Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-10-02
a Strnigh,forWard,E Emphatic Dec.
IaratIon that Cannot be Misc
underst0Od.

Mr.. Theodore Cook, chairman Of
the dem ocratic executive committee
Of Hamilton county, in Ohio, wrote
to Gen. Winfield S. Hancock Oh Sept.
20 the following letter: ..ag ea
CINCINNATI, o., Sept. 20, 1880.
Gen. w. S. Hancock, Governors
Island, N. Y.-Desr Sir 81 enclose
sims cut from the Gazette and
Commercial of this city, both of them
newspapers Of large circulation aud
influence III Ohio and Indiaus, re-
fcrring, as you will see, to the much-
harped-upon subject in our politics
of rebel claims.
These newspapers and republican
stump speakers are constantly as
sorting that if you are elected presi-
d,nt tue claims of disloyal people of
war will be SLOWED and paid by the
Uuited States. They further direct
specia! attention to the fact that this
charge has been made against the :
democratic party, and that you, Its
candidate fer president, have not
denied it. This warfare is made in
all seriousness and maintained with
great earnestness. and repeated day
after day III the press and in speeches.
You are known to the country as g
frank, honest soldier, now tho repre-
sentative of the democratic party
aud having right to speak for 1t. q,
Whatever you may say the people
will hear and believe, l submit the
matter TO your good Judgment, astto
what you should say, or whether you
should maka any public utterance at
all. Very respectfully yours. TsLiI
THEODORE Cook. &.
Gen. Hancock yesterday sent to
Mr.gCook the following reply:
GovERNoR'S ISLAND, ! >
NEW YORK. Sept. %, $780,
To Theodore Cock, Esq, Cincin-
nati, Ohio.-Dear Sir:-Your letter
of the Goth inst. has been received. I.
| regret that you are disturbed
about the effect of that bugbear,
southern war claims" The people
cannot be misled by 1t. To suppose
that "rebel claims,' or claims in the
inte, est Of persons whe were III rebel
lion, can in auy way or i'll any degree
be coumtenauced, is an imputation of
disloyalty such as used to be made
against democrats even when they
were in arms defen,ting the country.
5, far as il touches me, denounce
II. The government can uever pay a
debt or grant u pension or reward of
any sort for wagiDg war upon its own
existeuce; nor could be induced to
approve or encourage payment Of
such debt, pension or reward. No
body expects or wants such un-
natural action. TO propose it would
lie All insult to the intelligence and
honor of our people. When rebellion
was crushed, the heresy of secession
| il every form and in every incident
went down forever. 1t is a thing of
thc dead past. We move forward,
no, back ward. If were president,
| would veto all legislation which
mil ghl come before me providing for
| tae consideration or payment OF
claims of any kind for losses or dam
| ages BY persons who were III rebel
| Lon, whether pardoned or not.
| In relation to 'sUnIon war claims"
| the governments obligation to its
defenders come first. They are last
ing and sacred. The public laws of
civilized nations do not iii general
recognize claims for injuries to prop
crty resulting from the operations Of
war. Nevertheless, our government
las treated with great indulgence the
claims Tor losses and damages suffer.
ed by Union men from the military
| operations of the war for the Union.
But as hostilities were closed more
than fifteen years ago, claims of that
nature-now mostly in the hands of
brokers or. persons other than the
/ original sufferers - and becoming
stale, and in my judgment might
fairly be considered rs barred by the
lapse Of time, ANA if hereafter euter-
tanned at all should be subject to tle
strictest scrutiny. Yours, very truly
WINFIELD $. HANCOCK.