The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-10-28
THE WAR CLAIMS HUMBUG DEMOLISHED
A Letter from samuel j. Tilden on the SUBJECT
" All Claims for the payment Of any Debts,
Losses or Damages from any cause to Disioyal
Persons will be Vetoed ~

Persons will be Vetoed !"
Since the crushing republican defeat in
Indiana demonstrated to that party the fulfill
ty of the bloody shirt as an electoneering
fraud, the party blowers have taken up ant
made the burden of their song an exceeding
ly diaphonous humbug known as the rebe
claims dodge. IfTilden is elected, they said
and the democrats have majority in con
gress, they will not only pay the rebel deb
and pay for the emancipaled slaves, but will
pay all sorts of eXtravagant claims for pro
perry lost by the rebels and for rent and vast
age of lands owned by rebels and occupied
or damaged by the Union armies during the
war. While it is degrading to American in
telligence to suppose that We have among u
any considerable number Of voters so hope
lessly ignorant and unsophistcated as to be
deuded by such humbug yet it seems that
many newspaper presses and orators of the
republican party aspiring to respectfully
in their poverty OF better material, were ac
tually taking up this shallow fraud and at
tempting, by dint of noisy persistedce, to i'm
press moderately intelligent people with the
idea that possibly there might be be some.
thing in it. To put a stop to all further mis-
representation and imposture on the subject,
the Hon. Abram S. Hewitt of New York,
addressed note to Gov. Tilden, asking him
to state his views clearly and candIdly on
the subject, and Mr.. Tilden replies in the fol
lowing letter. If human language can be
more clear and explicit than this, we have
never seen IL
The Letter.
To Hon. ABRAM s. HEwlTT.-Str: !
have received your letter informing me that
republicans high In authority are publicly
representing that the south desires, not with.
out hope, to obtain payment for losses by the
late war, and to have provision made for the
rebel debt and for losses Of slaves. The pay
ment of such losses and claims was not deem
ed important enough to deserve the notice of
either convention at the time 1t was helu.
You also ask me to state my views in regard
to their recognition by the government.
Though disposed myself to abide by the is
sues as made up already, have no hesitation
to comply with your request. The fourteenth
amendment of the constitution expressly pro-
vldes as follows
1.-THE validity ofthe public debt OF the Unit
ed States authorized by law, includes debts
incurred for the payment of pensions and
bOunties for services in suppressing insur-
rcction or rebellion, shall not be questioned
but neither the United States nor any state
shall assume or pay any debt or obligation
incurred in aid of instruction or rebellion
against the United States, or any claim tor
loss or emancipation of any slave but all
such debts, obligations and claims shall be
held illegal and void"
This amendment has been repeatedly APP
proved and agreed TO by the democratic state
conventions of the south. 1t was unanimous
ly adopted as part of the platform of the
democratic national convention at St Louis
on the 2Sth of June, and was declared by that
platform to be universally accepted as final
settlement of the controversies that engender-
dered the civil war My own position on
this subject had been previously declared on
many occasions, and particularly in my first
annual message Of Jan. D, 1875. In that dOcu
ment stated that the southern people were
bound by the thirteenth, fourteenth, and it,
teenth constitutional amendments; that they
had Joined at national conventions In the nom
ination OF candidates and in the declaration
of principles and purposes which form an au.
thentic acceptance of the results of the war
embodied in the last three amendments to the
organic law of federal union, and that they
had, by suilrages of all their voters, at the
last national election, completed proof that
now they only seek to share with us and to
maintain the common rights of American To-
cal seltg0vernment in iralcrnal union, under
the old flag, with one constitution and one
destiny. | declared at the same time the
questions settled by the war are never 10 be
reopened. The adoption of the thirteenth,
fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the
federal constitution closed one great era in
our politics. 1t marked the end forever of
the system of human slavery, and of the
struggles that grew out of that system. These
have been conclusively adopted,
and they have been accepted in good faith by
all political organizations and the people of
all sections. They close the chapter. They
are and must be final All parties hereafter
must accept and stand upon them, and hence
forth our politics are to turn upon questions
OF the present and future, and not upon those
of the settled and final past. Should | be
elected president, the provisions of the four
teenth amendment will, so far as depends on
me, be maintained, executed and enforced IN
perfect and absolute good faith. No rebel
debt will be assumed or paid. No claim for
loss or emancipation of any slave will be al
lowed. No claim for any loss or damage in
Cured by disloyal persons arising from the
late war, whether covered by the fourteenth
amendment or not, will be recognized or
paid. The cotton tax will not be refunded.
shall deem it my duty to veto every bill pro-
vlding for the assumption or payment OF any
debts, losses, damages, CLAIMS or for the re-
funding OF any such tax. The danger to the
United States treasury is not from claims of
persons who aided the rebellion, but from
claims of persons residing in the southern
states or having property in those states, who
were, or pretended TO be- or who, for the sake
of aiding claims, now pretend to have been
loyal to the government of the unlcn. Such
claims, even Of loyal persons, where they are
from acts caused by operations of war, have
been disowned by the public law of civilized
nations, condemned by adIudications of the
Supreme Court of the United States, and only
find any status by force of specific legislation
of congress. These claims have become
cta al anh arp often IN N al MI fraud rbay