Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1880-10-05
DEMOCRATIC TOWNSHIP TICKET.
GEN. HANCOCK ON REBEL WAR
CLAIMS.

The annexed correspondence has not
hitherto appeared in the SENTINEL. 1t
cannot be published too often, as it is a
complete answer to the whole stock in
trade of the Republican party in the
present campaign. Mr.. Theodore Cook,
Chairman of the Democratic Executive
Committee of Hamilton county, in Ohio,
wrote to General Hancock on September
20 the following letter:
CINCINNATI, September 20. 1880.
Gen. W. 8. Hancock, Governors Island,
New York-Desr Sir I enclose slips cut
from the Gazette and Commercial Of this
city, both Of them newspapers Of large
circulation and influence in Ohio and In
diana, referring, as you will see, to the
neutrality-suspicious. subject in our politics
OF rebel claims.
These newspapers and Republican stump
speakers are constantly asserting that II
You are elected President the claims Of dis
loyal people Of the South for losses sus-
tanned in the war will be allowed and paid
by the United States. They further direct
special attention to the fact that this
charge has been made against the Demo-
cratic party, and that you, its candidate
for President, have not denied it. This
warfare is made in all seriousness and
maintained with great earnestness, and re-
peated day after day in the press and in
speeches. You are known to the country
az a frank, honest soldier, now the repre-
sentative of the Democratic party, and hav-
ing q right to speak for it. Whatever you
may say the people will hear and believe.
l submit the matter to your good judy
ment, as to what you should say, or
whether you should make any public utter
ance at all. Very respectfully yours,
THEODORE Cook.
General Hancock on September 23d
sent to Mr.. Cook the following reply
G~ovERNoR's ISLAND,
NEW York, Sept. %, 1880.
To Theodore Cook, ESQ.,, Cincinnati,
Ohio-Dear Sir: Your letter Of the Goth
instant has been received.
regret that you are disturbed about the
effect OF hat ~bugbear, Southern War
Claims" The people cannot be misled by
It. To suppose that Rebel Claims" or
claims in the interest Of persons who were
IN rebellion, can in any way or In n de-
gree be c~ountenanced, is an imputation OF
disloyalty such as used to be made against
Democrats even when they were In arms
defending the country. So far as 1t
touches me, I d~enounce it. The Govern
ment can never pay a debt or grant q PEN
sion or reward of any kind for waging war
upon its own existence; nor could / be in
duced to approve or encourage the pay
ment Of such debt, pension, or reward.
Nobody expects or wants such unnatural
action. To propose 1t would be an insult
TO the intelligence and honor Of our people.
When the rebellion was crushed, the heresy
OF secession In every form and In eyery in
cident went down forever. Il Ia a thing
OF the dead past. We move forward. not
backward. II ! were President, I would
veto all legislation which might come be-
fore me providing for the considerstion or
payment Of claims Of any kind for lose
or damages by persons who were in rebei.
lion, whether pardoned or not.
In relation to .Union War Claim. % tha
Governments obligations 10 H. dafaraar.
come first. They are lasting and sacrsd'
The public laws Of civilized nations a. not
in general recognize claims for iniurias re-
sulting from the operations OF war Nav.
ertheless, u Government has trested
with great indulgence the claims for lossss
and damages suffered by Union men from
the military operations Of the war for tha
Union. But a. hostilities were closed mora
than fifteen years ago, claims ~ that ~
ture-now mostly in the hands Of broker
or persons other than the ORIGINAL snfFar-
rs-ar becoming stale, and in INV indo-
ment might fairly be considered A. haired
by b lapse OF time, and IL hereafter an
tertained at all, should be subjected to The
strtctest scrutiny. Yours very truiv'
WINFIELD 8. HANcocx.