Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-09-30

! "A NtW lOlh NlSpttltH vi bhV Si''
SAYS: Gen Hancock has written let
ter on the subject of war claims, in
reply to letter from Theodore Cook Of
Cincinnati The correspondence al
follows:
CINCINNATI, o., Sept. 20.
Gen. W. S. Hancock, Governors island
N. y:
DEAR SIR enclose slips cut from
the Gazette and Commercial Of this
city, both of them newspapers of large
circulation and influence in Ohio and
Indiana, referring, AS you see, to the
much harped upon subject in our poll,
tics of rebel war claims. These news
papers and Republican stump speakers
are constantly asserting that if you are
elected president the claims of the dis
loyal people of the South, for losses
sustained in the war, will be allowed
and paid by the United States. They
further direct special attention to the
fact that this charge has been made
against the Democratic party, and that
YOU, its candidate for president, have
not denied it. This warfare is made
in all seriousness and maintained with
great earnestness, and repeated day
after day in the press and in speeches,
You are known to the country as a
frank. honest soldier, now representa-
tive of the Democratic party and hav-
ing the right to speak for it. What
ever you may say the people will hear
and believe. | submit the matter to
your good judgment, as to what you
should say, or whether you should make
any public utterance at all.
Very respectfully yours,
THEODORE Cook.
GOVERNORS ISLAND, y. Y, !
Sept. 90, 1880.
ThCOdOre Cook, Esq, Cincinnati, o.:
DEAR SIR Your letter of the 2Oth
inst. has been received. | regret that
YOU are disturbed about the effect of
that bugbear, Southern war claims.
The people cannot he misled by it. To
suppose that the rebel claims, or claims
in the interest Of persons who were in
the rebellion, can in any way or in any
degree he cOuntenanCed is an imputa-
tiOn of dslOyalty, such as used to be
made against Democrats, even when
they were in arms defending the cOun-
try. So far as ii touches me, denOunce
it. The government can never pay
debt, or grant pension or reward OF
any sort for waging war upon its own
existence nor could ] he induced to
approve or encourage the payment of
such debt, pension or reward. Nobody
expects or wants such unnatural aC-
tion. To propose it, would he an insult
to the intelligence and honor Of our
people. When the rebellion was crushed
the hereSies of secession, in every form,
and in every incident, went down for
ever. 1t il Il thing Of the dead past,
We move forward, not backw' Il. If
were president would veto all legis-
latiOn which might come before Inc
providing for the consideration or pay
ment Of claims Of any kind for losses
or damages by persons who were in re-
bellion, whether pardoned OF not.
In relation to the union war claims,
the governments obligations to its de-
Tenders come first. They are lasting
and sacred. The public laws of civi-
lized nations do not in general recognize
claims for injuries toproperty resulting
from the operations of war; neverthe-
less, our government has treated with
great indulgence the claims for losses
and damages suffered hy union men from
military operations Of the war for the
union, but as hoStlities were closed more
than fifteen years ago, claims Of that
nature. now mostly in the hands Of bro
kerS or persons other than the original
sufferers, are becoming stale, and in my
judgment might fairly he considered Ms
buried by the lapse of time. and if here
after entertained at all should he sub
iect to the StricteSt scrutiny. Yours
very truly, WINFIELD :, HANCOCK,