New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-18
Try TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUNE.l


ERATR PosrMAsTERs A SECOND TINE IN SOLEMN
SILENCE.
TBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
WASHINGTON, March 1.-THE House performeda
good DAYS work yesterday. 1t struck out the resolv
ing clause of the joint resolution which ordered the
payment of ante-bellum mail contracts. and saved
the Government clean $4,000, which set OF
dishonest Southern claimants were just on the point
of Cobblmg up
While the death-blow 10 these claims was dealt
week ago by Mr. willitts, of Michigan. when he
produced from the Confederate archives the Act OF
Congress appropriating money for their payment,
and the report of the Confederate Postmaster Gen
eral, Ilr. Reagan showing that they actually were
paid. To Secretary Sherman is due the credit OF
having sgnally stopped the job
If there is one feature of MIR. SheTman's admins
tration of the Treasury Department which has
been more marked than another il is his opposition
to the payment of all doubtful claims. In some in
stances he has gone further than necessary and
stopped the payment of just debts of the Govern
ment without the authority of law; but II ma
Iority Of cases his opposition TO the payment
of the public money in the liquidation of
old claims, wherever there has been
shadow of doubt upon their validity
has been wise, and has saved the Govern
ment large sums of MANDY. When Secretary
Sherman entered upon the discharge of his present
duties he found the Of these claims based on
nnte-beum contracts clamOrOus fol immediate set
Element. An appropriation had just been made for
their benefit and they not slow in filing their
papers and demanding their money. Secretary
Sherman. by directing that no money should be paid
out Of the appropriation of S375,000 until the
whole Of the claims were received and adjusted
made il impossible for any OF them 10 be settled
without further legislation by Congress. Many of
these claims were for very small amounts, and the
owners of them were dead OF did not think il worth
while 20 present their papers to the Government
and in the light of recent discoveries II il probable
that a majority having been paddy the Confederate
Government, knew that they had no right to ask
for the money second time, and were too honest
10 take advantage of the Appropriation Act. And
so il was that Secretary Sherman's order post
pOned the payment of any of these sums until this
time and furnished the opportunity FOR Congress TO
Kill the job altogether.
When Mr. Wilitts produced the evidence a week
ago that the ante-belum mail contractors had been
paid by the Confederate Government, the southern
Democrats were staggered, and some 81 them mt
mated that n further investigation would show mat
there was nothing wrong in the bill after all. Yes
terday not n single voice raised IN ITS defence
number Of Southern men were anxious 10 explain
that they were t0tallysgnOTant Of the fact that the
Confederate Congress had made provision for these
claims and many Of them desired TO save the meas
ure from disgrace by sending it back again to COM
mttee; but not single Representative said that he
thought that the resolution ought TO pass.
Ii will be fortunate If other fraudulent southern
claims can be strang led IN the same way.