The Portland daily press., 1878-04-16
The Southern Claims

The speech of Mr.. Reed elsewhere printed,
in opposition to the bill for the relief of Viii.
liam and Mary College made a marked i'm
preston upon the House, and drew from
those sharp critics, the newspaper correspon-
dents, the comment that it was an address of
unusual force and effectiveness. It followed
DIR. Loring's highly finished and declamatory
effort and its merciless logic and hard COM
mon sense were in refreshing contrast to the
sentimentaitles of the Massachusetts, men,
ber. Mr.. Reed pointed out that the payment
Of the claim in question would establish a
precedent for the allowance of other claims
OF similar nature, amounting in the ag-
gregate to millions of dollars, and would re-
verse the practise of all nations in dealing
with damages sustained in war, compelling
the victors to pay not only the cost of victory
but to pay as well for the losses OF property
suffered by the vanquished. He showed that
behind this claim were many others quite as
iustifiable, pushed quite as zealously, and hav-
ing in equity and expediency as good rights
to passage. He demonstrated that the in
PRODUCTION and passage of this class Of qills
is demanded by public sentiment at the
South, aud that not even the fear of arousing
Northern suspicion and hostility can prevent
their presentation. The Southern Represen-
tatives have the strongest reasons for delaying
the introduction of these applications for aid
from the Treasury, but the feeling of their
section is so strong that they are forced
against their better judgment to ask for pay.
ment
As will appear by the debate in the course
of the speech Mr.. Reed was eminently fair
in his presentation of facts and figures, under
stating indeed the number and aggregate
amount of the claims, as he gave only those
that had come under his own observation.
He took into consideration too only those of
a particular class and private nature, making
no account of the vast demands for internal
Improvements in the South and for subsidies
of enterprises of more or less public nature.
From the beginning of the session up to Mar.
18th of the present year the claims for public
improvements in the South aggregate the
enormous sum of $192,OOO,0OO. From the
beginning of the session down to March 26th.
there were 90S private claims similar IN ma
ture to the William and Mary College bill.
OF this number At ask for sums less than
$4,000, but reach the total of $1,01O, 900.
There are Ill asking for $40, 900 or more each,
aggregating $5,747,793. The remaining 800
do not state the amount to which claim is
made. but it is only reasonable to suppose
that the sum required to satisfy them will
carry the total amount for private claims up
to at least $4,000, 900 and for public and pri-
vate claims to the vast aggregate OF 5000, ,000,-
600. That is the demand made by the South
upon the national Treasury in a single session.
But even these large figures do not show the
real extent of the demand. Judge Barley,
who is attorney for large number of South
ern claimants, has published letter in one
of the Washington papers in which he esti-
mates the total amount of claims, outside of
the demands for public Improvements, at
Sill, 100000, divided as follows: amount of
cotton tax, Ss3,OOO 900; balance of captured
and abandoned property, $4,000, 900; army
supply claims. $2O,0O0,OO0, Accepting this
estimate the grand total is over $500, 900, 900.
That is what the South asks for while it is
doubtful of success. What will it do if it
gets hold of the purse-strings? There is evil
IDENTIFY need of Mr.. Reeds warning.