Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-03-12
shameful aud ~u-piciou. D~la,.

iFrom The New York Journal uf Commerce
The money OF he Geneva award Is AS
far irom the pockets of suffer a. ever.
Seventeen months have passed since the
award was made, and not the ilr-t decisive
steps has been taken toward its di-tribu-
tioL. This neglect il shameful and unf,-cl-
ing. aud bodies III, we regret to- saw, for ali
those who are hoping for indie MITIGATION
out OF IL. II seems a. II the men who have
the management OF the business were de.
tcrmined not TO let the money go ont OF
the Treasury, and that, under one preteNt
and another, II will be kept there for an in
definite time. After the subject leaves the
mouse committee GA the jn,iictary In tho
form OF a bill, II Il ever does so leave that
{ slow moving body. IL comes before the
I house. where II may be kept hanging by
/ the gills for months. Ont OF the house IL
I reaIpears In the subcommittee Of Tho son
I al" judiciary, then comes for action before
\ the tull committee, then must be passed
/ upon by the senate. and finally the execu-
ri" Signature = necessary 10 make the bin
law. At All these stage, there will b..
/ delays. and perhaps serious disagree
ment vii! arise between the house and .en-
ate, and >ho... that be srnoothed over. the
/ President has the power OF yrfnins the
I OIL and lpcrhap,J making all this labor
/ useless hese delays aud difcultic.
\ might have been avoided. and the money
\ now be gladdeuin, the unfortunate per-
I sons or companies for whom IL wa. or
Y iginally destined. had a commission of
/ honorable men been appointed 10 award
\ u. This commission could have been In
continual session at Nashin 4toii. taken
\ testimony. heard argument, and Ji.tribut-
/ ed the award Ia 4 manner a, fairly and
( Justly n mortal tribunal could d. H. All
honest claimants would have preferred 10
/ 20 before such commission. while those
( who were trying TO get funds choose Con
[ grcSs Tor distributors aEl operate through
| the LOBBY. The refusal orCongrr,s 10 ar
/ point commission for the work Is most
| suspicious fact. We learn from Washing-
/ ton that there Is a sirong continued d.
/ termination 10 exclude the marine In.ur-
ance compaEies from their share. This, i
| il could be done, would save n large pro-
I portion Of the SIS, 800. 900 for the Treas
/ ury. or put il into other favored hands;
/ but II is highly probable that, il the lnsur-
I ance companies obtain nothing, no other
/ persons or Institution VIII fare better. Il
/ real gain being either 10 save every dollar
OF the money for government use. or to
I use 1t up III paving the counsel of claim
| ants. among whom members of Congress
\ figure largely. The fight is most severe
against the insurance companies because
they are the largest and most formidable
claimants; and il they can be beaten off
or tired out. no other claimants will have
the courage to open his mouth again aud
ask for justice. There Is something pc
culiar,y shabby in the treatment which the
marine Insurance companes-boaa Rde
holders of claims assigned to them. and
upon which they paid the loSses-have re-
ceiVei from the government. For it is a
TACT That the Alabama controversy never
would have arisen. nor the proofs of loss
IS been forthcoming, nor the American
victory gained at Geneva. nor the award
made. but for the tircless persistence of
the insurance companies. This was per-
fectly well understood all the time, and
everybody expected that the companies
would be the first 10 be renunerated AS
they certainly should be. since the triumph
ant settlement was almost wholly due TO
their action.