The New York herald., 1875-12-20
FROM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT.

WASHINGTON Dec 49, 1875.
THE SOUTHERN CLAIMS COMMISSION AND THE
WORK PERFORMED BY 1.-THE NECESSITY
FOR REFORM IN THE MATTER OF CLAIMS
AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT.
The Southern Claims Commissioners will tomorrow
submit their fifth annual report TO Congress II will
be accompanied by the petitions proofs and decisions
in between 500 and 1900 cases. of which very few
are from Florida and Texas, large number each from
Virginia and Tennessee and the rest distributed in
varying numbers among the other late nsurrectionary
states-Aabama, Arkansas, Georgia. Louisiana Mssis-
sppi and the two Carolinas or the whole number OF
submitted about one half are entirely dis
allowed, most OF them through failure OF the
claimants to prove loyalty throughout the
war. Such is the rigor of the law in this
respect that no claimant succeed who
could not take the ron-cad OATH and many who could
and would take 1t excluded under the law because
they fail to show sufficient duress to excuse such DIS
loyal acts voting for secession, reporting for mill
tary duty under the Confederate conscript acts fur
nishing and selling supplies and rendering personal
services to the Confederacy. The amount allowed
the 750 or more approved claims is little
$500, 0oo which is considerably less than half the
amount claimed on them The reduction is duo to
charges for damage and destruction caused by pres
ence and movements of armies and the unauthorized
pagc OF the troops and also in part TO
the difference In values of property to the
owners and to the government The law governing tho
commission is very strict in keeping its Jurisdiction
down to cases of the appropriation of property to tho
actual and necessary wants of the army and throwing
out all other CLAIMS for rent of premises regularly
taken and occupied for military purposes.
The commission established in 1871 by clause
added to the army Appropriation bill OF that year.
through the united and persistent efforts OF the Southern
delegations in both houses of Congress- What they
tended for the extension to all the reconstructed
States of the passed in 1864 pay
and commissary stores, taken IN the loyal States,
and which act had been extended to Tennessee tho
hasy reconstruction Of that State in 1865 The North
ern members, however, afraid OF that act, the
rules OF evidence adopted under it by the Examining
and Accounting officers offering good opportunities for
fraud and they forced the Southern delegations to COM
promise on an to establish sort OF Congressional
commission to examine and report claims but not
to pay them. Two years given for the fling OF
claims and %, 900 claims presented in that time
with perhaps some 5000 more left out by
the expiration of the time. The law, as
amended, gave the commission six years
in which to dispose Of these % 900 cases. and nearly
five years Of the time has passed, in which time in
cludng the report now to be made they have disposed
OF something over 9,000 or considerably less than
half
The whole subject OF government claims threatens to
become a troublesome question in the future.
There is not and has been since the estab-
shment Of the Union any plain, adequate and COM
pete remedy for citizen other individual having
equitable right against the government Conse
queny the whole business has been concentrated at
Washington, and is carried in ways and
by the opposite of those adopted
for the conducting Of private ltgations The
result is fearful Of corruption, cxortion per-
jury and fraud. Fictitious claims of large amounts
buy their way through to the Treasury and just claims
which are generally OF reasonable amount, either
ignored fraudulenty magnhed till large enough to
afford large fees and bribes and yield only remnant
20 the owner Secretary Brstow, in his late report
treats the subject OF government claims vigorously but
his recommendation for their investigation in the fed
era District Circuit before ures is regarded
being Intellectual for good, unless tho government
be represented by well paid attorneys with OF
Office equal stability to the of the judges So
far as claims arising out OF the late
the government will In the end pay heavily for tho
loose manner in which private property appropr
ated in the localities visited by the armies The ev-
dence for the claimants Is still to large extent
bic to them, but the lapse oftme has scattered the
evidence or the government and lett very little but
rigid scrutiny rules OF evidence as decncc
THE COMING NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CoNvEN-
TIoN
The Democratic National Committee will meet in
Washington about tho third week in January to con-
fer the subject of the place and time OF holding the
Presidential nominating convention The convention
at New York, in 1S6S and that at Baltimore in 1872
held the month of July, later season in the
year than usually chosen. 1t is quite probable that the
National Committee will designate earlier time for
the convention in 1875 the month OF May quite likely
or at the latest the earlier days OF June.
MR.. MAcDoUGALL, OF NEW YORK, EXPLAINS HIS
VOTE ON THE ANrI-THIRD TERM REsoLU-
TIoN.
MacDougal OF New York who voted no on tho anti
third term resolution, explains his vote in this wise
upon being twtcd by leading republican Senators and
members: :-"My constituents don't send mo here to
elect a President and consider that Congress has as
much to do with electng President Methodist
conference"
THE TRUE INTENT AND MEANING OF SENATOR
MERRIMoNs BILL REGARDING PENSIONS.
Senator Merumon OF North Carolina, denies that his
bill has for It's object the granting -of pensions rebel
soldiers, persons have inferred from its prov
His purpose in repeating section 716 of Re-
vscd statutes is to allow tho restoration of the old
ante-war pensioners to their former privileges
Mr. MerrImon says
Ninety-ninc in one hundred OF them are old men, and
great proportion OF them were simply technically com
mtted tho against the Union. good many we're
opposed to the war, but committed IT, some OF
them may have been justices OF the peace They how
ever could take the oath required receive
their pension. The object Of the bill is simply restore
these old pensioners 10 the roll TO put any new PEN
sioncrs on IT, bill substantially the passed tho
House of Representatives with very little opposition as
learn. II to this House. and bill reported
favorably by the Committee Pensions restore this
class oil pensioners to the rolls.