The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-16
The Geneva Award CLAIMS.

All aloug the coast of Maine, in cities,
villages and farm houses, are people utter
ested to greater and less extent in the dis
trlbution of that part of the Geneva
Award which Congressman Reeds ability
and diligence has secured to the actual
losers from the depredations of Confederate
cruisers. A large numerical majority of
these claims are so small in amount, though
aggregating large sum, that the individ-
ual claimants are left in doubt as to the
availability of their claims if they must un-
dergo any considerable risk or expense in
proving and collecting. All such will be
much interested in some important test
ease which the New York Evening Post
slnounces to be soon determined by the
Geneva Award Court Under the re-es tab
iished Court, claims for war premiums paid
60 insurance companies, which were pre-
viously ruled out, are admissible. One
important question to decide is whether
Zach individual owner must bringsuit in his
own name or whether the ships husband or
the manaTing owner can bring suit and re-
cover for himself and his copartners. In
large number of cases that arise in Maine
che ownership is split into sixteenths and
fhirty-seconds. The entire amount due on
some of the vessels, the ownership of which
e. thus divided, is less than one thousand
dollars. If these sixteen or thirty-two
owners are required to bring individual
suits, the suits will in many eases undoubi-
edly not be brought; but if the ships hus-
band or managing owner can bring suits in
behalf OF all, and the Court in its judg-
Ment can so place it on record that each
owner shall receive his proportion, it will
very greatly facilitate matters. That ques-
tion is to be determined by test case to be
presented to the Court on the fifteenth of
November. tits expected that the Govern
ment counsel will oppose to this proposition
the suggestion that. on account of the lapse
of time in great many of these cases, many
Of the parties in interest being dead, no
suits would be brought, and that to author
Ire them to be brought by the ships hus-
baud would add to the profits mainly of the
single individual
There might be some force in this OBJ
lection If it were the duty of the Govern
mcnt to seek to prevent the payment of
claims so far as possible; but the path of duty
Is quite otherwise. The Government should
seek to facilitate rather than oppose the
payment of all lawful claius, and its counsel
should limit their labors to careful scrut-
Ivy Of the proofs, the presentation of which
should be made as easy and inexpensive as
possible. The fact that many claimants
would be prevented from presenting their
proofs if required to bring individual suits is
q powerful reason in favor of allowing the
suit TO be brought by some one in the inter-
est of all the owners of vessel. No one
should be practically debarred from his re-
dress because of his poverty or the smallness
of his claim. Even if the original loser be
dead, the claim is still as sacred in the hands
OF his widow, children, or other legal repre-
sentatiTes. Thousands of poor people will
look forward to the decision of the Court in
full confidence that it will not ignore the
rights and interests of the humble.