Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1876-01-27
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Confederate Relief Bills.


A democratic Congress, made up
in part of eighty or more Confederate
Generals, may be a good place Tor
quartering Confederate soldiers and
the displacement of Union soldiers,
hut II is to be feared that it is bad
thing for Uncle Sans money chest.
The Cincinnati Commercial fur
nishes partial list of bills already
introduced. by Democratic Congress
men, and mostly by the Southern
Democrats, to take money out of the
almost empty Treasury, and put it in
the pocketsof their constituents. We
cannot better occupy our space than
publishing this list. 1t will help to
open the eyes of the people to the
danger of trusting the Democratic
party with power. Salary grabs and
Credit Mobiler transactions lose their
Importance in the light of these
startling raids upon the Treasury.
We copy from the Commercial:
Mr.. Reagan, of Texas, the late
Postmaster General of the Southern
Confederacy, marches smilingly up
to the Treasury and brings in joint
resolution authorizing and directing
the Secretary of the Treasury to pay
to the State of Texas 81, ,536,417 80.
Mr.. Reagan does not propose to abate
even the sixtv-two cents of this mag
nificent claim, which, however, is not
for expenses during the civil war, but
for moneys expended in the frontier
defenses of Texas before 1861, and
also from the commencement of the
administration of the State govern
ment BY Andrew J. Hamilton to the
present time.
Next comes Mr.. Benjamin Wilson,
of West Virginia. and asks that the
Secretary of the Treasury be direct
ed to pay the sum of 100000. to in
demnify the State of West Virginia
for the destruction Of a road, and
bridges thereon. from Fairmount to
Gauley Bridge, by the transportation
over the same of armies and supplies,
by the. authorities Of the United
States, during the late war. There is
no plea made that the bridges were
burned, but only that they went
down and became unfit for public
use;" and the turnpike road is to be
repaired at the expense of Uncle
Samuel, because of the weight of the
teams which dragged over the sup
plies for the Union army during the
contest
Then comes Mr.. Whitthorne, of |
Tennessee, who brings in bill
for the relief of that State, claiming
the value of all railway material re-
moved by the United States Govern !
ment from the railroads of Tennessee
during its occupancy by Sherman's
and other armies. The amount of
this claim is not quite clear, but ad-
ding together the various sums of
which it claims To be composed, we
make it out to be about 100000.
Mr.. Goode. of Virginia, proposes
that the Treasury shall pay to the
College of William and Mary, located |
at Williamsburg, the sum of $65, 900
out of any moneys in the Treasury
not otherwise appropriated, for the
destruction of those buildings without
authority, by disorderly soldiers of
the United States during the late
war.
Mr.. Scales. Of North Carolina, asks
for $l7 600 to p: Y for the Court house
of Lexington, Nor Carolina. de-
stroyed By fire while occupied by
United States soldiers in 1865.
Senator Merrimon, in behalf of
North Carolina, wants the net pro-
ceeds from the Treasury of five hun
dred bales of cotton seized by the
Treasury agents in 1865 and 1866.
Mr.. Faulkner, of West Virginia,
desires to have $4,000 for the coun-
ty of Randolph, in his State, for dam
age done to the Court t-house, road, and
bridges during its occupancy by the
Federal troops. We think we have
heard there was some damage done
tn certain roads and bridges in other
parts of the country, including every
border State Of the North, through
their occupancy both by Federal and
rebel troops; but we are not aware
that the amount of damage for such
has ever been presented as
a claim against the Treasury.
Mr.. Durham. OF Kentucky, asks
for Sl0,325 for the Madison Female
Academy, at Richmond. Kentucky,
to pay said institution for use and
done by the Union army dur
ing the war.
MIR. Bright, of Tennessee, asks, by
his bill, for the sum of $4,000 out of
the Treasury, to pay for the use of
the Presbyterian Church in Muir
freesborough, the materials of which
were used for the protection of sick
and wounded Union soldiers in 1863.
Mr. Walsh, of Maryland, wants
the Secretary of the Treasurvtlirect-
ed to pay the sum of $780, 900 to the
Mayor and Common Council of Fred
erick; and for what? To make good
to that city the demand and requisi-
tion made by General Jubal L. Early.
OF the Confederate army, who levied
a forced loan Of 100000 from said
city during General Lees Invasion of ,
Maryland and Pennsylvania, in 1864.
The 100000, it appears, has grown
in eleven years to 100000, which is
a way that such bills frequently
have.
Among the strictly private bills, .
Mr.. Atkins, of Tennessee, proposes to
recover from the Treasury certain as
of money levied and paid
over to the United States authorities
by Colonel j. w. Harvey, command