Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-09-30
Correspondence Between Theodore
Cook and Gen. Hancock.

New YORK, Sept 24.-The follow
ing correspondence has just beer
made public here:
CINCINNATI, o., Sept. 20, $780,
To Gen. W. S. Hancock, Governors
Island, New York:
DEAR SIR enclose slips cut from
the Gazette and Commercial of this
city, both of them newspapers of
large circulation and influence in
Ohio and Indiana, referring as you
see, to a much harped upon 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 the disloyal people of the South
for losses sustained 10 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 candi.
date for President, have not denied
1t. This warfare is made in al! seri.
BUSINESS and maintained with great
earnestness, and repeated day after
day In the press and in speeches. -
You are known to the country as a
frank, honest soldier now repre-
sentative OF the Democratic party,
and having the right to speak 70, it,
whatever you may say the people
will hear and believe. / submit the
matter to your judgment as to what
you should say,or whether you should
make any public utterance at all.
Very respectfully yours,
THEODORE Cook.
REPLY OF GEN. HANCOCK,
GOVERNORS ISLAND, N. Y. Sept,
23.-To Theodore Cook, Esq, Gin
cinnati, Ohio:
DEAR SIR-Your letter of the goth
inst. has been received. l regret that
you are disturbed about that buebesr
Southern war claims" People can.
not be misled by it. To suppose that
"rebel claims " or claims in the in.
forest of persons who were in the re.
belllon, can in any way or any de.
gree be countenanced, is an imputa-
ton Of disloyalty such as used to be
made against the Democrats, even
when they were in arms defending
the country. So far as il touches me
| denounce it. The Government can
never pay debt or grant a pension
or reward OF any sort for waging war
upon it, nor could | be induced to an.
prove or encourage the payment of
such debt, pension or reward. No
body expects or wants such unnatur-
al action. To propose it would be
an insult to the intelligence and hon.
or OF our people. When the rebellion
was crushed the heresy of secession
in every form and in every incident
went down forever 1t is a thing of
the dead past. We move forward.
not backward. If | were President
| would veto all the legislation which
might come before me providing for
the consideration or payment Of
claims of any kind for losses or dam.
ages by persons who were in the re.
bellion, whether pardoned or not. In
relation to the Union war claims. the
Governments obligations to its de,
tenders come first. They ere lasting
and sacred. The public laws of civ.
ilized nations do not in general rec.
ognize claims for injuries to property
resulting from the operations of war.
Nevertheless our government has
treated with great indulgence claims
for losses and damages suffered by
the Union men from the military CD.
erations of the war of the zion
but as hostiities were closed more
than fifteen years ago, the claims of
that nature. now mostly in the hands
OF brokers or persons other than the
original suffers. are g.e Sec becoming stale.
s aud In my judgment might fairly be
considered as buried by the lapse of
time, and if hereafter entertained at
all should be subjected to the strict
est scrutiny.
Yours truly,
w y HANCncp