The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-03-13
SCHEMES AND SCHEMES
FoR RoseINa TAE Y. 8. rREAsURY.
Southern Claim Agent. EnvIn.'rlur Raid ga
the TrsA,ury-ssnral Hundred Millions
Ofold War Claims RsrlI.d-rhs Bills
Presented TO Ala the Schemes

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in quite remarkable manner; and unles
public opinion is sufficiently aroused Il
prevent schemes now matching, the presen
Congress may pass laws-already proposes
and, in some cases, reported-which viii
commit the country to the payment Of sev,
eral hundred millions, and perhaps ever
more, for Southern claims Of various kinds
A small sample of what is getting itself
ground through Congress quietly and with
out public attention being drawn to.it, is
found in q bill Of lls pages, lately reported
from the Committee Of War Claims by Mr.,
Houk, Republican, Of Tennessee, its chair.
man. This bill orders the payment Of l..
SS5 war claims, alleged to have been ex.
amined and allowed by the proper account.
ing officers since December, 1880. The
claimants thus to be paid out Of the Treas.
ury for damages sustained in the war,
which closed seventeen years ago, are
thus distributed as to States:
New York, New Mexico and Illinois
each, District Of Columbia 4, Kansas IL,
1nuiana q, Ohio AZ, Maryland n, West
Virginia S5, Missouri 90, Kentucky 227,
Tennessee 1853. Most OF the claims are for
small amounts, but the aggregate OF 1886
claims in this single bill io0ts up more than
100000.
But this bill is a mere trifle to what Is to
come II the claim agents can get their
measures adopted by Congress. 1t is the
general testimony OF Southern men here
who are not claim agents that these South
ern claims are in the fewest cases in the
hands OF the claimants. They are owned
or controlled by claim agents, who have for
years past, and ever since the war ceased,
made II business to get up claims in all
parts Of the South, especially in Kentucky,
Tennessee and other Southern States, where
our armies were said to have found Union
men. The agents, it. is asserted, usually
charge at least sixty, and often seventy-liye
per cent Of the claim for collecting it, and
this has been for years agreat business. At
this distance OF time, seventeen years after
the close OF the war, proof OF a mans dis
loyalty during the war is,ofcourse, difficult
for the Government TO obtain, and all sorts
oil claims by all sorts OF persons are now
more urgently and impudently than ever
before pressing upon Congress, because the
Sl50, 100000 ofsurplus revenue Wrung from
the taxpayers by bad revenue laws, in
spires these as well as other jobbers with
renewed activity. A gentleman familiar
with the operations Of these Southern
claimants writes your correspondent:
THE time is now deemed propitious for
bringing forward legislation for the pay
ment oil losses OF Southerners during the
war. There is formidable movement on
foot designed to effect this purpose, which,
on its face, seems quite innocent, but which,
stripped OF its covering, throws the Treas
ury door wide open to the rapacity Of the
whole Southern country. The pretense is
TO simply remove the investigation OF war
claims from the Quartermaster and Com.
missary Generals offices, where it was
placed by the act Of July 4, 1864, to the
Court OF Claims. This movement, inau.
gurated by attorneys and agents Of South.
ern claimants, when all its parts are
completed, provides for all who lost
supplies OF any and all kinds, and all dam.
ages to property in any OF the States lately
in rebellion, To prefer their claims by peti.
tion to the Court OF Claims within the next
two years, in addition to the transfer to
that Court OF all the claims now on file in
the War and Treasury Departments, mil.
lions OF which have been disallowed by
the. !. .Quartermaster and the Commissary
General. There are some two or three
bills and substitutes now on the calendar
OF the House and one or two provisions in
Army Appropriation bill, which combined
will, il passed, perfect the scheme and in.
volye the Treasuryin the payment Of many
millions. In the present method OF inves-
tgatlon the claimant must prove that he
was loyal to the U. S. Government during
the rebellion. II this scheme succeeds L
is believed that the decision Of the Su-
preme Court, that the pardon by the
Executive restores the loyalty Of rebel
claimant will have to be recognized by the
Court OF Claims. OF course this change
would involve the reconsideration and
payment Of all claims rejected on account
oil disloyalty. No doubt the success OF this
project will involve an amount greater
than the present public debt. That this is
in no way an exaggeration may be seen
from bill OF Mr.. Houk, OF Tennessee,
Republican, and Chairman OF the War
Claims Committee. The first section Of
this bill was simply broad invitation to
an invasion OF the Treasury. 1t declares:
"That hereafter it shall belawiul for any
persons or other legal representatives, own
ing property, or living in the States OF Ala-
bama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisi.
ana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, the said
States having been in rebellion, whose
property was taken by force, or in any
manner seized for the benefit OF the United
States, or received in the name OF a pur-
chase by any officer or other person au-
thorized for the United States and for the
benefit thereof, and for the property so
taken or received no compensation has
been made, to present their claims for com.
pensation for such property to the Court OF
claims for the United States, under the
rules and and according to the practice Of
said Courtin cases wherein itnow has juris.
diGtion under the laws Of Congress; pro-
vided, however, that no person who gave
aid, comfort, countenance or encourage.
ment to the rebellion shall be entitled 10
the benefit Of this act.
"The second and third sections declares
simply the method Of proceedings. The
fourth section, it will be seen, authorizes
the reopening OF the vast multitude Of
claims decided invalid or fraudulent during
many years past, by the Commissary and
Qnartermaster General, monstrous solici.
tation to fraud and robbery
SECTION 4, That in relation to claims
heretofore fled under the act OF July 1,
1884, in the office OF the Commissary or
Quartermaster General Of the United States
Army, for stores and supplies taken BY the
United States military authorities during
the late war Of the rebellion, and which
have been adversely adiudicated by the said
department, said claimants or their legal
representatives may present their cases 10
the Court OF Claims, which court Is hereby
to take cognizance OF said cases,
and to hear and determine the same In ac.
cordance with the rules and regulations
prescribed in this act
"The mere cost to the Goyernmen Of op-
posing once these thousands OF deiunct and
probably fraudulent claims would entail a
great expense on the Treasury. Itswit.