New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-04-24
The BOunties for the COlOred Vol.
untccr Troops.

The late act giving bountieS to slaves en-
listed into the army during the war will take
for lis execution from two to two and half
millions of dollars. The first act on the SUBJ
ject, passed during the war, gave the bounty
to loyal masters, as some compensation for
loss Of their slaves !; but, as the loyalty clause
was evaded by dsloyal owners, Secretary
Stanton got the law suspended in 1866, and
it has now been renewed IN favor of the slaves
instead Of the masters. The investigation
and payment of the claims are to be conducted
by the Adjutant General at Washington,
under the same regulations as have been
established by him for the payment Of UNI
settled claims for bountieS and pensions of
colored soldiers who were free when enlisted.
The features of these regulations are the
payment in cash to the soldier himself, if
living, or to his legal heirs if dead, and to no
attorney or assignee whatever. The fees OF
the attorney prosecuting the claim are fixed
by law, and the legal amount is retained
from each claim allowed and paid to the at
torney by tho Adjutant General. Army dis
bursting officers are stationed at convenient
central points in the South, before whom
those whose claims have been allowed are
required to appear personally and establish
their identity by known witnesses. and by
answering questions based on information
derived from the muster-rolls and stated re-
turns Of the regiments. The Southern Con-
gressmen are also pressed into service by
furnishing them with list Of claimants,
whom they are requested to search out and
send to the paying officers.
When bounties were first granted to the
colored troops they were paid as in the case
of white troops, the result being that the
soldier got a small advance from the attorney
to whom he entrusted his case, or a small
order for groceries and supplies, and signed
away his whole claim unknowingly. In 1867
Congress recognized the peculiar difficulties
arising out of the general ignorance and i'm
providence Of the freedmen, and directed that
the Freedmens Bureau should receive the
money and pay the claimants and attorneys.
But this only partially remedied the existing
abuses. Advances made or pretended to be
made to claimants were recognized, identifi-
cation of claimants was reduced to formal
ity, receipted vouchers were taken from
claimants in advance and sent to Washing
ton in patches, the aggregate amount covered
by them being returned to irresponsible SUBJ
agents in lump sums, the vouchers serving to
pass the discussing officers account at the
Treasury, but being no real evidence of ac-
tual payments. When the Bureau was broken
up over 200 was delivered to the Adju-
tant General as money belonging to claim
ants who had signed receipts without getting
it, which receipts were then on file in the
Treasury as evidence of payment. The ap-
preparations made to pay bounties were drawn
upon in advance and excess Of current needs,
and the money invested in interest-bearine
bonds and the interest used to make good to
the paying officer his losses by over payment
and payment to wrong persons. All these
Irregularities have been entirely suppressed
since the business came under the control Of
the War Department.-Wd Washington cores
poHdeRt Boston Globe.