New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-02-19
TIE SOUTHERN CLAIMS COMMISSION.
Is IT WORTH WHAT 1T COSTSf


BARTIETT-soME QUAINT AND NOT ALTOGETHER
AGREEABLE FEATURES OF ITS WORK.
To the Editor or The Tribune.
| was for two or three years employed as Special
Commissioner, also as Special Agent acting III be-
half OF the Government, and for some months was
duty within sight of the Commission IN Wash
ngton. If it the design of Congress III the
creation of the Southern Claims Commission to re-
nburse Southern producing InOnists, who CON
inued loyal throughout the war. believe the work
ings of this institution have failed 10 effect that
just and fair purpose. The machinery put in motion
at "a cost of ,0o0 year, more or less produces
results of which the following are samples as ap-
pears from their report. just printed:
In anal wing the report will cite the example OF
Crawford County Ark, in which IS cases have
been passed upon, in which the amount claimed az
grogaied $1,000. know nothing of their merits.
Under apparent rule 40 allow half III part OF the
eases and to disalIow entirely the other half of the
Is eases, nine are allowed, the SUN awarded being
81 % the shrlnkage being S2.G1s. and nine cases
disallowed wherein the amount claimed
was $3.50. According to n careful esti-
mate the average cost To claimants for work
ing up their claims including time of witnesses, eX
penses &C., is nearly 800. The same cost accrucs
in disallOwcd, jected eases. Tbs costs in the Is
cases, then, were 81 500; amount allowed, Sl,JZ3
loss on the whole, S27j Drafts or the United
States Treasury for running the institution one year
amounted to $4,000, which, divided among 200
cases passed upon IN the same time, siyes T33 '}
each. The proportion chlrscable to the ~ cases
under consideration is J4J. Add to CHS the 81 500
expenses, aud we obtain a result S2,3ij loss to
the aggregate wealth of the people. and If will be
SEEN no real gain to the claimants WHO receive the
awards.
Now will omit the nine rejected claims, with the
IS $50 declared by the claimants under the soeIu-
ui;y of their oaihs to be justly due on account of
continuous loyalty. Under the rule that power of
attorney of record conld not be revoked for any
cause, and an order made in the treasury Depart
mcnt March 10, 1874, that none other than the At
torncy OF Record could take up the awards to claim
anti the way has been pref Ircd for Washington at
toreys who collect the money To claim 30 per cent
81 the award. The nine claimants ~ luck are inst
now rejoicing over the intelligence that 81 -
has been awarded them but first, the half
or S702. goes to attorneys. The way may
then be- clear for lkn half 10 reach
the claimants, This amount Is SIS less than was
expended and the loss oil the county II 1855. Ihis
computation applied 20 the State of Arkansas cover
ing the Last years business gives th' following re-
suit Number of cases passed upon, 49, of which ~
are di.allnwei AMI los allowed; amount awarded,
5Ss Taking advantage Of the rule, half, or
40 900 goes into the circulating Medium IN Wash
iugt,n and the other half 10000 circulat"S ~
Arkansas; but Of tha S1s 700 goes H. pay expenses IN
~ cases and ~ 300 only is added 10 the wealth OF
the stat but this j. effected at a cost Ia the United
states Treasury of PG,233 Taking it all IN all, is At
"a thin, worth doing
The benefit TO the Southern lOyalists designed by
the act Of Congress TX still farther csencd by an
other CONSIDERATION: the Goycrnmcn, revenue to
my th. award Of so. 900 To- Arkausls come, from
the people through Indirect taxes. or this, one
third is probably paid by the southern people. APP
plyiue this rule 10 Arkansas. she piy- indirectly one
third of this 10000 taken 10y uuirnittul attorneys.
and of the ~, 2 - absorbed by the Commission.
The dcmordziug effect of ali upon a people IN
transition state can never be estimated. The form
of oath, double distilled, required by Law to file the
account and petition such thai to allow less than
tho amount claimed implies that legal perjury Is
chargrabc At least - 900 claimants are put under
this rule and perhaps twice that number of wit
ucsscs.
This reference 10 attorneys work is not altogether
new President Grant, in his annual message ior
1874 suggested that attorneys were the largest
lie WAS "A soldier and he dared say IT, Perhaps he
knew not AGAINST what power he spoke. Again, at
the clos, of last session, the President pocketcd
bill in which was nearly one hundred millions bear
ing the badges of attorneys. Liberty BAE1LETT.
Late Special Commissioner.
Washington u O.. Feb. 10, 1876