The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-03-19
A PNstnnned Danger.

The defeat OF the Southern postal-clair rs
bill is matter of great interest to the coan-
try. 1t would have been passed had there not
been discovered in the rebel archives evil
dence that the claims embraced in it had
been passed upon and allowed by the Con-
federate government. The charge that th e
contractors had been paid was repeated iy
made by Republican Representatives ind
stoutly denied by Southern members. ven
Mr.. Reagan, the Postmaster-General of the
Confederacy, upon whose recommen dation
the Confederate Congress acted, did T .ot hes
itate to say that the government property
in the hands of the contractors and post
masters at the outbreak of the Reb allion wa:
either turned over to the authorities at Wash
ington o. held by the the insurgent govern
ment subject to the demand of the Fedora
authorities, and that these men were moi
paid by the rebeious states the sum due
them from the United States. Yet it was
conclusively proved that the statements made
by the Southern members, some OF whom
held seats in the Confederate Congress and
so mast have known the facts in the case,
were false. The truth would not have been
brought to light had not our Government
some time since wisely purchased the rebel
archives. The purchase was denounced at
the time by Democrats as gross extravaganza
but the documents have already paid for
themselves.
1t is very evident that if the Democrats
could have had their way the rebel archives
would not have been purchased, and we
should be paying much money from the treas
ury to men who have no title to it. It is as
evident that had the Democrats controlled
the government last week the archives would
not have been examined. 1t is also reasona-
BILE to assume that should the South get con-
troll of the government through the Demo-
documents of the Confederacy forward as
obstacles to the demands of its own people.
Now in very many cases the only evidence of
the disloyalty of Southern claimants is to be
found in these very archives, and if that evi.
dence is withheld or made away with, claims
amounting to many millions of dollars must
be paid. Who doubts that the South having
the power would destroy evidence that tends
to defeat its designs? Southern members
the other day did not hesitate to deny the
existence Of facts of which they mus: have
been cognizant. Will they hesitate to destroy
the records which prove them to be liars
Will they hesitate to sweep away obstacles to
the successful prosecution of claims which
they are sent to Congress to allow? Let
them but once get the power and the only
safeguard of the treasury will be thrown down
and the horde of hungry claimants will rush
in and fill their pockets at the expense of the
Northern people. The Democrats have
always resisted proposals to print the records
of the war, for once printed they could not
be destroyed. The opportunity of Kidding
themselves of all danger of this printing will
not be suffered to pass unimproved. If we
do not want to pay hundred million dollars
to Southern claimants we must send a Re-
publican House to Washington to keep watch
upon Democratic Senate