The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-08-07

bioh anu perjury, DuL tuey Wouiu pe pu'
drops in the bucket compared with the ag.
gregate of claims held by secessionists. But
the test OF LOYALTY stands as an impossible
barrier against the mass of those claims.
This test must be broken down. According
ingly Confederate member of the House from
Tennessee named Riddle has introduced bold
and comprehensive scheme by whicha whole
sale plundering of the treasury will surely
follow il passed. His measure is bill d.
recting compensation to be made for the use
and occupation Of all property by the United
States during the late war. The first section
discloses the real objects of the bill:
H"Be IL Enacted, &C., That the Secretary Of War
be- and he is hereby authorized to allow compensa-
ton to ALL citizens Of the United States for the
and occupation Of their property by the United
States army, or any part thereof, curing the late
civil war in the same manner and under the same
regulations as compensation is now allowed for quar-
termasters' stores used by said f-my: Provided,
however, That the affidavit of the claimant. sup
ported by the competent testimony Of any reputable
citizen, shall be sufficient proof to establish the a It
Of and occupation Of such property by said army
But it is not the intention of this act limit the par
ties to the amount of proof herein specified, but
other additional testimony may be taken to establish
the fact Of the use and occupation aud the rental
value or the property occupied"
When it is remembered that nearly every
Southern state was occupied by the armies OF
the Union for four years, that scarcely a
county in the entire region escaped, that
whole states like Virginia were one vast
camping ground, that the destruction OF
buildings, fences, crops, etc., was well nigh
universal, one can come to some conclusion
respecting the extent of these claims. The
damage was immense; the claims will be
prodigious. But Mr.. Riddles is not the only
"rebel relief measure" His bill covers the
fuse and occupation" A large amount of
stores and supplies were taken for the use Of
the federal army or destroyed in order 10
keep them out of the hands of the enemy.
Consequently a bill has also been introduced
in the House entitled san act to adjust and
settle the claims of citizens for stores and
supplies taken or furnished during the re-
bellion for the use of the army and for other
purposes" This completes the list. The
whole plan of the Confederates is developed.
1t is to make the country pay for the losses
resulting from their treason. Loyalty is at
as great discount as when Fernando Wood in
1868 ridiculed the word. There is to be no
distinction between the claims OF the man
who was true to the flag and country and
those of the man who was false.
Our readers will be able to arrive at an
idea of the vast amount the claims under
these bills will aggregate when thay are re-
minded that over $4,000 "loyar' claimants
have filed their claims, and that the average
amount of each claim is S2,7O2.4O. There
must be at least forty claimants who
were secessionists to one who was loyal.
This would give $4,000 claims which, at the
average of those already filed, would require
the comfortable little sum Of $2,37S,0OO,-
600 or an AMOUNT GREATER THAN THE
PRESENT NATIONAL DEBT!
All of the above indications of the purpose
of the Confederates are found in the House.
In the Senate bills were introduced which
indicated the same purposes on the part of
the Southern leaders. Senator Merrimon OF
North Carolina, who recently took occasion
to deplore the wickedness of the Republican
party, has introduced a bill to repeal the law
which forblds the payment of the claims and
demands of persons who sustained the late
rebellion, which were made prior to April 13,
1851, The bill also appropriates 100000 for
that purpose.
When all these claims are paid the national
debt will be more than doubled and the Gov
ernment will be hopelessly insolvent. When
these claims are adjusted it will not be worth
while to talk about reimbursement for slaves
liberated.
II will bo urged that no Congress vii! care
to enact such bills as we have referred to.
Years ago it was said that no Congress would
vote to pay the claims of the state of Texas
amounting to millions. Nevertheless within
six years such Congress was elected, and a
President found who approved the measure.
With united Southern delegation in favor
of the bills referred to, it would be no very
difficult task to find Northern doughfaces
enough in both branches who could be made
to see that the bills of Mr.. Riddle are simply
measures Of justice tp the South. A ma
tional Democratic success would most GER
tainly be followed by attempts to make such
laws, and such attempts would most likely re-
suit in success.