National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-04-11
The Geneva Award.

There yet romans in the Treasury
about $l0,O00O00 Of the money Gncluding
accumulated INTEREST," awarded at Geneva
to the United States 1t is not to the
credit of our Government that this
money has not been long. since dis
tributcd to compensate our citizens for
losses sustained by them by reason of the
appearance and depredations of confed-
crate cruisers on the high seas, and as the
House of Representatives has made the
bill recently reported by the Judiciary
Committee special order for to-day, tits
to be hoped, for the credit of the Nation,
that the subject will be disposed of with
out delay.
The bill reported by the committee
provides for paying out of this fund the
losses sustained by the acts of exculpated
cruisers, and also the extra pEemiums
for insurance which merchants and
ship owners were compelled to
pay TO insurance companies by reason of
the appearance of these confederate
cruisers, in addition to the, premiums for
ordinary marine insurance. 1t would be
difficult to discover any good reason why
these payments should not be promptly
made. Both classes of claims are highly
meritorious, and they stand substantially
upon the same basis. The only differ
ence between them is that the formerare
for property actually destroyed and the
latter are for money actually paid by rea-
son of the presence of the same cruisers,
to protect against loss, should the prop
erty be destroyed by them. In each case
it was an absolute loss, occasioned by the
very same cause, and if the bill reported
by the committee is subject to any criti-
cism it is in that any distinction is made
between the two classes of claims.
Indeed, it might well be argued that if
there is any distinction to be made be-
tween these two classes the war pre-
miums should have the preference, for
it is undoubtedly true that but for the
payment of war premiums there would
be none of this fund remaining. BY pay
ing these war premiums to the insurance
companies the latter were enabled to
pay the losses occasioned by distinctions
by the inculpated cruisers, and still have
a large surplus. If these losses had not
been thus paid, then the losses which
were provided for by the act of 1874
would have been just that much greater.
and, as a consequence, the fund now exist
ing just that much less than itnow is, and
hence the present existence of the fund
is largely if not entirely due to the ex-
actions upon the ship-owners and mer-
chants in the shape of war premiums.
But, be this as it may, the following are
well-known facts:
First-American ships and cargoes were
destroyed by these cruisers
Second-The presence of these cruisers
compelled American ships to carry at less
rates of freight than were obtained in
foreign bottoms. In addition to this the
owners of American ships and cagoes
were forced to pay extra premiums to in
surance companies, for which there was
no possible means of reimbursement, ex
cept payment out of this fund. And it is
an equally well-known fact that in very
large number of cases because of the risk
of capture merchants shipped in foreign
bottoms, and American ship-owners were
compelled either to sell their vessels oi
load on their own account, and to do the
latter they were forced to use letters of
credit, which bankers would not furnish
except upon the condition that insur-
ance was taken against war risks, in ad
dition to the ordinary marine insurance
These American ship-owners, therefore
lost both ways, in being compelled to
carry for cheaper freights than were oh.
tained in foreign bottoms, and in being
also compelled to pay these extra pre-,
miums.
1t is clear from the record that the
United States conducted the negotiations
for the treaty of Washington and the
trial at Geneva, with view to using the
money indemnity that might be obSHSii = cd o5
to compensate her tfltiSSsSS t.ti iSSiss.S for losses.
Here are two classes of losses pointed
out by the bill we have alluded to above
whose meritorious character will scarcely
admit of reasonable dispute, and it will
be lasting shame if Congress shall
| longer delay their payment.