Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-01-21
5npSrille Gt'eeklu Chronicle
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 81, 1874.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
About southern CIaims-The Struggle
over caleb Cushing for chief Justice.
Special Correspondence of the Chroniclel


WASHINGTON, d. c.,
Monday Night, Jan. 10.
Important legislation efTectng Southern
claims is now pending in Congress. The
Committee on Claims in the House has re-
ported a bill taking all claims out of the
Ouartermaster Generals Department and
transferring them to the Claims Commits
sion. This is an important proposition,
and likely to receive thorough examine
ton at the hands of Southern members.
Representative Thornburgh has been close
" examining the statistics and regulations
for the purpose of seeing just what effect it
would have upon claims. The proposition
mas thoroughly awakened the claims at
-orneys here, and they are unanimous in
opposing it. The Quartermaster Generals
Department has been engaged some ten
years in examining into claims. Though
not, perhaps, as rigid on the question of
the loyalty of the claimant as the Claims
Commission, its regulations are arbitrary
and summary. 1t has, thus far, rejected
about $4,000, 900 worth of claims and al
lowed about s., 100000. There is more lat
i-ude allowed attorneys in the Department
than before the Claims Commission, aud,
despite the vigilance and rigor of General
Neigs and his subordinates, there are more
chances for irregular claimants before that
tribunal than before the regular Commits
sion. The Claims Committee of the House
want some one fixed Court to pass upon
The claims, in order to relieve that body of
the great labor il now assumes. In the
short discussion Of the question before the
House, General Garfield said that the
Claims Committee should be recognized as
9 Court, with a regular attorney, under
pay of the Government, whose business it
should be TO examine cases as presented.
Claimants should be permitted to appear
n person or by agent and state their case.
In this way Congress would prescribe some
known method whereby claimants could
he heard, which would protect them from
the shabby treatment they now received.
This should be done, or the decision of the
Claims Commission be taken as final and
claims paid upon their award.
THE WORK OF THE CLAIMS COMMISSION.
Our friends throughout the South GEN
orally feel that the body above referred 20
is slow and not always just in their de-
cisions. But the work before them is i'm
mense. Since its organization there have
been -, 29S claims presented for eXamina-
ton, involving $50, 25S, l50.44. The COM
mission has disposed of 5 ,254 cases involv-
ing SlO,224, 1862 Special reports have
been made in ., 465 cases, and ,092 have
been disallowed. There are now very
heavy claims before it. There are 949 claims
pending that exceed $4,000 each 80 that
exceed S100000 and AS that are over $780,
600 each. Many of these claims are fraudu-
lent and many more are exorbitant. Every
such case delays and prejudices the cases
that are meritorious. 1t is said that the
commission has cases enough before it now
70 occupy its whole time for five years. If
he claims are transferred to it from the
Department it will still further increase its
labors and postpone still farther their final
adjudication. But there will be an effort
made to increase the Special Commits
sioners to examine claims by personal in
vestigation through the South, and also to
add two men learned in the law to the
Commission. Should this be done the
work will be greatly expedited. The
principles of law and the practice govern
ing the examination of the cases ere all
settled and the decisions will be more
numerous. With additional held five
thousand cases could be disposed of thi:
scar. Whether the claims are all trans
ferred to the Commission or not, some leg.
islation will be had to expedite their settle
ment.
THE NOMINATION FOR CHIEF JUSTICE.
The absorbing topic of conversation i
still the question of the confirmation o
Mr.. Cushing. Every hours delay is dan
gerous to him. His fifty years of activ
public life have made for him a recort
which presents verymanyyulnerable point
and these are being brought out by his op
pOnents. Every hour puts afioat some neS
developments. Newspaper row is activ
and Senators and Representatives are busy
livery book in the city that contains any
thing about Cushing is in great demand
some busy correspondent has just dug Il
one of his opinions as Attorney Geners
under Pierce in 1853, to the effect that tn
postmaster at NaZOo, Missssippi-Je
Davis's distrct-had the right to eXclud
from the mails the New York Tribune an
the Cincinnati Gazette. The contest owe
his confirmation brings together stranl
combinations.
Ben. Butler who has not spoken TO Sci
ator Sumner for two years, was caucusslr
with him a half hour in the Senate tn
afternoon as TO the chances of confirm
ton. The chances are that the decisiC
will have been made before this reach
you. Cushing's friends will push the ms
ter, as delay is dangerous. In the cauc
on the salary bill this morning, the que
ton was brought up and Senator Con-
ling was very earnest for confrmatio
Another meeting takes place in the NOR
ing, and it is probable that by Wednesd
the final vote will be taken. A. J. r.
rhe Closing Chapter Of the Cushing Non
natIOR-The Dangers OF Old Lstters-H'
one Was ResuFreeted from the ArchiN
of the Con fedeFney.