The Portland daily press., 1877-11-24
The Geneva Award.

The Geneva Award.
As soon as the political complications which
have disturbed legislation and distracted the
country for 30 long shall have attained even
temporary settlement, it will be high time for
Congress to snatch whatever leisure it can
ind from silver bills, anti-resumption non-
sense, and rather poor wit about the French
Exhlbitien, to give some thought to the busi-
ness interests of the nation. 1t is six years
since the government in behalf of its citizens
sought redress from Great Britain for the
losses suffered by our commerce from Confed-
crate cruisers on account of tho failure of
Great Britain to fulfil her international duties
Those duties were clearly understood and.
agreed upon in the treaty of Washington in
May 1871. There was a fair and fall hearing
before the Arbitrators at Geneva, resulting on
September IA. 1875 in an award of SIS 800, 900
in gold ''as the Indemnity to be paid by Great
Britain to the United States for the satisfac-
tion Of all the claims referred to the con sider-
alton of the tribunal. The claim of the
United States was based upon the losses of her
citizens by the Confederate crulsers-claims
which could not be traded off or compromised
by the government except with the consent of
their owners Those claims were presented
at the tribunal by our counsel as basis for
determining the amount of the award, and
for no other purpose. With regard to the
admissibity Of the different classes of claims
some of the arbtrators thought one way and
some another: they could not agree as to the
allowance of certain claims; they did not |
give an award in detail to the United States, |
to be distributed in a specified manner to |
specified classes of claimants; they did |
agree upon "gross sun" to be awarded, for. |
satisfaction of all claims referred to the tri- |
bunal. How that sum was arrived at is not |
known any more than the secrets of any |
jury room are known; the claims of the men |
who lost by the depredations of those COR |
sairs which fitted in English ports, and of |
those which did not were ''referred to the |
consideration of the tribunal;' there were |
presented also, the claims of those who paid |
great war premiums on account OF those |
pirates infesting the seas; and the sum |
awarded was ''for all claims rcferred."
Ii the award were not sufficient to pay all |
the losses we had no claim on England to |
make up the deficit; and if there were sur |
plus the United States could use it In what
ever wayit chose. But there will be no surplus
after all the "referred" claims are paid, but |
probably deficiency.
The nation proceeded by act of Congress |
June %, 1874, to distribute the fund, giving |
only to the first class of cases; namely, to
those who suffered by acts for which Great |
Britain was technically and Immediately re-
sponsible. The Government employed able
counsel in the court created for distributing
the award and used every means to cut
down even the limited numbers of claims
allowed by the act of Congress. 1t also gave
only 4 per cent. interest to claimants. As
result there is still large sum unexpended. |
The act creating the Alabama Claims Court |
especially provided that this balance should
remain fund from which Congress might
authorize the payment of the other claims
and Congress ought to have so authorized
long ago.
The sentimental proposal TO magnifcently
pour this balance back nto the treasury of
tce or very good sense, although it has the
approval! of some remarkably nice newspapers.
There seems TO be no good reason ~hy this
balance should go back to England, for the
whole award was made by the highest court
in all history in a gross sum as damages
against England to be paid "to the United
States for all claims referred to the consldera-
tion of the tribunal and not half of those
claims have as yet been paid.
The bill introduced by Mr.. Frye proposes
just and equitable disposition of this fund; -
namely to give it to the men who have not
yet been paid for vessels lost, who paid great
war premiums, and an extra two per cent. of
interest to those who have thus far received
only per cent. on their claims. The Insur-
ance Companies have already been paid for
all their war losses over and above what they |
had received for war premiums; but for the
last four years forty five great companies have
been before Congress by their paid attorneys
asking that they shall have the entire balance
of the award on the ground of subrogation.
Their claim has been three times voted down,
but they still insist. Every one of these
companies received war premiums exceeding
their war losses. The profits of some on
their war business was over 40 per cent. In
spite of these great gains many of these COM
panies have failed since the war, as the result
ofsreculation and bad investments; and are
in the hands of receivers. OF these compa-
nies many lost their books and policies, so
that it would be impossible to distribute the
award, if made to them; and even if distrib.
uted 1t would go into the hands of their
stockholders, and thus would fail to reach
the real sufferers by rebel cruisers. In our
own state as many as four out of the seven
or eight companies doing marine business |
during the war are now in the hands of re-
cevers.
The disposition proposed by Mr.. Frye's
bill would be an honest recog- l
milton of the claims of real suf-
terers by rebel cruisers and would be of great /
benefit to many of the best and most patriot |
ic citizens of our own state. 1t would go to |
class of men who need and deserve it; |
men who were masters and sailors of vessels |
in the war, men who staked their all in the
building and running of ships when our COM
merce needed such industries and who for
the sake of putting their freights in American
bottoms were ready to pay large extra
premium of insurance and suffer many ex-
actions from foreign shippers.
If the Alabama fund be expended in this
way it cannot, to be sure, repay the nation
for the less of the second place in the world
as marine power; it cannot restore the
three million tons of American shipping
which sailed the seas in 1861; it cannot give
life to the men from Maine who froze and
starved in rebel pirate. ships; it cannot re-
store to competence tthe Maine mer-
chants and shipowDers, officers and crews
who have felt the hand of poverty ever since
American commerce was crippled and almost
destroyed by rebel cruisers; but it can great
" help the interests whose representatives
suffered more than any others for their pat
riOtispa ond ur1,o d;d p,nra bar thair shay in