New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-10-22
PrerI CL1Jy1YTs UYMAsKED.

REBEL CLAiBfN1S tNuhShEDs
The best way to answer questions about the
South ern war claims is to ask the inquirer TO
buy CODY of TRIBUNE EXTRA No. 90, in
winch the results of our investigation of the
official documents are clearly set forth. III our
replies are more specific in the following in
stance, it is because the question at issue Is not
generally understood
TO the Editor Of The Tribune
SIR: During discussion political matters to-day
Democratic friend asserted that there not rebel
claim for damages file In the City OF Washington III
other WORDS the claims filed in Congress or
are represented those OF Union men OF fhc
South only. and. although they may not nave Deen
Union men, they had not the hardwood to present 10
Congress such a claim without asserting the loyalty o.
the claimant. II there such claims he promises TO
vote Tor Garfield. How Is i'll
RIcH'D Il. GREENWOOD, jr.
BROOKLYN. Oct. 10. 1880.
Tell your Democratic friend that soon after
the close of the war the Treasury Department,
the Com missary Generals Office, the QUARTER
master G enerars office, and the Southern
Claims Commission became open tribunals Tor
the adjustment Of all claims of the Union men
of the South against the Government and that
the genuine cases were disposed of long ago.
Tell him that nearly all the war claims which
have been filed since the Democrats secured
majority in the House of Representatives are
Rebel claims and nothing else. When he replies
that the claims are uniformly represented as
those of loyal men, tell him that the mask does
not change the face.
1t is probable that large number of the
Southern war claimants are prepared to offer
proof of a negative kind of loyalty. That is
to say, proof that they did moi fight against the
l. fIa ti.r
stages of legislation on this subject, made a
distinction between loyal and disloyal claim
ants, refusing to pay the latter, 1t has been
considered necessary for any SOutherner who
files a claim against the Government to atiiIm
in his petition that he has not been disloyal.-
No claimant would voluntarily post himself as
Rebel" for that is term which Is never used
in the South and every claim-lawyer, recOg
nZing the fact that there is no Court with any
Jurisdiction over the claims of dlSloyal clam
ants, would set up the plea of constructive
loyalty" Thus a father who was iHcapacI-
tated for military service can affirm that he was
not constructiveIy disoyal,' although his sons
were killed In the Rebel army, and he prayed
for them night and morning and the sons who
were too young to be soldiers can swear that
they were never i'll sympathy with Rebellion,
although they glory III the fact that their father
was wounded i'll the ranks. As a matter Of
fact. the titles of the relief bills introduced in
either House afford 10 clew to the political
standing of the claimants during the wal, the
question of loyalty or dis0yaty arising neces-
sarily whenever the bills are considered in COM
miltre or in open House Whenever that ques-
ton arises. the claims are shown TO be tainted
with disloyalty, as was proved in the case OF
Mr. Goodies bill for reimb rising the College of
William and Mary.
These caimauts, moreover, are only waiting
for a change OF Adm nstratiCn i'll order to
throw off their thin mask of loyalty. The gen
eral Anne .ty Proclamation issued by President
Johnson in 1865 has been construed by the
United States Supreme Court as restoring every
person who participated IN toe rebellion to all
the rights and privileges which he originally
enjoyed under the Constitution. The counsel
for the Southern claimant, take the ground that
from a legal point OF view tais full pardon is
conclusive evidence to repel the charge of DIS
LOYALTY in any case, and that the distinction
made by Congress and the Court of Claims be-
tween loyal and dIsloyal claimants is III direct
violation of the constitutional operation of the
amnesty Proclamation. La this way Rebel
claimants hope to gain a fOOthOld which they
have not had nEder the legislation of Congress.
Judge Barley, for example, acting in the in
terest of a large body of claimants, has pub
lished an elaborate plea setting forth the obi
CATION of the Government TO discharge its La
bilitles to the people of the Southern States fer
cotton seized and property used as army stores
or for military purposes during the rebellion.
He contends that that obligation is as clear
and unlucstiOnable, without respect to the 10y
atty or disloyalty of the claimant, as the obi
CATION to nay the bonded debt of the United
States All that these Rebel claimants lack is
q Court with adequate jurisdiction to take UP
their cases and act upon them without record
to the faint of disoyalty and such a Court thy
expect to Lave whenever they secure control Of
the National Administration. Then the masks
vii. be dropped, and the Rebel faces be seen.
MeanW lille. the claimants, with their tongues in
their cheeks profess loyalty. Is our cOrrespon
dents Democratic friend all the more willing to
help them because they are hypOcrtesl
----------
Glorious Man-Afraid -of-hiS-Platform is the
Supcrbs full title.