New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-04-22
The Southern Claims Commission.


The Southern Claims Commission.
As the renewed term ef the Southern
Claims Commission is fast drawing near it's
expiration, . genera: review Of the origin
of the commission, it's aims, and the actual
business it has transacted, can not be with.
out interest. The statement below is q.
summary of the official records, by which
the public can readily form an opinion as
to tho wisdom Of again renewing tho term
of the commission. The political feeling ON
this pointIis outlined. '''-%' ..
The commission was established by
section in the army appropriation sot of
March 3, 1871, and was to oonsist Of three
commissioners, having salary OF $4,000 per
year each, for two years. The Jurisdiction
conferred on the commission was very lim-
tied, and the test of loyalty required of
claimants who should come before it very
severe, and in consequence Of their misun-
derstanding or their disregard of these two
facts, the claimants and claim agents have
caused . vast amount Of complaint on the
part of Southern loyalists and the Southern
delegation in Congress against the rulings
and decisions OF the commission. The
proposition to pay any class Of persons in
the late rebel States for property taken by
the Union armies during their campaigns
IN hostile territory was strenu0usly Op-
posed by both Eastern and Western men in
the Senate and House, and was only carried
by determined coalition Of the Southern
members, with threat to blockade all
legislation in which the East and West
were interested.
The measure as finally passed established
q commission of three members to receive
and consider the claims of persons whe
were citizens Of the United States and loyal
to the government from the beginning to
the end Of the rebellion. The claims we're
AL k~>h h~E e. ~k~
furnished for the use of the Union armies,
and these technical words were found to
have such a limited meaning, that only a
small part Of the loss suffered by residents
Of the South. however loyal to the govern
ment Of the United States, could be brought
within their definition. They include corn,
hay, oats and fodder, fed to the army
horses and mules; fencing aud lumber
burnt for fuel; horses and mules taken for
Der cut for fuel, quarters or fortifcations;
cotton used for hospital beds, and cattle.
hogs and bacon, used in the absence of ra.
tions or supply trains: but not claims for
compensation tor the occupation of build
ings and grounds, nor damage done to
fields, fences, buildings or crops by the
march or encampment of troops, nor the
simple use or destruction of property of any
kind for any purpose, nor the depredstions
y
ing of or consuming, as the case might be,
the horses and mules, and the cattle, hogs,
poultry, or other food supplies of the people.
Cotton, tobacco, or ether property seized
and carried off to weaken the resources Of
the people and States in rebellion, was not
nor the destruction of property to
prevent its use by the Confederates.
The commissioners were to report their
conclusions in each case to Congress, but
thAro UQa M imnliod Nr 6iroof Drov,;aa
pay such claims as.tkey should approve. In
March, 1873, when the original term of the
expired, Congress very unex.
pectedly refused to extend the time for |
claims, aud thus cut of q large
lumber of the poorer and remoter, aud |
possibly more meritori0us, claimante, who |
had been waiting to sec if the original |
act was anything moro than q political |
device intended to catch votes in the Presi.
Dental campaign of 1872. Last session tho |
House passed q bill to let in these belated |
claimants, but the Senate did not take it up
,Or consideration. In the two years granted |
,ome % 700 claims were filed, claiming an |
amount upward of $1,000, 900. OF course
. make up such a large number of
claims and 80 great an amount of money,
here must have been a sweeping disregard
II the limitations and conditions fixed BY
Congress- as to the loyalty Of tho claimants
nissiOners have been now engaged four
1ears in sitting out the disloyal and neutral
claimants from those who were loyal to the
Union cause, and the claims that are not
within their jurisdiction from those that
ire within it. They have made four annual
ep0rts to Congress, embracing over 1000
laims, allowing less than one-hah in num-
'or and less than one.6fth in amount. They
have still more than IA, 600 claims to report
lpon, but many of these sre virtuslly
'bandoned by the claimants, who can not
meet the present requirements a to loyalty,
+ are dissatisfied with the rules of valu-
tion adopted by the commission from tho
ong standing practice of the army bureaus
The term of the commission, renewed for
our years in 1873, expires in March, 1877,
nd will probably not be renewed, and its |
transferred. The Southern Congressman |
re opposed to it without distinction of !
arty, and wish to abolish it, in tho hope Of
citing something in its place that will dis
rtbute more money from the treasury in
heir section, and the leading Republican
enators and Representatives are opposed
. distributing any money there in payment
war claims, and will vote with the South
rners to abolish the commission. 1t Isl
circumstance that Tennessee,
1e first of the reconstructed States, has
ad . law in operation for the settlement of
le claims of her citizens since 1866, five
ears before the other rebel States were
Omitted, and succeeded last year in get
ng the time for filing claims from that
tate extended indefaitely.-New York
}ibnne.
t Louis Bridge Transferred to Fourth
Mortgage Bondholders.
A st. Louis dispatch of the sixteenth, |
lys:
1t has tn&pired that the Illinois and st.
ouis Bridge, crossing the Mississippi river
ere, has been transferred to Morgan, Hum
hreys T. Co., under the fourth mortgage
onds, and that change will be made In
management. The transfer, it is said, was
q arnicable one, and the bridge will here
fter be in charge of Mr.. NewsA, formerly
the Illinois Central and Chicago and
lton roads. But little il known of the
latter yet, but the bridge authorities
romise to mako . statemsnt Of tho affair
.nn.pn- Wn,lr m thA IIninn DArnt l