Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-08-30
THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILL
IONS,
An Aggregate Of southern War Claims
Already Presented-And In Addition
90 the Southern Demand, During
One Session of Congress, of
s3OO,OOO,OOO for Inter-


Already Presented--And In Addition
20 the Southern Demand, During
One Session of Congress, of
s3OO,OOO,OOO for Inter-
nal improvements.
Below wifi be found careful classi-
fcation of Southern claims, containing
much new matter which the tax-paying
North will not find reassuring reading
From this classification are excluded
all claims for depredations committed
by our troops, or for damages inflicted
by the Confederate Government upon
| loyal citizens, or for emancipated
slaves; or, in other words, the demands
which form large proportion of what
are usually known as Southern claims.
The computation groups together the
claims for the refund of the cotton tax,
for property seized and sold under the
Captured and Abandoned Property
act; for cotton seized contrary to law;
for stores and supplies, and under
| this head come great horde of disloy-
al claimants who were given an equal
standing in the courts with loyal claim
ants by President JohDson's proclama-
ton as interpreted by the Supreme
Court; for rent of buildings and lands
occupied in the rebel territory: for
property deliberately destroyed or
damaged as a military necessity; and
for slaves enlisted into the Union army
from the border States. And the total
sum demanded under these seven
classes is, at the very lowest estimate,
$3.50. 100000. Let it be remembered
that this is only partial representa-
ton of Southern war claims; that it
! includes none for depredati ons COM
mitted by our troops. Let it be re-
membered also, that, in addition to all
this, the South has already demanded,
during a single session of Congress,
about $500, 100000 for internal inn
provements. Two such sums make a
startling total. Let it be Observed,
also, that a bill is pending in Congress
to enlarge the jurisdiction of the
Court of Claims by referring to it all
claims now urged before different de-
partments of the Government. Hereto
fore rebel claims have been barred be-
cause the time allowed for presentation
had expired. If this bill passes, however,
disloyal will stand as well as loyal
| claimants before the court, because
President Johnson's proclamation re-
moved the disabilities in this respect
which treason had imposed. 1t will
then only be necessary for claimants
to prove that their property was taken,
which they can usually do by showing
the receipts our army officers gave
them.
The claims have been divided into
seven classes as follows:
/. Claims for refund of the tax upon
raw cotton amounting to three cents
per pound levied and collected in 1866
and 1867. The legal basis of these
claims is, that the tax was substantially
an export tax, because no drawback
was allowed on cotton sent out of the
country, and the tax was, therefore,
contrary to the spirit of the ConStitu-
ton. But the argument chiefly relied
upon to secure refund of this tax is,
that it was a discriminating tax laid
upon an agricultural product in its
natural state, and most unjust in its
operation because, the price of raw cot
ton being regulated at Liverpool, the
tax fell wholly upon the producer. The
amount involved is about S50,000,000,
and the claims are chiefly held or con-
trolled by a syndicate formed about
eight years ago, by whom the agitation
in Congress has been maintained. The
motives which led to the imposition OF
this tax were found in the desire to pay
off a portion of the enormous debt
which had been left as legacy of the
war. To this end the industries of the
| North were being taxed to their utmost
/ l. T. ,lNt1.
ting nothing, either to the support OF
| the Government or tho Pnyrraono VI The
public debt. All industries in the South
except agriculture had been Frustrated
and the special tax which was placed
upon cotton was thought to be the leas
oppressive which could be devised tC
give that section small share of the
burden for the existence of which i
alone was responsible Nothing cal
now be urged in support of these claim!
which was not apparent at the time the
tax was imposed and the only grounC
upon which the claimants can hope tt
recover is found in the anticipated
change in public sentiment favorable
to the South.
2. Claims for the value of cotton
SuSGls anu lODdCCO StlACu anu oOlAl w
the United States under the so-calleC
Captured and Abandoned Property act:
of 1868 and 1864. Those acts provided
that any owner of such products 81
seized and sold might file his petition
in the Court of Claims within two year;
after the war closed; and, upon prOOI
of his loyalty to the Government during
the war, and his ownership of the prop
erty, he should be paid the net pro
ceeds of the sale. The time for filing
such petitions expired Aug 20, 1868, anC
has never been extended. Aslnost of the
owners of property seized and sold un
der the acts were in fact disloyal during
the war, they did not avail themselve,
of the right of petition to the Court o.
Claims. But, after the time had ex
pired for presenting their claims, thC
Supreme Court decided that the Presi
dents general amnesty proclamation
of Dec. 25, 1868, removed the taint anC
disability of disloyalty from everybody
who had supported the rebellion; anC
these belated claimants have ever since
been clamoring to be admitted to theil
rights under the amnesty proclamation
This is not all the relief demanded
however. The acts of 1868 and 1876.
give only the net proceeds of the prop
erty seized and sold; and, where thu
Government agents who made tn,
seizures and sales were dishonest in no
turning over property seized or tn,
proceeds of it, or where they .wer,
wasteful in running up excessive bill
of charges, the loss falls wholly upoI
the owners of the property, even wher,
they were loyal and ought not to hav,
been stripped of their property at all
The amount realized by the Govern
ment from sales of such property wa
nearly S27, ,000,000 of which more thar
$40, 100000 have been paid to owner
who have proved their claims; but tn,
lowest estimate of what remains to b.
paid to owners under any legislation q
all consistent with their demands
800, ,000,0 900, or 22,000,000 over an,
above the balance legally presumed t,
Il