The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-08-07
FOR GOVERNOR,
SELDEN CONNOR:
A Timely Warning.

A Timely Warming.
Mr.. Morrison chairman of the House Ways
and Means Committee, is reported giving as a
reason for not introducing the usual order re
specting adjournment which suspends the ap-
plication of the two-thirds rule to the intro
duction of new business, that the large num-
Der OF Southern claims which would be Of
fered and pressed the last few days of the ses-
sion, rendered it expedient not to suspend the
rules. There can be no doubt that the South
ern members intend at the proper season to
flood Congress with claims of all sorts, bu
one would expect that they would have the
prudence to wait until they control the White
House and both branches of Congress.
The Democratic leaders in the North have
rldiculed the idea which has been advanced
that the e1-rebels will, in the event of a
Democratic success, demand reimbursement
for their emancipated slaves. Despite the
protestations of our Northern Democratic
leaders, who are as much clay as ever in the
hands of their Southern masters, there are
ample grounds for such apprehensions. Lead
ing Democrats in Virginia two years ago ad-
yocated that policy in the canvass and in
several of the states where that party is in
power an official inventory of the property in
slaves lost by the emancipation proclamation,
has been taken. If there is not some idea of
this sort prevailing, it seems as frivolous to
ascertain the capacityofa a vessel from which
the milk has been spilled --
Dismissing the question of the probability
of claim upon the national treasury for the
value of emancipated slaves, let US conside
some of the measures introduced in the pres
ent Congress by Confederates.. Let us in
quire into their meaning. Straws indicate
which way the wind is blowing and if the
straws of the ex-Confederates do not indicate
raid upon the treasury of appalling rnagni'
tude then all signs fail.
First, Mr.. Scales OF North Carolina intro
daced bill in the House early in the session
entitled San act to refund certain direct taxes
on land collected from citizens in the late in
surrectionary states under the act of August
5, 1861" In 1861 tax of $20,000,0OO was
apportioned among the states according TO
population. The Northern states paid their
quota. At the close of the war the collection
of this tax was begun and continued until
July 1866 when Congress suspended further
collection until 1869. Since that time no ef-
fort has been made to secure the balance of
the tax amounting to S2,661,776. Probably
no attempt will ever be made to collect that
sum. Now Mr.. Scales brings in bill to re-
fund to the taxpayers of those states the
$2,492, 100 collected!
Second, several Southern representatives
have introduced bills to refund the tax COL
lected on cotton during the years 1866, '66
and '67 amounting to over $6s,0OO,000. The
measure got its quetus in the last Republi.
can House so effectualy that it would have
slept the sleep of the dead but for the presen
Confederate strength in the popular branch.
1t is now being urged by strong lobby of
jobbers who have bought up the claims of
the producers for small per centage of their
aggregate amount. The present plan pro-
poses to issue thirty years government bonds
for the amount of the. claims bearing five per
cent interest in gold payable semi-annually.
The annual interest on this sum would be
$3,4OS,619 which in thirty years would aggre-
gate $102, Jos, $50, s,uelling the claim, princt-
pal and interest to $170.1S0,95S!
Third, the extraordinary character of the
claims introduced by Southern Democrats
and few in the North are worthy of notice.
Under an act of Congress approved March
3, 1871, the Southern Claims Commission
was created to consider the justice and valid
ity of such claims as were brought to them
by those citizens in the South who remained
loyal adherents to the government during
the rebellion. The claimants are required
under oath to answer such questions as the
following:
"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
(which side did YOU take when the insurgent states
were seeding from the Union In 1860 and 1861?
Did you adhere to the Union after the states
had passed into rebellion did you 60 with your
state?
"What were your feelings concerning the battle of
Bull Run or Manassas the capture of New Orleans,
the fall Of Vicksbqrg and the final surrender OF the
Confederate forces?"
SuCu pIlulcu iutCllOSatOiies3dS Iuc dUOVe
would prove disagreeable to many of our
leading Democrats in Maine, nevertheless
$4,000 claims have been filed, requiring (if
allowedl $3.50, ,25s, $50 to pay them. Even
with these safeguards, "a large part of the
claims have been found to be filed by parties
who were the most violent secessionists.
During the first few weeks of the present
| session of the House, Southern Democrats
| introduced one hundred and forty bills for
claims for property destroyed or taken by the
federal army, aggregating 1852, ,269. In the
| greater part Of these claims no mention is
made of the '1oya!ty" of the claimant.
This class evidently presumed that House
having sixty-fve members who have been
conspicuous in promoting the rebellion
would not be particular respecting the loyal
ty of their constituents who made claims
against the government.
But with Republican claims commission
who have well defined ideas as to the mean.
ing of the term loyalty. there was not much
opportunity fof opening extensive avenue.
to the treasury. A few millions of rebe
l claims Yo0ht ha pucbad tl,,o,.-l