Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-01-19
The Pioneer Mills.

terday, in the Committee Of the Whole. Mr..
Caldwell, o! Tennessee, 10 the chair, the bill
for the relief Of ". II. Newman and l.. A.
Van Uoffman was read 1t directs the Seere
tary Of the Treasury tc pay ". H. Newman
and l.. \. Van Hoffman the sum Of SIS, 43O CT,
10 fui! compensation for the use Of the Pioneer
Mills, in Alexandria, Virginia, by the United
States authorities during the late war
Mr.. Jones, Of Ohio-l desire to state briefly
my objection to this bill. As | understand it,,
this is bill to pay claim for the rent OF mill
property 10 Alexandria. Virginia, occupied BY
the United States troops during The war. l
think there arc serious objections to the pay.
ment by special enactment Of all this class Of
claims. As preliminary TO what | wish to say
90 this sutject, | send to the Clerk's desk and
ask to have read the paragraphs which | have
marked 10 letter written by Samuel J. TiIden
during the late Presidential campaign. The
portion | ask to be read embraces all that re-
crs to the subject ucder consideration.
| The Clerk read as toIlows:-
NEW YORK, October ~.
| Desr Sir-l have received your letter inform.
| ing me thst republicans high in authority are
publicly representing that the South desires,
moi without! hope" to obtain payment for losses
| during the late war and TO have provision made
for the rebel debt and for the losses Of slaves.
! As the payment of such losses and claims WAS
| not deemed important enough to deserve the
| notice OF either convention at the time i! Wss
held YOU also asi; me- to state MY Views in regard
| to their recognition by the Government. Though
disposed myself to able by the issue as made
up already, l have no hesitation to comply With
| your request.
Should l be elected President the provisions
| Of the fourteenth amendment will, as far IS de.
| peId: on me, be maintained, executed and en-.
| forced in perfect and absolute good taltn. no
rcbsl debt will be assumed or pail. No claim
for loss or emancipation Of any slave Will oa
| allowed No claim for any loss or damage in
cured by disloyal persons, arising from the late
wsr, whether covered By the fourteenth smeEd-
| ment or not will be recognized or paid. Inc
cotton tax will not be refunded. l shall deem
i: my du:y to veto every bill providing, for tae
assumption or payment OF any :ucn deDt5'
losses, damages, claims or for refundlng any tax
I TIE danger - the National Treasury is not
| from claims Of persons who aided the rebellion,
| but from the claims OF persons res olag IN the
| Southern States, or having property IN those
| States, who wa-o CT pretended to be, or VINO
fo- the sake Q: aiding tie claims now pretend t.
he, loyal 10 ;ha Gove:nmec! OF the Unioa.
! Such claims, even Of loyal persons, where tn y
a:e from acts cau=ei by the operation Of tue war,
have been disowned BY the public law of civilized
nations, condemned by adjudice:lons OF Inc sup
:ene Cou:: Of the United SAFES, and only I'D
|
Congress- These clsim: hsve become stale
ard sTe ot.en tainted with irsud.
They are nearly a!waCs nUrsA IN TE":o
or in psrt By Claim agents, By. spetu!sto?:
ers or The public. They should in sill csses be
| scrutiuizad with asiou: care. The csIaml:les tc
| individuals which were il aicted by the late war
are for the Il ost part irreperab!e. The Go7ernmn;
cannot csll to life the million OF our youth VINO
went to urtlme!y graves; nor compensate !os tae
| It cannot readjust between indl7ldusls the bur
| derg of taxation hitherto borne or Of debts in
| CURED to sustain the Government wnlcn ore yes
to be psid. 1t csnno! spporton anew anon
| our citizens the damages or losses lncl1ent 10
military operations, or resulting IN every 1arle'
| ~ Ct form from lis measures OF maintaining lis
own existence. Il hiss 10 safe general rule but
| to let by. cones be by-gones, TO turn from the
! dead past to the new and bstter future, and on
this bsss assure peace, reconcllauon, ana 1fster
our people, to th4 end tina: all the springs OF our
productive industries may be- quickened and
new prosperity created in which the evils OF To
| past shall be forgotten.
Very respectfully yours,
SAM'L. $. TILDEE.
| Hon. ADAM S. HEWITT.
MIR. Eiep. I would like to ask the gentle
man question.
Mr.. Jones. of Ohio. will hear it in N 0.
mert when get through.
Now, upon the subject Of the payment OF
claims from States that went into the rebellion,
| | desire to have read an extract from report
of the Committee Of Claims made to the Thlr'
| tyniuth Congress- This report was made by
Hon. Columbus Dalano, man OF enlarged ex.
perie1c, 10 public affairs; a great lawyer, and
although while member of President Grant,
cabinet the subject of vituperation and denun-
-, - -, bo in 4.
pacity, and public integrity one Of the foremost
men Of this or any other country. send to the
Clerks desk an extract from his report, which
| desire to have read.
The Clerk read as follows
If we 60 into an inquiry as TO the loyalty of
! these individuals, my word for it every, one of
them will give US some evidence OF loyalty
You will find that they will be able to procure
ex parte afRlsvits or evidence Of some sort, ap-
psrently sufficient for the Establishment OF their
loyalty. These and like considerations have
brought the committee 10 the concIuslonsCa q. q
that conclusion was unanimous-that an IN ort TO
discriminate between the loyal and the dlsloysl
wonld be an imprscticsbility. and that the result
Of it would be to bring this House TO The pay
ment Of all this class of claims.
Mr. Jones, of Ohio. This whole subject has
been so thoroughly discussed that 1t Is only
necessary to allude to what others have SAID
upon it, | call attention to what was said 10
an elaborate and vouminous report made to
the Forty.third Congress by Hon. William
Lawrence, then the able, industrious, and To-
defatigable chairman Of the Committee on War
Claims. After an exhaustive rehearsal of the
law of the subject, he says:
From all this it is apparent that no committee
of Congress could with any degree OF justice
either TO the Government or claimants, lnVestl-
gate separate claims. This could only be done
BY body clothed with power to visit southern
localities and ascertain facts by a searching
scrutiny and personal conferences with witness.
es If sny provision should DO made IN tins
class of claims, it should be in mode very diff
ferent than that Of an e1amin alton of claims IN
detail On ex parte evidence By committee Of
Congress.
That is exactly what is proposed 10 be done
if we pass claims Of the character Of the one
now under discussion. | have thus called at
tenion to reports made by these two dlstin;;
guished chairmen of former committees and
also to what was said upon this class of claims
! candidate For tho prccidanav