The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-09-30
REBEL CLAIMS.
An Able Letter From Hancock
Defining His Position,
Disarming Radicals Of Their PO-
litiCal Trap,
And Completely Knocking the Bottom
Out of the Solid South Harangue.
On. More TO the List of Ills Patriotic Pro-
duCtiOns.
On. More TO the List of Ills Patriotic Pro-
duCtiOns.

New York, September 24-The following cor.
respondence has Just been made public here
Cincinnati, o., September 20, 1880.
To Gen. W. 8. Hancock, Governors Island, New
Yark.
Dear Sir-I enclose slips cut from the Gazette
and Commercial of this city, both Of them news.
PAGERS OF large circulation and Influence in Ohio
aud Indiana referring, as you will see, 10 the
much harped.upOu subject in our politics, of
rebel claims" These newspapers and Republi.
can stump speakers are constantly asserting that
II you are elected President, claims Of disloyal
people of the South for losses sustained la 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 Democratic party and that you, its candidate
for President, have not denied 1t. This warfare
Is made in all seriousness and maintained with
great earDestness and repeated day after day in
the PRESS aud in speeches. You are known to the
county as frank, honest soldier now the rep
resentative of the Democratic party, and having
the right to speak for it, Whatever You may say,
the people viii hear and believe. | submit the
matter to your judgment as to what you should
say, or whether you should make any public ut
terance at all. Very respectfully yours,
THEODORE Cook
REPLY OF GENERAL HANCOCK.
GOVERNORS ISLAND
New York, September % $780,
To Theodore Cook, Esq, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dear Sir-YOur letter of the Doth inst. has been
received. 1 regret that you are disturbed about
that bugbear, Southern War Claims" The peo.
pie cannot be msled by 1t to suppose that "Rebel
Claims" or claims in the interest Of persons VINO
were in the Rebellion, can in any way, or any de.
gree be countenauced 1t is an imputaton of
disoyalty such as used to be made against Dem.
ocrats even when they were In arms defending
the country, SO far as It touches me, l denOunce
1t. The Government can neUer pay debt or grant d
pension retO1rd Of any sort, f0r tOdgiag OGr upon
lis nOn-e1iStence Nor could be induced TO approve
or encourage the payment Of such debt pension or re-
tUdrd Nobody expects or wants such unnatural
action, To propose II 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 every incident, went down
forever. 1t is thing Of the dead past We move
forward, not BACKWARD. II / were President ]
Mould veto all legislation tUhtch might come before nj
providing for the consideration or payment of claim
Of any kind for losses or damages BY persons tuhC
tDere In the Rebellion, Whether pGrdonsd or not In
relation to Union war claims" the Governmenti
obligation to It's defenders come first They are
lasting and sacred. The public laws OF civilized
nations do not ii general recognize claims for In
jurles to property resulting from the operations
war. Nevertheless, our Government has treated
with great indulgence the claims for losses and
damages suffered by Union men from the militia
ry operations Of the war Of the Union. But al
hostilities were closed more than fifteen year
ago, claims Of that nature, now mostly in the
hands Of brokers or persons other than the orig
inal sufferers, are becoming stale, and in my
judgment, might fairly be considered as barred
by the lapse Of time and II hereafter entertained
at all should be subjected to the strlctest scruu
ny. Yours very truly, WIS. HANCOCK.