Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-02-22
LOYAL Claims.

AleXaldr!a, va, Oh ACCOUNT u WhaIi Irjperv
occupied by the United States army 10 Nsr,,
dris during the war, coming up,
MIR. Hunton stated tina. The Loyalty NJ Il,
claimant had been fully proved, and ,ha mr.:
question was whether Congress was gOjrs =,
psy any claim Of that character. Tie vo,a :,
tho present case would DO Q decisive cue 49,,
all cases of the some character.
Mr.. Eden, while he supported tie ill. -.
pressed himself 10 favor Of ccrs,itu,;ar,.
amendment forbidding the payment Of all cs;n'
originating 10 the war which have not al,a,Ir
been adjusted. lie had voted against the m.t
luton offered by Mr. Corger torbiddpp h.
payment Of war claims, because it did rot an,
off every claim and because it did mol rcmrI'
the evil of war clairs. He called attention H.
the fact that ever since lie had been c0nG,cri
with the Committee on Claims no claims h,5
been reported upon except such as conc uuI.,
the plea CT loyalty.
Mr. Hayes said that though they might Carr.
ID under tho plea Of loyalty, they we're presert.
cd and advocated by disioyal mco. Gcntlenen
of loyal men.
Mr.. Eden Inquired il the republican Co1grs,.
in 1871 bad been composed Of dlsloysl men,
UhG was lUU CoUSIess NEiCu uou pa.sCl lfa
act under which 22,0O0 claims. amounting =
500, 600, 900, had becn presented. The c0r:i.
tu,ional amendment which he favored wdp.i
cosc the door against all war claims. whclh,;
coming from the North or from the South.
under the plea OF loyalty or disloyalty.
MIR. Banning thought that it would has.
been best ut the conclusion OF the war to hav,
adopted constitutions! amendment prohibit
ing the payment OF all war claims. The Con-
tcdcratcs had rot been entitled to aBythDa
and the loyal mcu had been sufficiently pa.
il having the Government Ct the Urou saved
to them. He proceeded to state that he had
kpoWn Nlr. Armstrong during the var, and hal
known him to be q true and loyal UooD mao.
Mir. Conper opposed the bill, aod seVtra!
sharp passages occurred between him and Mr,
Eden. Finally Mr. White Pa moved to strike
out the enacting clause Of the bill, aud i: VS.
agreed to without division.
10 advocating the pext bill on the cacaL,r,
fer the paymeot Of SC 900 to A. A. II. Richari.,
Of Virginia, for supplies furnished the aruy
during the war. Mr.. Shelley stated that he
had 20 sympathy With that class of claim. Iii:
people, who had to bear Tic burden OF taXatI0a,
had no sympathy With it. But it was one OF
the penalties OF the war, which the people Of
the South must accept as penalty.
Mr. Bragg opposed the bill. There had been
little or 20 loyalty in Virginia, execp: srca :,
had been enforced by Gordon Of soldiers with
baycncts, aud then it had thrivcd mos, lusns
upon the supplies The c0mmlsssrcs OF tn" army
lurnshcd.
MIR. kcifer supported tic bill, ioasuu,h a:
the claiment had evidently tcen loy,I to tie
Urion all through The var.
tlr. White (Pa.) opposed the bill IS eea!
proposition. It would be dangerous rrcccl
cnt 10 pass this bill. Congress had bcen con-
sisent 10 refusing to pay claims OF this characic:,
and he moved TO strike cut the enactlng claus
Of the bill Agreed to-ycas. lOl; noys, As.
a number of democrats voted in the afirma
tive, while eight or ten republicans voted 10 he
negative.
The next bill vas one for the payment Of
John Iumstein Of $4,000 for supplies iuHlsh
ed by him as q su'lcr to the army at tho con
c.usion of the battle Of Shilo.
Mr. Keller supported the bill.
Mr.. Bragg seid that the chief merit Of the
bill was that the claimant came from Ohio. The
claim Was worse ono than one for the
robbery If hcnrcost could be. Suffers had get.
orally managed to take care of themselves, ard
il was sometimes their practice to rob the sou.
der
nlr. Humphrey Inquired where Mr.. Bragg
had ob!sioed liz knowledge Of the Ways Of
suffers.
Mr.. Bragg replied that ho had belonged 10
that portion Of tho army which had Travelled
through the cya! county Ct Fairisx, 10 Virgins
Laughter.
There had been macy loyal person 10 that
county, who used to furnish Mosby ~Ith ibio;-
long to tho UCion army, aud Mo;by general
y captured it, and then tho soldiers had to pay
taZ 10 Mosby By rcimbursing tho suffer when
The next train came 10. The truth was that
raids were made upon suffers by soldiers, ever
cheated by the suffers. and sometimes because
the sulc,s brought whisky and sold it as can
ned peaches TO some men when thcy W0nI!Di
sell it to others.
Mr. Ellsworth. low uOder the sun did tie
gentleman get his Information in regard to
canned peaches?
Mr.. Bragg. Bought them myself Laugh
ter The wants oil soldier are sometime sUcs
tia! they push Tor drlkables as we'll as eatates.
Laughter.
lie then moved to strike cut the cnaciOs
clause of the bill. Agreed to without div
son,
Mr.. Caldwell (Ky.) supported he next bill OF
the calendar for the relief of Hiram johnson
and others, Of Tennessee. Before however, pro
ceedlng to speak upon that bill, no called hl!en'
ton to the fact that statement had been pub
lished some time ago in the Now York Tribune
citing the claim of Mrs. Herbert, of LousIsna
reported by him, as specimen brick 0! tie
grand structure OF these war claims which ne
Southern people wanted paid. The Republican
committee distributed il IS 8 campaign cccu'
ment, and he had been criticised for reporting
tuch claim. Tho fact should al:o have beet
stated that this very bill hsd been three time
reported upon favorably by Republicans. one"
by Mr.. Conger and twice in the Senate by Sen
s,ors Mitchell snd Wadleigh.
1t had been stated that not per cent. ct ~
people in the South had remained loyal 70 the
Union. Gentlemen who hsd followed the Uti.
ted States flag into the South ought tokLO| bel'
ter than that. He stood hero honest enough |"
do justice to the loyal people in the South. b!.
for the loyal element in the Southern Stats he
history of tho country would not hsVe been
written as it nal been. On moro than ono bate
field it had b,on Southern arms and hearts tns!
had turned the tide Of battle in favor CT TIE
Union. Thoao loyal peraons in the South were
now asked 10 sacrifice their claims for the bche'
ft Of the country. Why not ask as we'll the
hond holHera IN sacrifice ( ans elype for The gOCi