The Republican. [volume] (Maryville, Tenn.) 187?-187?, 1874-04-25
Thornburgl, Oh Claims.
His idea of LOyaIty---WhO Emit
tied to Payment for Property
taken by United States
Army, &c.

We have before MS speech pur-
porting to have been delivered in the
United States House of Represents
tives, OH the 7th of February last, by
the Hon. Jacob M. Thornburgh,
against proposition to transfer all
claims on file in the Quartermaster
and Commissary Departments to the
General Claims Commission, created
by the act Of March Sd, 1871. Thou
sands of copies of this speech have
been, and are now being, scattered
broadcast throughout the twelve
counties composing this Congress
sional District; not unfrequently
being heralded by his strikers, as
"7horn5vgh's great speech IN Jdcor
of the payment Of loyal claims +
A decided misnomer, since it is
neither "great speech" nor speech
of any kind-great or otherwise-in
the interest of loyal claimants.
The Col. has quite recently visited
several parts of the District, to see,
we presume, how his maiden effort at
Congressional speech-making has
taken with his constituents, and,
whether they desire to continue his
services as a legislator. Whatever
assurances, comforting or otherwise,
he may have received, there is one
fact not to be disguised-son'ethi"g
has wrought nightly upon tue DEM
! .cratic mind of this vicinity in his
favor,
Taking the doctrines laid down in
this singular document, touching the
character of persons entitled to re-
! ceive payment for supplies taken and
used by the United States Army
during the war, as a republican, rep
resenting what we have always sup
posed to be the principles OF that
party upon this subject, we cannot dc
less than wholly dissent from and
enter our protest against the views
therein contained.
We are in favor of and demand
and urge, that every real friend OF the
Government during that trying
ordeal, whose property was consumed
by it's armies, shall be fully compen-
stated therefor, whether he lived IL
the South or in the North. But
while we most fully endorse that
policy on the part of the nation which
stays the power of the Government,
and restores the recent insurgeni
element to the full enjoyment OF I'm
trammeled citizenship, we cannot
we confess, comprehend the argument
offered by Col. Thornburgh-tha'
those who caused the Union armies
to sweep through the South should
be paid q premium for the mischief
thus done.
We have already stated that it was
against a proposition to transfer the
claims pending in the Quartermastel
and Commissary Departments, to the
Claims Commission, that this speech
was made. He does not oppose the
transfer for any reason except, to use
his own language, that it would de
feat the payment of ga large number
of just claims now being paid by the
Quartermaster- General" What these
"just claims" are may be seen by
reference to pages S and 6 of his
pamphlet speech.
That we may do Col. Thornburgh
no injustice, and that our readers may
see for themselves, we here copy all
that portion of his speech, word fol-
word, in which he treats of the char
acter of claimants entitled to pay.
! He says;
VI assert that large number Of
lust claims now being paid by the
Quartermaster- General cannot and
uiH not be paid. but will be decided
adversely should this transfer be
made
II "just claims" why con they not
be paid by the Commissioners Why
will they not be paid by them3 Let
Col Thornburgh answer : he says
THE acts of Congress authorizing
the claims commissioners to decide
claims, and authorizing the Quarter
master. General and CommiSSdry-