mind in every
case the property was lost to the loyal man, not
In consequence of any crime or fault of his, but
because II was on the theater of the war, or in
the pathway of the army. 1t was lost in conse-
quence of the war and as an incident of the
''When General Burnside was in command of
Knoxville, with his ill-provided army, and the
rapid approach of Longstreet was known, obey
ing that necessity which admits of no delay and
knows no law he seized two hundred and fifty
six bales of cotton belonging to a loyal mercan-
tile firm of the city and used them to complete
his works of defense. They were used for
making parapets and traverses At Fort Saun-
ders, where the assault of the. enemy was made
with the greatest vigor, and where they were re-
pulsed with greatest slaughter and with little loss
to us, every traverse and bomb proof was of cot
ton. That memorable siege has passed into his
tory, and is one of the bright spots of the war.
That hastily constructed fertilization of cotton
bales probably saved Knoxville and the army.
In the hurry of military operations no vouchers
were given to the patriotic merchants who readi-
~ threw open their store-houses upon the gene
rails demand. This cotton, or great part of it,
was wasted and destroyed by fire while under
control of the military authorities Well, sir,
in case seemingly plain as this, the owners
Of this cotton having been seeking justice of
this Government since 1864 through every ave-
nue. of approach Their papers, soiled with
much hsndili,ng show the marks OF dozen diff
and have at last brought their case before Con-
gress. General Burnside and the officers under
his command bear the most generous testimony
to the loyalty Of these claimants, and show how
freely they yielded their property to the necess-
ties of the army, and how neritorious is their
claim for recolnpensei and yet We hesitate
From the proceedings in the Senate on
Friday we extract the following:
PAYMENT OF SOUTHERN CLAIMS.
- The bill to pay the claim of Mr.. Cowan and
Mr.. Dickinson, of Knoxville Tenn, was OBJ
iected to by Mr.. Trumbull, on the ground that
it involved the principle whether the Govern
erecting fortitications. He could see no more
reason for this than for paying for the lumber
and earth used in such work.
Mr.. Wiley said that half an hour had not
| elapsed since the Senate passed an exactly SINH
lar clause and that the only reason for its assent
in case and refusal in another was that one
claimant lived in Missouri and the other in Ten
nessee. He thought the Government could not
much longer afford to deny justice to loyal men
simply because they lived in the South. A few
paltry dollars might be saved but the credit and
honor of the nation was threatened by persist
ence in such policy.
Mr.. Fowler, in support of the claim, stated
| that Mr. Dickinson, one of the claimants, public
! " refused to take the oath of allegiance to the
| Confederate Government.
Mr. Trumbull said ifthe bill which had passed
involved the principle presented by the one now
pending twas equally objectionable, Hethere-
| upon asked unanimous consent to enter motion
! for its recall from the House.
Mr.. Davis urged the selection of test case
and discussion Of the general question ms means
| of determining future policy of the Senate
| with view TO the guidance of members.
Mr.. Trumbulrs motion was then entered