Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-10-25
this appeasing act of plumber for the
qualification of their anxious constitu-


this appeasing act of plumber for tn,
qualification of their anxious constitu
ents.
HOW 1T WOULD WORK.
Ostensibly the bill (H. R. 1927 pro
poses to refund the tax TO the parties
who actually produce the cotton" bu
in fact it liz gigantic job of lobbyists
and spectators who have managed tt
get nearly all of the original claims in
to their own hands by agreeing to pay
a trifiing per cent. on their face value
If the bill should become law. The
immense sum to be refunded and the
cheapness of the purchase claims, with
the encouragement offered in Congress
make this the most popular scheme fo1
the lobby ring now pending, and Its
final passage may be accepted as GER
tain If the South gets possession of Con
gress.
The present plan proposes to issue
bonds of the United States in sums of
one hundred, five hundred, and one
thousand dollars, payable to the Treas
urp of the United States to bearer at
the end of thirty years from date, IN
gold, bearing interest at the rate of five
per centum per annum, PAYABLE semi
annually in gold. The annual interest
on this sum would be 3,403, 619, and
in thirty years would aggregate $102,-
1OS,57O this swelling the claim, princi-
pal and accommodating interest, to the
enormous amount of O,1S0,65S.
This is demand No. 2, to relieve an
impoverished people, equalize the bur.
dens Of taxation, and make loyalty en-.
durable
~ SOUTHERN CLAIMS.
But there is another class of de-
mapds compared with which the fore
going might be regarded as real luzu.
ries. These comprise the rebel losses
during the war.
Under an act of Congress, approved
March 3, 1871, the Southern Claims
Commission was created and empow-
cred to receive, examine, and con-
slider the justice and validity of such
claims as should be brought to them
of those citizens who remained loyal
adherents to the cause and the Govern.
ment of the United States In states pro.
claimed as in instruction against the
United States during the rebellion"
It will be observed that this law con
fines claims exclusively to I" loyal ad-
herents," &c, signifying that the Gov
eminent holds itself responsible to no
others for losses sustained by the war.
The Southern Claims Commission has
adhered strictly to this principle, as
will be seen by few of the eighty
standing interrogatories propounded to
all claimants:
Did you ever do anything Or say
anything against the Union cause; and
if so what did you do or say, and why
Were you at all times during the war
willing and ready to do whatever you
could in aid of the Union cause
Which side did you take when the
msurgent States were seeding from
the Union In 1860 and 1861?
Did you adhere to the Union cause
after the states had passed into rebel
lion or did you go with your state?
What were your feelings concerning
the battle of Bull Run or Manassas, the
capture Of New Orleans, the fall OF
Vicksburg. and the final surrender OF
the Confederate forces?"
The law allowed two years in which
to file claims of this character, and the
reports of the Commissioners show thai
22,298 have been presented for allow
ance. OF this number 6, 222 have beer
examined, and about half thereof re
ported favorably to Congress, to be
paid, leaving still 1906 claims unad
justed. The gross value of all claims
filed is $50, 258, $50.
AS has been shown" loyalty" is test Of
the validity of claims under this genera
act,yet it has repeatedly occurred before
the Commission that the most violent
secessionists and rebels have endeavor
ed by wholesale deception and purjury
to prove themselves loyal and to recov
er on claims that were fraudulent upor
their face. False swearing doubtless
has carried few such claims success
fully through, but most of them have
been rejected as unworthy.
But what becomes of the tens Of
thousands of other rebel claimants wht
have not dared to venture before al
iron-clad commission, but who regart
themselves as equally entitled will
loyal men to compensation for private
property taken or destroyed by tn,
union armies. Before what Commits
sion are they to obtain redress? Til
question they promptly answer TO-
themselves and the country by electins
a tribunal where disloyalty command
a premium rather than works q disa
bility. A peep into the files of thu
House shows how thoroughly read.
they are to improve their opportunity
There, among the various bills unde
consideration, are scores providing TO
the special relief of this class of claim
ants, and it is significant that not hal
a dozen even suggest loyalty as an ex
cuse for their payment: The charac
ter of these claims may be judged b.
examining the following briefs mad
from the face of the bills as intro
duced, and showing the name of tn
introducer, the amount and the purpos
of the appropriation:
By Mr.. HARRISON, Ala. A bill to pa.
the Medical College, of Alabamy, $50
900 for loss sustained by military occu
pancy.
By Mr.. Clark, Mo. A bill to pay tn
University of Missouri, $17 ,475 TO