The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-10-07
The Southern Claims Bugaboo.

eiectiou may De followed Dy the pay
ment OF an enormous amount of so.
called Southern claims, they falsify
with intent To deceive. Let us exam
inc the facts.
The Fourteenth Amendment to the
Constitution declares:
But neither the United States noi
any State shall assume or pay any debt
or obligation incurred i'm aid of insur-
rection or rebellion against the United
| States, or any claim for the loss OF
emancipation of any slaves but all
such debts, obligations, and claims
shall be held illegal aud void"
This is the supreme law Of the land
1t can only be revoked by repeating
amendment. 1t would require either
two-thirds of both Houses of Congress
to propose such an amendment, or an
application of the Legislatures of two.
thirds of the States for a convention
In either case the repeating amend.
ment could only be valid when ratified
by the Legislatures or by the conven.
tions in three-fourths of the States
No such amendment is possible. Nc
debt nor obligation incurred in aid o
the rebellion and no claim for the loss
or emancipation of any slave will evel
be paid as long as the Constitution
stands. Such payment is positively
prohibited.
| When Southern votes were needed
to sustain the reconstruction policy, 8
large number of "loyal claims" were
presented in Congress. Both Houses
were largely Republican. Many were
fabricated and exaggerated claims
Others of doubtful character had pass
ed into the hands of spectators and
partisans. They were paid to the ex.
tent of S10O,OOO,OOO. The Treasury
was bled by politicians and plunderers
who were "truly loyal" to the party.
The stealing became so bold that ii
excited comment. A reaction was
threatened. The late Senator Morton
thus defended the Republican policy
GOO, 100000 to keep the South in the
Union, and after all our labOrs to
build up loyal party down there,
shall we come here making shipwreck
in the end by declaring upon the floor
| of the Senate that the loyal men W hose
hardships and suGerings we can never
estimate, shall be treated as public ell
emies, and that we will not pay them
under the same circumstances under
which we would pay man for the
taking of his property in the North
| [ never can consent to it."
@Such arguments had an effect. More
millions were voted to scalawag and
carpet-baggers upon fraudulent claims.
| AS this special legislation provoked re-
sentiment, the Republicans Invented
the Southern Claims Commission. 1t
was mounted as a rider on the Regular
Army bill of March 3, 1871. Mr.. Gar
field reported it from the Committee
on Appropriations. Under this act
Gen. Grant appointed three Republi-
can commissioners, Mr.. Adds, of
Vermont, Mr.. Howell, of Iowa, and
Mr.. Fsrriss. of New York. They al
lowed S4,536,313 for claims for stores
and supplies taken or furnished for the
use ofthe army and navy of the United
States, and for the use and loss of YES
sells or boats while employed in the
United States military service in the
insurrectionary States.
Southern claimants continued to
come to Congress for relief Mr..
Clarkson n. Potter, from the Commit
tee on Civil Service Reform, reported
a bill in May 1878, to remove all claims
to the Court OF Claims, under certain
wise restrictions. 1t passed the DEM
ocratic House, but it was defeated in
the Republican Senate, upon report
made by Mr.. Conkling from the Judi
ciary Committee. The Republicans
did not wish to have the door shut
against false Southern claims.
The House of Representatives is
now, for the third successive Congress,
in the hands of the Democrats. A
of them come from the South
The record proves that the claims
passed by them do not equal one-haIf
of the sums allowed by the Republi-
cans during the preceding two Con-
gresses. The war claims and and pri-
vate claims committees set their faces
against bogus and assigned claims,
bought up OH speculation. Dealers in
these wares in vain sought to impose
them on the Democratic majority. Mr..
however, was their fast
friend. Only last year he gave them
aid and comfort in the House in these
glowing words:
"Do gentlemen know that Qeaving
out all the border States) there were |
fifty regiments and seven companies |
Of white men in our army fighting for |
into the rebellion? Do they know |
that from the single State of kentucky |
more Union soldiers fought under our |
flag than Napoleon took into the battle |
of WaterlOO-mOre than Wellington |
took with all the allied armies against |
Napoleon Do they remember that |
1S8 600 cOlOTed men fought under our.
flag against the rebellion and for the |
Union, and that of that number 0O, 900 |
were from the States that went into |
rebellion? To say that they were en-
mics, that they had no rights, and that |
when they came out of the war we |
should not pay them or their families
for all proper losses they suffered in |
aid of our Government, is what had
hoped no man Oh either side of the
House would say. l am glad to know
that the gentlemen who fought against
us do not say it-not one of them. 1t
for one of our own soldiers to
say that nothing ought to be paid to
any man, however loyal, if he came
from the South. In my judgment that
is in the highest degree unjust"
Thus the record is made up, and the
can easily determine the re-
spective disposition of the two parties
in the matter. .[-Ex.
1t is vital principle in our system
that neither fraud nor force must be
allowed to subvert the rights of the
npOplo HnncOcE