Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-03-23

EDITOR LEDGER My attention
having besn called to a cOmmunica-
ton from your Washington correspon-
dent, on the subject of war claims,
published in the LEDGER several days
since, ! desire through your columns
to correct a few Of the erroneous and
unjust conclusions and charges con-
tanned therein. As to his statement,
that the people of this section have
been humbugged and defrauded by
claim agents, l have no personal
knowledge. However, | have heard of
one case where the charge of fraud
was made and sustained and the guilty
punished. But, suppose there has
been fraud perpetrated upon claimants
by persons who have been or may be
engaged in the claim business, does
that Justify the wholesale charges con-
tanned in the letter of your correspon-
dent, tending to convey the impress
sion that all persons thus engaged are
knaves2 With as much propriety and
justice might any other business or
profession be denounced for the mis-
doings ofindividual members. There
are men who have been, and who are
now engaged in the prosecution of
claims against the government, who
would be as far from cheating or de-
frauding, and whose character for
honor and integrity is as far above re-
proach as that of the members of any
other profession.
Your correspondent gives a list of
certain claims that have been disal-
lowed by the committee on war claims,
and insinuates that the reason OF this
was because Of the character of the
attorney. 1t is no more than Justice
TO give the true reason why those
claims were rejected. The committee
on war claims have adopted for their
government a set of rules of which
the following is a copy, so far as relates
to this point, viz: "Resolved-That
the committee on war claims will, in
the consideration and disposition of
claims referred to them, be governed
by the following rules:
! Claims audited and reported from
any department of the government or
other tribunal authorized to adiudi.
cate the same, will be reported favor
ably from this committe, except when
error is patent upon the face Of the
papers, or upon special cause shown
against the same.
z. The following classes of claims
will not be reported lavorably ~
Claims over which any other tribunal
has jurisdiction.
2. Claims for supplies or for use Of
property or damages which have been
wholly or in part rejected BY any tri
bunal having authority to hear and
adludlcate upon the same.
3. Claims wei which any other tri-
bunal had jurisdiction, but which the
claimant failed 60 prosecute withn
the time fixed by law.
4. Claims for use of property in in.
surrsctionary states and used as a
necessary incident to armed occupa-
ton.
Now, to my personal KNOWLEDGE, all
OF the claims mentioned as rejected
came under one of the classes ex-
cluded by the above stated rules of
the committee. Six Of them were
claims tor rent, on account of the &C.
cupation and use Of property at Mem
phis by the United States forces, and
consequently were excluded under
the fourth section of the second rule.
The remainder, except one, were
claims that had beer rejected either
wholly or in part at different times
from the year 1872 to 1878. by the
southern claims commission or the
quartermaster general, and claimants.
not being satisfied as to the Justice of
these reflections, had petitioned con.
gresS to review and reverse the adj
verse decisions. These cases would.
of course, come under the
class named in the second
section of the second rule and
would be rejected accordingly, with.
out regard to the merits Of the claim
or the attorney. AS to the charge Of
fraudulent claims, | would simply
refer to the character of the claimants
named, who are among the most
respectable and honorable citizens o.
West Tennessee. All Of the claim,
rejected for the reasons above stated
could be fully sustained if the
claimants were given a hearing before
a court governed by law and the rules
of evidence. How long they and Other
southern claimants, who have claims
Of a similar character, will be denied
a remedy for the recovery of what il
justly due them by the government
depends upon how long, it will be be.
fore congressman conclude, that it il
better TO legislate for the true anC
n.L.k.akt. sk...rkr - III -