The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-10-30
A SPIKED GUM

Another Republican CaDpa1gn Lie Die
posed Of-Lgteresting Cqffeslondenee.
The following correspondenee has
just Seen made Pablic, and effectually
disposes of charge upon which the
Republicans have tried to make con-
siderable capital during the pending
campaign, rAn nj Io.os,.
3 CrNcINNArr. Ohio. September 20, 1850.
To General W. s. Hancock, Governors
Island, New York:
DEAR SIR: inclose slips from the Gdzctte
and the Commercial of this city, both of them
newspapers of large droulAtion and fnfiuence
inAOhio and Indiana. referring, as yeu win See
to the much-harped-upon subject in our poll
tics of rebel claims. These newspapers ana
Republican stump-speakers are constantly
asserting that, IL youare elected President
claims of disloyal 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 asainst the, Denocyatic party
and that you, its candidate for President, have
notdenied it. Thisrarfare ID made in all g.
robustness. and maintained with crest earnest
ness, and repeated day after day in the press,
and in speeches. You are known to the coun-
try as Q frank, honest soldier, now the repre-
sentative Of the Democrsfic party and having
the right 10 peak fr IL whatever you may
say the Poop VIM hear and believe r sub
init the matter toyopr Judgment .essto what
you should say, or whether you should make
any public utterance a. ALL Very respectfpk
ly yours, THEoDoRk Cook.
-foooD v-lt
GOVERNORS ISLAND, N. Y, Sept. "a 1850.
To Theodore Cook, ESQ, CINCINNATI Ohio;
DEAR SIR: Your letter of the 10th inst. has
been received regret that you are disturb
ed about that bugbear, "Southern war claims"
The people can not be misled by it. To sup
pose that "rebel claims" or claims in the IN
terest Of persons whowere In rebellion, can In
any way, or in any degree, be countenanced,
is an imputation of disloyalty such as used to
be made against Democrats, even when they
were in arms defending their country. So Tar
as it touches me, denounce it.. The Govern
ment can newer pay a debt or grant q PEN
sion or reward Of any sort for waging war
upon its own existence, nor could l be
induced to approve or encourage the payment
Of such debt, pension or reward. Nobody ex-
poets srNants suohunnatural action- TO pro-
poseittkbuld bean insult TO the intelhgence
and honor of our people. When the rebellion
was crushed, the heresy of secession In every
form and in every incident went down forever
\ It is athfng, OF the dead past. Wepove for
ward, not backward. If were President
would veto all legislation which might come
before me providing for the consideration or
payment of claims Of any kind for losses or
damages by peseons who were ID rebellion,
whether pard0ned OF not In relstion
to Union war claims, the Governments
obligations i, to its defenders come
first They are lasting and sacred. The pub
lie laws of civilized nations do not in general
recognize claims for injuries to property re-
ssulting from the operations of war. Never
theless, our Government has treated with
great indulgence the claims Tor losses and
damage suffered by Union men from military
operations of the wer of the, Union But, as
hostilities were closed more than nftecn years
ago, claims Of that nature, now mostly in the
hands Of brokers or persons other than the
original sufferers, are becoming stale, and In
my judgment might fairly be considered as
barred by the lapse Of time, and, If hereafter
entertained at all, should be subjected to the
strictest scrutiny. Yours, very truly,
--' L - - w. 3. HANC0CK.