The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-10-31
READ AND REFLECT.


H. 7. Riddle, Representative from thu
Fourth District Of Tennessee, in th'
House Of Representatives, February %
1875. II was read twice, referred to thu
Committee on the Judiciary, ordered tc
be printed, and can be taken up ant
passed whenever the Democracy get full
control Of the several branches Of the
Government:
ADILL
Directing compensation TO be allowed
for the use and occupation OF prop
erty by the United States army dur
Ing the late War.
Be Il enacted BY he Senate and House d
Representatives Of The United States Of Amer
lea in Congress assembled, That the Secre-
tary OF War be, and he Is hereby author
led 10 aElOv reasonable compensation 10 ALL
CITIZENS Of The United STATES FOR THE
USE AND OCCUPATION OF THEIR PROPERTY
ny THE UNITED STATES ARMY, or any
part thereof, during the late Civil War,
In the same manner and under the same
regulations as compensation is now al
lowed for Quartermasters stores used by
said army; Provided however, That the
affidavit Of the claimant, supported by
the competent testimony Of any reputa-
bic citizen, SHALL BE SUFFICIENT
PROOF TO ESTABLISH THE FACT
OF THE USE AND OCCUPATION OF SUCH
PROPERTY by SAID ARMY. But Il Is not
the intention Of this act to limit the par
ties to the amount Of proof herein speci.
fled; but other and additional testimony
may be taken to establish the fact Of the
use and occupation, and the rental value
Of the property occupied.
REMARKS.
The foregoing bill and another intro
duced by Mr.. Wiltshire, Of Arkansas, and
equally sweeping in its provisions, are in
tended to embrace all claims for property
or supplies Of every character used or de-
stroyed by the immense army Of the
Union, which during four years marched
and encamped upon Southern soil. Their
estimated aggregates are immense, ST.
4l0,326,000! But the vast and ruinous
schemes Of plumber proposed under these
bills are greatly increased by the aggre-
gates Of other schemes oflike character
all proposed by the Confederate Democra-
cy at the last session, and all for the BEN
eft OF disloyal persons debarred under
our present laws from relief before the
Southern Claims Commission-such as
the bill OF Mr.. Scales, OF North Carolina,
III. r. Sl45,1 to refund to the disloyal
States the direct tax collected under the
act OF August 5, 1861, amounting to 81
400, 100; such as II. R. 232, proposing to
the cotton planter the tax levied on raw
cotton during tho years 1866, 1866, and
1857, amounting to S6S,072,0ss; such
Us the relief bills in special cases
one hundred and forty-one in number,
introduced in the House at the
last session, as tho proposition Of Mr..
Johnston, Of Virginia, covering the claims
OF two hundred and six citizens Of Lou.
don county, Virginia, and that Of Mr..
Merrimon, Of North Carolina, in the Sen.
ate, for the repeal Of section 1880 Of the
Revised Statutes for the benefit Of claim
ants to sums accruing prior to April -,
1861, but who forfeited their claims by
their acts OF rebellion, and all amount
ing to s., ISL, 497. Such as the bills to
the extent Of 100000 introduced by the
present West Virginia delegation in the
House for payment for damage done to
certain pixies, roads, churches, &c, in
West Virginia. To recapitulate:
Refundlng direct tax under law Of 1861 q GGl, 10
special EeliCi 9llIs:::"'''.'' a. s ~ 81
Property aud supplies destroyed or used ios2e 900
$2.4s5, 2il .S6l
Or in round numbers an amount equal
to the national debt at the close Of the re-
bellion. And these are but moiety Of