New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-06

TIE SOUTH md THE wax CLAiHS
1t would have been better for MIR. J llden Al
his Libe1ty-st. bureau had not sent out
stereotyped form OF dSav0wal respecting the
war claims, to be returned from each State
with strong signatures. Nothing succeeds like
success, it is said, but certainly nothing fails
like failure. There are fifteen States from
which responses were ordered, and only six
have responded. Not even the imminent peril
which Mr. Tilden's letter recognized. moi even
the hope of elccting Mr.. TIlden and a Demo
cratic Congress- and getting these claims paid
in due time by some legislative lcgcIdcmain,
has induced any of the leading men Oi
nine out of the fifteen States to respond.
An experiment of this sort is good if it sue
ceeds; but il it falls, everybody knows that 1t
proyes that the leading men Of the refusing
States refuse to say that they will not press
such claims. or that such claims are not cX-
Dected to be paid. Moreover, the value OF
voluntary assurance" cXt0rtcd by the neccs-
sites of a campaign, IA were these dcnlais IN
the precise form prescribed from the lldcn
Headquarters, may be regarded as somewhat
questionable. Especially are they OF doubtful
value when it il sure that conspicuous among
those who ign the prescribed form, appears Mr.
U.Y. Riddle of Tennessee, the very man who IN
troduccd the bill now pending 10 pay all cl-
"zens," loyal or disloyal, for their losses, upon
the affidavit OF one witness only. On this bill
as his strong card, he is now making VIC
torious campaign for reelection III his state
openly iustiiying his bill, and claiming that 1t
entities him TO the support OF those VINO have
lost property during the war.
A certificate which even NJ. Riddle signs
will not impress loyal citizens as very conclu-
sive proof. Somewhere there is a lOophole Of
evasion. Precisely what one will be selected
we can only guess, but at least dozen have
already been pointed ont. One has for authority
the report of House Committee that persons
who have received amnesty are now as loyal
as ANYBODY, and as much entitled to be repaid.
Another mentioned by Mr. Blaine, Is that
MIR. Tilden carefully confines his pledge to
non-Dayment of losses incurred" which are
excluded by constitutional amendment, but
does not say anything about losses inyolun-
tarily suffered by those who were dlSlOyal. No
one cares which of many evaSiOns may be
chosen. 1t is enough to know that the solid
South wants repayment, that in the majority
of States the people refuse TO resort to any
evasion about it, and that, as Mr. 1ilden
iustly said in his letter of acceptance, expert
ence has shown the folly Of surprising that
candidates will be bound by the sclf-restrants
! imposed during a canvass.
The World prctends that the claims audited
and certified in Missouri are those of loyal
citizens. This pretense is proved to he false,
first by the vote OF the Legislature which Gre
ated the commission, for it deliberately re-
| fused to limit the bill to claims coming within
the United States rules as to loyalty of claim
ants. though the amendment was moved by
the Democratic Chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee in the Senate. Next, its
falsity is proved by the fact that all persons
who were loyal, and had suffered losses, could
present their bills to the Court of Claims, or
had already obtained payment. Next, its
falsity is proved by the admission of
The ST. Louis Times, that the "most
"of the sufferers were those accused of SYM
"pathy with the rebels" Finally, 1t Is proved
false by the fact that, during two years of
hot discussion about this measure, nobody has
brought to light a single claim by loyal man
for which certificates were given. The soldiers