Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-10-25


.r.J So Whole No. 272.
Messrs. McClary, of Iowa, Hoge,
of s. c., Stowen, of Va, Morey, of
La, Danford, of Ohio, Walls, of
Fla. Well, of Miss, Hyman, of N.
c., Smalls, of S. c., and others, for
various amounts, besides other
bills asking re-opening Of claims
that have been examined and re-
jected by the Southern Claims
Commission, or rejected by the
Quartermaster or Commissionary
General, or by the accounting Of
iicers of the Treasury Department.
This list only includes the bills
introduced by Republicans, and
does not give the petitions, of which
nearly three hu ldred in all were
introduced and referred to the
Committee on War Claims by Re-
publican membe 8. A nong others
that Of Messrs. Btngs, Brownell &
Corsan, referred to the said COM
mittee by the Hon. James G..
Blaine, is interesting.
The claim is as follows:
9i6 barrels of tar 60 ,eO
- cords of wood $50
! Tools and materials 1000
Use of schooner Martha W .ytwo months,
at 5000 per month as.- 1900
----
nf lV . si,4lo
The petitioners allege that this
property was taken by United
States troops, at or near Borrancas,
in the State of Florida, during the
late war. Their claim was present
ed to the Commissioners of Claims,
which, though composed of ardent
Republican partisans, two of whom
served in congress with Mr.. Blaine,
could not recommend it to Congress
for payment, and so Mr.. Blaine
presents the case to Congress to
forestall, if possible, the adverse
report expected from the Commits
sioners of Claims.
The Hon. Eugene hale, Of Maine
the son-in-law of Secretary Chand'
Ter, also stands sponsor for another
similar claim, which was also pre-.
sented to the Commissioners ot
Claims, but not acted on. rf..r
Then the bill introduced by Sen.
ator Johnson, of Virginia, in the
Senate, to pay the claims of 20f
loyal citizens of Loudon county.
Va, whose property was destroyed
by order Of Gen. Sheridan, is made
the text of a diatribe, in which an
extract from the order Of Gen.
Sheridan directing its destruction
is given, full of savage hate and
malice. - "a 'A
The fact is studiously concealed
that the "2O6 loyal men" referred
to were Loudon county Quakers,
nearly all of whom formerly citi-
zens of Pennsylvania, and that a
bill appropriating the ipdentical
sum named in Senator Johnson's
bill, viz: sl99,22S, was reported
unanimously from the Senate Com
mittee on Claims by Senator Howe,
in the second session of the Forty
second Congress, and passed the
Senate on the Sth of April, 1872,
without amendment and without
division. foh ad D
Senator Howe made a briefstate-,
ment of the claims, stating that
these claimants all belonged to the
"Society of Friends and the bill
which was read, and appears in full
in the Globe, Of that days proceed
ings, shows that it was to pay the
said sum of s199,229 "to certain
loyal citizens of Loudon county,
Va, in consideration Of their pro-
perty destroyed by fire by the mil
itary authorities Of the United
States in conformity with an order
of Msjor-General Sheridan, dated
November 27, 1864" ~
The bill was referred to the
House Committee of Claims, Of
which General Blair, Of Michigan,
was Chairman, and was not acted
upon in that Congress.
Comment on the course of the
Republican Campaign Committee
in CHASING these Quaker claims as
"rebel claims" is quite unnecessary.
As has been shown, the pamphlet
referred to is made up Of isolated
and sporadic cases and estimates
and its false and and absurd charges