New-York tribune., 1878-04-01

1
taken by the Austrian Premier. He will
wiring all the concessions he can from Russia
but so far nothing has occurred which would
make it to his interest to break the triple
| alliance and plunge Europe Unto general
| war.
An EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE SOUTH WANTS
The solid and hungry South has been mod.
est, since the recess. Not including private
claims, or bills for the relief of individuals
| the measures introduced since the recess
would involve the expenditure of only
about $40, 100000 at the South. Before
the recess, such bills were introduced
involving the expenditure of about $780,
OOO,OOO SO that the little bill of the
Solid South appears at present to reach S192,-
| 10000. 1t is not to be supposed that the
| bills offered cover large proportion OF the
demands which will he made when Southern
Democracy gains control in both branches OF
Congress and in the White HOuse-if ever.
Shrewd managers do not care to expose thclr
measures to defeat by thrusting them upon
body naturally adverse, and during the session
Just preceding Congressional elections lhe
more dangerous measures, 1t is sale 10 say
will wait better opportunity. by far the
| greater number Will be held back until
| fayoring Senate and President may give hope
of success Only some fraction of the ap-
| propriations demanded, we may be sure, are
| included in the $102,O0O,00O thus far made
visible to tho naked eye. If ever the South
camps in the White House and the Senate. as
| it is now encamped III the House, We snail
| know more about its wants
i =. that llIVa
far exceeding in magnitude those which can
be called public are now hungrily awaiting
the transfer of the Government to favoring
hands, During the last Presidential campaign
some information as to these claims was
gathered. Those which had then been
pushed so far as to have a place in
the official records, were even then so
numerous and so largo as to involve
an expenditure exceeding in amount the en-
tire National debt. So startled was the coun-
try by these disclosures, and so plain was 1t
that utter bankruptcy wOuld follow any open
ing of the door to private claims for losses dur
ing the war, that Mr. Tiden himself deemed it
necessary Ito break through tho reticence
usual in a Presidential candidate, and threw
aside for once his remarkable caution,
in order TO assure the North that he did
not mean to favor these schemes The decla-
ration did him little good. 1t was seen that
the South was very much in earnest and that
no Democratic President could be trusted to
resist to the end the demands of the ruling
element in that party on such an issue. More
over his letter was an acknowledgment that,
with any President who could not resist. there
would be real danger that the country might
be swamped by the readiness of Democratic
Congress to yield to Southern demands.
Little has been said of these measures at
this session. They are of such character that
they would certainly be defeated by Repub-
lcan Senate, or Republican President, unless
the division of parties should be greatly
changed. But it would be folly to suppose
that these claims are forgotten. Men who
lost all their property during the war; or an
important part Of their property, do
not forget that Democratic victory may give
them more than they could expect to accumu-
late in a lifetime of labor. 1t is easy for
them TO keep alive the hopes of neigllbors whose
losses were smaller, or in part or wholly i'm
aginary, and it has come to pass that n very
large proportion of the citizens of the
South including nearly all the men OF
local influence, consider that they have
perfectly valid claim against the United States.
Under Republican Administration they ex-
Dect not a cent Under Democratic Admin
lstration, these claimants will make it too hot
for any Democratic member of Congress who
refuses to support such Il bill as that of Mr.. III.
G.. Riddle, for example. Mr.. Riddle, of the
Fourth District of Tennessee, early Ill 1876,
offered bill providing:
nf VA hp md bp
lied to allow reasonable compensation TO all citizens or
the United States for the use or occupation OF their
prDperty by the United states Army, part there
o. during the lats Civil war; III the same manner and
under the regulations as compensation Is now
allowed for quarermastcrs stores used by said army
porided houerer that the affidavit OF the claimant sup
ported by the competent testimony Of any reputable
citizen shall be sufficient proof TO establish tho fact or
the use and occupation OF such property by said Army
II was said that this bill would enable some
body to get pay for every bushcl of potatoes
eaten, or said to have been eaten, by Sherman's
army in its march to the sea, and Tor every
tree cut, fence rail burned, or acre of ground
disturbed by Grants army in Virginia.
The amount of claims payable under this
bill alone, by fav0ring Secretary of War;
would probably approach the amount of the
present National debt. But Mr.. III. G.
Riddle made his campaign openly on
this demand, ana was elected again by
S,412 majority, his opponent get
ting only 3.545 votes. This measure,
though Mr.. Riddle is in Congress now, is not
vigorously pushed at present. Does not every
one know whyl TO press it now would only
subject it to defeat, and would lessen the
chances of Northern Democrats for reGlcc-
ton. No Secretary of War that President
Hayes is likely to appoint would
serve Mr. Riddles purpose. But the