Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-10-25
before the Committee on Var
Claims Of The Hoaese Of Represen-
tatices, March Isl, 1874, end of 43d

| '~OItyfcoos
ouartsrmasters and commisary stores s4.soo.ooo
Tobacco $4,000
s.ao, sos.on l,b5O,0oO
ages Gs0OCO
] Use of railroads and damages TO same aOoo.O .Ooo
Rents and use Of, and damage 70, real
- estate rebel States) 100000
p. estate loyal statesl 100000
Property taken, occupied and DESTROYED
by the United States military ne
~ oessity in the rebel States 100000
] by the United States us a military ne
S,e,ssily in the loyal States 100000
Property destroyed by enemy on account
OF military occupation by the United
States 5000
/ States snO 600
Claims of officers soldiers, ETC., for ad-
ditioual pay, bounty, etc 100000
tss, ,OOV
Commenting upon this table,
Judge Lawrence remarks:
'lf the ordinary rules of law on
these subjects are not adhered to,
the war claims growing out Of the
rebellion will probably reach $780,
100000 without including pay for
emancipated slaves or debts con-
tracted in aid of the rebellion which
are excluded from payment by the
18th Amendment of the Constitu-
tion."
Would probably reach, etc. Here
is the estimate of an extreme par
tisan, made after having gone fully
into the subject, that these war
claims would probably reach"
$780, 100000, if the ordinary rules
OF law were not adhered to.
And yet the entire amount Of
war claims before his Committee in
the AID Congress was less than
thirty millions of dollars, of which
not over one million could be paid
if the "ordinary rules Of law were
adhered to.
From table given in q speech
of Hon. Henry G.. Davis, in the
: United States Senate, on the sub
ject of War Claims, on the 18th OF
May, 1874, it appears that there
were then pending before the Sen
ate, war claims involving but 49,
100000, while it is proper to re-
mark that several of said claims
involving large sums were also
pending before the House Commit
tee on War Claims, and were in
cluded in the aggregate of claims
pending before that Committee
1t was further shown that the war
claims pending in the Quarter
master and Commissary Generals
offices was but eight millions OF dol
lars, and that no new claims were
being received.
Now the table given by Judge
Lawrence shows that the bulk of
the claims were for property taken,
used and destroyed by the United
States Army, and that the amount
involved was nine millions OF dol
lars, or nearly one-third of the
entire amount, while of this amount
three millions were claims from
loyal States. 1t further shows that
six millions and over were claims
for property destroyed by the enc
my, on account of military occu-
pations by the United States, and
these figures, it must be remem-
bered, are those given by the claim
ants who are not likely to under
state the value Of their property.
A careful examination has been
made of the docket or Calender Of
the House Committee on War
Claims of the present (44th) Con-
gress, and it shows that there were
1887 cases referred to it during
the last session involving nearly
$4,000, 900, including, as one case,
the 7s6 claims reported as disallow-
ed by the Commissioner Of Claims
in their fifth annual report, involv-
ing the sum of s3,303,737. onfafot'
OF this number 1904 were old
claims presented in the last (4sd),
or some preceding Congress; l69
were for re-hearing before the Com
missioners of Claims in cases re-
ported adversely, and 81 were new
claims. fi' pa
or the 1881 old claims, s77 were
on the calender of the Committee
on War Claims Of the last House
of Representatives., the remainder
appearing in previous Congresses.
! II this does not fully settle the
brazen lie that the files of the Dem
ocratic House and. it's Committees
were loaded down with new war
claims, then nothing will, while
careful inuuiry of everv Southern