The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1876-11-01
THE WAR'CLAIM BUGBEAR.
THE PLAIN FACTS TRULY STATED BY
the REFORM CANDIDATE.
Who The Persons Are That Hold The
CIaiIns---RcpudiRted by the Law of
Nations and by the United Su-
prcmc Court What President
Tilden Will surely do.
New YORK, Oct. "a, 1876.

hope" to obtain payment for losses by
the late war and to have provision
made for the rebel debt and for the
losses of slaves.
As the payment of such losses and
claims was not deemed important
enough to deserve the notice Of either
Convention at the time it was held,
you also ask me to state my views in
regard to their recognition by the Gov
ernment.
Though disposed myself to abide by
the issue as made up already, l have
no hesitation to comply with your re-
quest.
The Fourteenth Amendment of the
Constitution expressly provides as fol-
lows:
The validity of the public debt of the
United States authorized by law, includ>
ing debts incurred for payment of pen-
sons and bounties for services in sup
pressing insurreectiOn or rebellion, shall
not he 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 for tie loss or
emancipation Of any Stare, but all such
debts. obligations. and claims shall be
held Illegal and void.
This amendment has been repeated
ly approved and greed to by Democrat
ic State Conventions of the South. 1t
was unanimously adopted as part of
the platform of the Democratic Ma
ti0nal Convention ut st. Louis, OH the
2Sth of June, and was declared by
that platform to be "imirGrSaHy accept
81 as final settlement of the controver-
sizes that cngendercd civil war;"
My own position on this subject had
been previously declared on many oc-
casions, and particularly in my fret
annual message of Jan. ), 1873.
In that document, l stated that the
Southern people were "bOund by the
Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth
Constitutional Amendments; that
they had joined Mt National COnveD-
tions in the nomination of candidates
and in the declaration of principles
and purposes, which form an authentic
acceptance of the results of the war,
embodied in the last three amendments
to the organic law of the Federal I'm
ion, and that had, by the suffrages Of
all their voters, at the last national
election, completed the proof that now
they only seek to share with us, and to
maintain the common rights of Amer
lean local self-goyernment, in frater,
nal union, under the old flag with"one
Constitution and one destiny"
declare at the same time:
The questions settled by the war are
never to be reopened. The adoption
of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Eff
tenth Amendments to the Federal
Constitution closed one great era in
our politics. 1t marked the end fOrev.
er of the system of human slavery, land
of the struggles that grew out of the
system. These amendments have
been conclusively adopted, and they
have been accepted in good faith by all
political organizations and the people
of his sections. They close the chapter;
they are and mnst be final ; all partie:
hereafter must accept and stand upon
them, and henceforth our politics are
to turn upon questions of the present
and the future, and not upon those o.
the settled and final past.
Should / be elected President, the
provision of the Fourteenth Amend.
ment will, so far as depends on me. b.
maintained, executed, and enforced il
perfect and absolute good faith. NJ
rebel debt will be assumed or paid
No claim for the loss or emancipation
of any slave will be allowed. No CLAIM
for any loss or damage incurred b,
disloyal persons arising from the lat,
war, whether covered by the Four
teenth Amendment or not, will be rec
ognized or paid. The cotton tax vii
not be refunded. l shall deem it m,
duty to veto every bill providing f0
the assumption or payment of AM
such debts, losses, damages, claims, O
or the refunding of any such tax.
The danger to the national Treasur,
is not from claims of persons who aidet
the rebellion, but from claims of per
sons residing in the Southern State
or having property in those States, VIII,
were, or pretended to be, or who 70
the sake of aiding claims now pretenC
to have been, loyal to the Government
of the Union. Such claims, even O
loyal persons, where they are from act
caused by the operations of war, hav
geen disOwned by the public law of civ
ilized nations, condemned by the adju
dications Of the Supreme Court of tn
United States, and only find any statu
by force of specific legislation of Con
gress. These claims have become stall
! and are often tainted with fraud. The
, are nearly always owned in whole o
in part by claim agents. by Speculation
, Or lobbyists, who have no equity again;
: the taxpayers or the public. The
! should 10 all cases be Scrutinized wit
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