Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-02-18
TENNESSEE CLAIMS.
speech Of Hon. !. VI. Thornburgh In Con-
gress.

tTauSler OF certain claims from the GUAR
termaster Generals office to the Claims
Commission, Col. Thornburgh, among oth-
er things said;
This change, it is claimed by the gentle
man from New York, Mr.. Wheeler who
has charge of the bill, will be advantage
Gus TO both the claimants and the Govern
ment; the claimants, because it will ena-
BILE them to be sooner paid to the Govern
ment, because the claims will then be sub
mitted to the examination of gentlemen
whose years OF experience peculiarly quail
ify them for their work.
If ! were convinced by this argument
| would cheerfully support this measure
but, on the contrary, with such an exami-
nation of the questions involved az | have
been able to give them, | am satisfied that
while the Government will gain no mate
rial advantage by the proposed transfer,
this change will work direct and positive
injury to claimants, in the reputation of
u large number of claims now pending in
the Quartermaster Generals Office, and q
still further delay in the payment of other
claims which have already been shameful
ly delayed, causing in many instances
great hardship to class Of loyal citizens
| OF the country; and ! find, sir, that ] am
not alone in the opinion just expressed.
Here Col. Thornburgh quoted from the
| Quartermaster General to the effect that
! the transfer would save but little to the
| Government.
There are nearly twenty thousand claims
now pending before the claims commits
sioners. The first year, before they had
| fully organized their sessions and estab-
| lished their rules ready for work, they re-
| ported only one hundred and eighty claims
decided. The second year shows total of
| twenty-five hundred and nine claims ; the
third year twenty-four hundred and sixty
| five cases. Now, at this rate, taking the
| last two years, which think is fair, as a
| basis of calculation, it will require about
| six years longer TO decide the Just claims
| now pending before them.
Now add to these the twelve thousand
| claims that this bill proposes to transfer to
the commissioners, open the door for more
claims, which justice demands-and may
here say that bill is already reported from
| the Committee on War Claims for that
purPose-and the next generation may see
| these claims settled; but certainly we can
never see them settled in this generation.
Again, l assert that large number of
just claims now being paid by the Quarter
| master General cannot and will not be
paid, but will be decided adversely should
this transfer be made. The acts of Con
| gress authorizing the claims commissioners
| to decide claims, and authorizing the Quar-
| termaster General and Commissary Gen
eral to decide claims, are worded in differ
ent language. The act of July /, 1854 in
relation to the Quartermaster General and
COmmissary General provides that "They
are to settle the claims of loyal citizens i'm
States not in rebellion The act of March
3, ISL, in relation to the claims commits
sioners uses this language: at shall be
their duty to receive, examine, and consid-
er the justice and validity. of such claims
as shall be brought before them of those
nif -lN,,- ,aI a
the cause of the Government during the
war;
1t is held by the claims commissions that
If q man committed an act that can be held
to be dislOyal, and afterward came forward
and took the oath to support the Govern
ment, and kept that oath, and after he so
took il remained loyal and while so re-
Government, even by contract with the
Quartermaster-Genera or the Commissary
General, he can not recover, because he did
not remain loyal during the entire war,
and therefore his claim can not be consider
ed.
Mr.. Speaker, believe the commissioners
of claims are able, honest men, endeavor-
ing faithfully to discharge their duty.
know and regret that fraudulent claims are
presented and fabulous prices are some |
times charged. But, sir, l also know that |
many thousand honest claims are still not
only presented ana unpaid, but unpreSent- |
ed and barred by the act of March 3, 1873 ; |
and the Governments now puts in the plea |
of a dishonest creditor, and says, Because |
you waited on me SO long for the money ! !
owe you, will not pay you at all"
Again, while ! have admitted that often |
the prices charged for supplies is too much, |
90 say, and know what | say to be true, !
that if the commissioners had been engag- |
ed in buying supplies in my section Of the !
country in 1868, 1864 and 1853, when the |
country had been impoverished by the enc |
my and then by our armies the men away |
in the service or in prison no transporta-
ton, except by wagons, from Lexington, |
Kontucky-nearly two hundred miles |
over mountain roads, cut upby moving ar !
mics ; at time, too, when raids endanger- |
ed their trains, l say if they had then |
bought supplies at the prices then ruling |
and should sell them at prices they allow, |
they would soon become bankrupt
After eloquently picturing the hardships |
endured by the loyal people of East Ten |
nessee, during the occupation of their |
country by the hostile armies and after re-
ferring 10 the repeated Commissions APP |
pointed to examine them, and the delays |
claimants have submitted to, Mr.. Thorn |
burgh said:
Again, Mr. Speaker, this bill, in my |
Judgment, works direct and positive in !
Jury TO thousands Of the most needy aud |
deserving ofJhs COuutry's creditors. IheY |
10, ,f Il 81, ins In,