The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-05-11
Revolutionary Claims.


Rebecca Frances Bailey, claiming to be
the only child and heir at law of Lieuten-
ant Edward Lloyd, deceased of the Con-
tinental line, presented to Congress men,
orial, for half pay for lite, due said Lloyd,
which was referred to the committee on
Rev olutionary claims. The memorial rep
resents that Lloyd served to the end OF the
war, and lost an arm in the sege of Sa-
vannah, and die. in the year 1872.
Mr.. Stevenson from the committee on
revolutionary claims reported against its
payment, because the presumption that the
claims were fully paid off and discharged
after lapse of more than ninety years is
too violent to be resisted. 1t is properly
assumed also, that it was drawn by Lloyd
himself, in his lifetime. He lived thirty
two years after the resolution was passed,
awarding him his half pay. The resolu-
III Iola. --~-aA Dec. 81, 1880 and he diod
The whole subject of half pay and CON-
mutation of officers of the revolutionary
war, was thoroughly investigated by the
committee and an exhaustive report made
by Hon. Justin S. Morrill, adversely to the
bill, providing for the settlement of the
claims of officers of the revolutionary army
and of the widows and children of those
who died in the service.
Since the report was made by Senator
Morrill,, Ex-Governor Hiland Hall of Ben
nington, now an octo genarisn, who in his
twelve years service in Congress, was q
prominent and useful member Of the COM
mi,tee on revolutionary claims of the
House of Representatives, has addressed
to Mr. Morrill,, a letter containing additiona
facts and arguments, terrifying with won
derful force and vigor the conclusions ex
pressed in Mr.. Morr!l's report and which
admirable letter is published with repor
which has been alluded to. We give the
full text CT a
LETTER OF EX-GOVERNOR HALL.
NORTH BENNINGTON, VT March, 1876.
DEAR SIR; l thank you for a copy o
the Senate bill ''to provide for the settle
ment of the claims OF the officers of tn,
Revolutionary Army, and of the widowi
and children of those who died IN the ser
vice. and of your report thereon. You
report shows clearly that the original claim
of the officers to halfpay for life were vol
unfairly relnquished by them at the clos,
| &c h. 60 aI; ,ta nd l.
allowance in gross, and that the claims ar,
therefore entirely destitute of merit.
also points out the folly and absurdity o
undertaking TO revive them toward th'
end of a century in favor of a third AMI
fourth generation of numerous unknown
descendants and next of kin. l am Rlat
you have had the patience to examine TIL
subject so thoroughly, and trust your con
elusive report will put quietus upon al
further attempts to resuscitate these an
tiqusted and always unfounded claims.
Being persuaded that if the bill SHOULD
become law it will call for much create
SUM from the treasury that the estimate o
about twenty three millions furnished from
the pension. office and appended to you
report, wish to say something to you OF
that point. If we are to depend on pas
experience in relation to estimates of thu
probable expenditures under bills for til,
settlement of revolutionary claims and pen
sions, we must consider the present esti
mate TO be quite unreliable. The actua
drain upon the treasury under laws OF THU
description has always exceeded previous
calculations, generally doubling and some
times quadruplIng them. FROM the init
mate knowledge which l acquired by Ions
service on the committee on revolutionary
claims in the House of Representatives
some thirty and more years ago, of the un
certain condition of ong-forgotten claiml
of this description, and Of the ingenious
modes of prosecuting them, have no hes
itation in saying that the present estimate
cannot be expected to form an exception t
what has been found to be the general rule
1t 10 apparent that, in consequence Of the
loss of the public records by fire and from
other causes, there are not left any full and
reliable ancient rolls or other written data
to show what officers were entitled to the
half-pay for life or communication substitute
for Otherwise the commissioner of pensions
would not have found 1t necessary to OBJ
tain the materials for his estimate Of the
number aud rank of the officers from lis
found in the claim-agent Saffel's book
published in 1853, for which list Safiel
gives no authority whatever. Much Of thu