Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1872-12-19
r,,r rnrvCH .ro1INTroN NH.

l ln1S claim arose III TIC ittsL ucCalS
of the last century, and has been con-
tinuously OH hand for the last seventy
years. Its antiquity has outgrown the
knowledge of the casual readers OF the
| present day. During the war between
England and France, about $500, the
French nation claimed that this Gov
eminent had violated a treaty we
made with her at the close of the Rev.
olution, and in punishment of us for
the offence, authorized her war vessels
to destroy American merchant ships
wherever found upon tho high seas
AS a consequence, our navy being very
small. good many vessels were de-
stroyed. Our Government settled
with the French nation, and absolyed
her from all claim against her for the
destruction of the vessels, the French
nation on her part, absolving this Gov
crnment from the terms of the treaty
referred to.
So much time has elapsed that the
original claimants have all died and
the claims are now held by heirs or by
assignees. In cases where the claims
have been assigned they are generally
held BY those who obtained them at q
large discount, and they now urge
them with great pertinacity, and this
is the worst and most damaging fea-
ture to successfully prosecuting the
claims before Congress. Twice Con-
gress has passed bills allowing these
claims, which were vetoed by Presi-
dents Pierce and Polk. Tho amount
of the claims now reaches about $5,-
100000. There cannot be any doubt
but that the claims arc, in the main,
just, and something osght to be done
to settle them, and get rid of them at
the earliest date or fatty refuse to doit.
Carl Schurz looking around for
something good out Of Nazareth. says,
that his Liberal dodge "played out
the democratic party, as party
This stirs up the democratic bile and
the Chicago Times come back on Carl
in this wise. 1t says:
!" He might and should have men,
toned that it has not been barren of
another result, namely: 1t has play
ed out the little squad of republican
sore-head office-beggars, styling them
selves liberals who exhibited their
liberality by missing that democrats
should elect them to Office. Mr.. Carl
Schurz may or may not consider him
self as included IN the number but
perhaps it would be wisest that he
should consider himself as included"
1t is quite probable that both Carl
and the Times are right for once
The dead ducks lying around loose,
after the Greeley Fiasco, are numer-
GUS, and il called down scores of them
| who thought they perched very high.
What say our Constitutions, our
Burlington Gazettes. &C., about Carts
premises. as regards the defunct con-
dition of the democratic party. Our
hoary friend OF the Constitution, has
for months past been particularly
gushing on Carl, and doubtless he
will now give his opinion of Carts
epitaph on the democratic party.
We remember that many Of our
democratic friends heseabouts warm.
ed up amazingly last fall, in praise
Of the ability and virtues of Carl
how now friends about the sweet
morsel he is rolling under his tongue
called the death of the democratic
party. We think Carl must have
made up his mind that second tern
in the q. S. Senate, from Missouri
is beyond his reach, and is already
contemplating residence in some
other State. He has only been citi
zen of three different States in tn
last ten years.
The special dispatches to the Mo
Democrat are responsible for the fol
lowing said to have been declared by
the Postmaster General as the policy
of the administration in regard to fill
ing postoffices where tire appointment
is not made by commission from the
| President: