Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1880-09-04
REBEL CLAIMS.

pended upon the rebel claims,
md other Ubiquitous demands
it is averred, are to be
enforced against the govern
nent in case Hancock is elect
ed. The. Democratic candid
ates own loyal acts and utter
ances count as nothing; the
pledges of the Democracy in
their platforms ever since 1872
count as nothing; the constitu-
tional amendments which pro-
hibit the assumption of pay
ment, Of any obligation incur
red in aid of instruction or re-
bellion against the United
States, or any claim for the loss
or emancipation Of any slave,
count as nothing; but if the
Democrats again come into
power the reputation of loyal
debts and the enforcement of
disloyal ones are to become the
order of the day. This, accord
ing to the pretended opinion Of
these free lances, is the substan-
tial meaning of the "Solid
South" while pictoriaiiy Han
cock is represented as toiling
and sweating on his uphill
path beneath such q load of
rebel claims and Ubiquitous de-
mands as-were they real
would crush him to the eartI,
ere he took his second step.
1t is, however, utterly absurd
to imagine for a moment that
these verbal conjurers and pic
torial illustrators are sincere.
They know very we'll that so
true a citizen and valiant a SOL
der as Gen. Hancock has prov
ed himself, would not become
a party to any evasion Of the
constitution or fraud against
the government, even if such a
thing were demanded at his
hands: and that there has not
been the slightest indication of
a desire on the part of the
Southern people, either to COL
lect rebel claims, or to demand
payment for their emancipated
slaves.
AS Hancock thought and said
in his Fourth of July Grafton t
San Francisco in 1861, he still
thinks and says: "I>he govern
ment resulting from the union
Of these States is priceless
heritage thai we intend to pre-
serve and defend to the last
extremity and he will coun-
tenance no act by which the
friends Of disunion shall be re-
warded. What he wants is TO
retain the priceless heritage re-
suiting from the union of these
States.
The repeal of the 18th amend
ment which prohibits the as
sumption OF payment of any
kind Of rebel claims, could not
be accomplished without the
consent OF three-f;ourths Of the
States. This is as patent to
Democrats as to Republicans.
In his letter ofOctober ~, 1876,
MI. Tilden said:
"The danger to the national
treasury is not from claims Of
persons who aided the rebellion,
but from claims Of persons re-
siding in the Southern States Or
having property in these States,
who were, Or pretended to be,
or for the sake Of aiding claims,
now pretend to lavebeen loyal
to the government of the IN
ion. Snch claims, even OF loyal
persons, where they are from
acts caused by the operations
of war. have been disowned by
the public law of civilized ma
tons and condemned by the adj
Indications of the Supreme
Court of the United States, and
only find any status by force Of
specific legislation of Congress.
These claims have become stale
and are often tainted with
fraud. They are nearly always
owned in whole or in part by
claim agents, by spectators Or
lobbyists, who have no equity
against the taxpayers or the
public"