The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-09-17

who would decide whether the claimants
had been "loyal" or not. The passage
of this bill would probably soon follow
the election Of Democratic President.
House resolution No. 4,071 was intro
duced Feb. 2, 1880, by the Hon. P. B.
Thompson, Jr., a typical Kentucky
Democrat, and the survivor of one of the
most deadly family feuds ever known in
that State. 1t has the following appar-
ently-harmless title: ga bill for the
benefit of citizens of States which did
not go into rebellion, and who have
claims against the United States Gov
ernment." This bill aims at the settle
ment Of the claims persons who were not
not loyal, but who did not take up arms
against the United States, 1t provides
that all accounting officers, courts and
commissions having authority over
claims of citizens of States not In rebel
hon lin this bill the word "loyal does
not appear before the word " citizens y
shall not disallow any claim upon the
charge OF, or ON account Of, the sdisloy-
atty of such claimants, unless such
proof as will convict such claimant Of
treason against the United States Gov
eminent be made against the claim
This opens the door to all sorts Of rebel
sympathlzers who for want of sufficient
proof or lapse Of time could not be con-
victed of treason. The bill was sent to
the Committee on the Judiciary
House resolution No. 3,131 was intro
duced Jan. 7, 1880, by the Hon. w. D.
Hill, the Democrat who publicly de-
clared to an audience in front of Wash
ington hotel last winter that the Demo
Gratis intended to inaugurate their can
didate for President whether he was
elected or not. 1t is entitled, "a bill
to abolish the Court of Claims, and to
enlarge the jurisdiction of the Circuit
Courts, and for other purposes It
abolishes the Court of Claims, transfers
that courts duties and jurisdiction to
the Circuit Courts, and repeats all lin
itatlons of the time wherein suits upon
claims can be brought. In place of
these statutory limitations it establishes
limitation Of six years from the pas
sage of the act, and provides that 'any
person or persons having disputed. or
unse tiled claims against the United
States, either in law or equity, under
the constitution and amendments there
to, and laws Of the United States, sex-
cept for infringements of patents,
may bring suit therefor against
the United States in the Circuit
Court in the district where the cause of
action arose, or where the claimants re-
side, which court is empowered to hear,
adjudicate, and determine oil such claims
IN the same manner and with the same
force and effect as is now allowed be-
tween private individuals or corporations
in any of the courts Of the United
States. 1t also provides that in such
suits the prevailing party shall be sen-,
titled to recover Of the defeated party
just and reasonablecosts, and that, Judg-
ment in favor Of plaintiff shall be certi-
fed by the court to the Secretary of the
Treasury, and be paid by him out of any
moneys in the treasury not. otherwise
appropriated. The language Of this bill
is worth consideration. Any person,
loyal or disloyal, in any State, may bring
suit upon claim In his Circuit Court,
and it shall be settled as claim of John
Smith against William Brown would be.
II Democratic President should be
elected, it is probable that it would not
be long before the Judges of this court
in the South would be -Confederates,
in sympathy with the so-called "lost
cause, a cause to be regained by Demo-
cratic supremacy. 9n.ss, a.. ...g
House resolution No. 1896 was intro
duced Feb. 8, 1880, by the Hon. John
Z. Phillips, Of Missouri. It provides
that claims for Quartermasters stores
and subsistence taken for the use Of the
Union army in the late war, and for use
and occupation of property, over which
the Quartermaster General, Commissary
General, and Third Auditor of the
Treasury now have jurisdiction, shall
be transferred to the Circuit Courts, to
which jurisdiction over them is given.
BY these bills and such as these have
the Democrats of the Forty sixth Con-
gress endeavored to complete the judicial
machinery for the settlement of rebel
claims. These bills plainly show the
intention of the mighty Southern wing
of the party to secure the adjudication
of all such claims in courts situated in the
States lately in rebellion and surrounded
by the influences known to exist there !;
in courts which would hardly dare to
withstand the unrestrained expression
of Southern political sentiment, and
which might be in sympathy with that
sentiment, and by iuries from which
would be carefully excluded every man
who does not believe in holding the
Government responsible for the losses
and damages resulting from the late
war. And every successful claimant
would have his costs against the old
Government which allowed him to be so
badly used. Should appeals be taken to
to the Supreme Court, provision has
been made for such cases by the addi-
ton of twelve brand-new Democratic
Judges to that court The claims, hav-
ing passed into judgments, are made
Immediately payable on presentation
the Secretary of the Treasury from a
permanent indefinite appropriation, UNI
limited as to time or amount, and requir-
ing no further supervision by treasury
or by Congress. M
There remain to be considered many
other bills int; oduced at the recent ses-
sion, or the extra session, and bearing
upon this subject. House resolution
No. $685. was reported, March q, 1880,
from the Committee on Reform in the
Civil Service, by the Hon. NJ. P. O'Con-
nor, Democrat, of South Carolina, and
placed on the House calendar Its title
is, ga bill for the judicial ascertainment
of claims against the United States" 1t
provides that "any citizen" of the Unit
ed States who may have claim, legal
or equitable, against the United States,
of which the Court of Claims would not
now have Jurisdiction, may file his bill
or petition in said court, and prosecute
the same to Judgment; that the act
shall not apply to claims that arose
prior to 1861, and that claims may be
filed within two years. It also provides
that claimants may prefer claims for
proceeds of captured orabandoned prop
erty in the Court of Claims within one
year from the passage of the act. In
this bill no provision is made against
disloyal claimants. Provision Is made,
however, for. those who are now prevent
ed from suing by their disabil-
tiles. Several bills similar to this
I