Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-03-04
WASHINGTON.
Why They Have Not Been Paid-The Num-
Der Now Perding-New Method
For Their Settlement
Proposed.
THE NEW APPORTIONNENT BILL
Scecial Dispatch to the Re1tster.

Special Dispatch to the Re1iaer.
WASHINGTON, March 5.-There are
good many people in West Virginia
who are interested in claims al
ready presented and to be hereafter pre-
sented, 70 Congress, for consideration. l
looked over the calendars Of the House
Committees on Claims and War Claims,
yesterday, and found no less than thirty
nine references of West Virginia matters to
these twocommittees, saying nothing about |
the claims that have not reached any COM
mittee. From
Judge Hoge's District
there are before the Claims Committee bills
for the relief of Richard ". Meade and the
employees of the United States who were at
Harper's Ferry at the outbreak OF the war;
petitions of J. NJ Mason, W. F. Wilson and
others; and before the War Claims Com
mittee bills and petitions OF the German
Lutheran Church. of Martinsburg, John J.
H. Streth, Daniel Bedinger's representa-
tives, John II. King, Trinity Church, Mar
tinsburg, Lydia A. Hickman, Elizabeth
Hamilton, Samuel Browning, Wildey
Lodge |. o. o. F., and the German Evan
gelical Church at Martinsburg.
Congressman Wilson
has before the committee bills and petit
tions for the relief of Jenny X. Moore, ,Chas.
! NJ. Coen, John Burns and Andrew 5. Carr,
and before thc Committee on War Claims
| bills and petitions for the relief Of John
Ramsburg NJ. f. Church South OF Clarks-
burgh, Patrick Ticrney, James Gather John
| ID. Grim. Elijah NJ. Hart, Louisa A. \.
Hays, Wesley Coleman, a. +. Mcclure, II.
| W. Phillips and others.
Kenna's List
| comprises among others, claims OF the Meth
/ odist Church South at Charleston, Meth).
| dist and Baptist churches at Raleigh Court
| House. together with numerous claims OF
/ private persons.
! Beside these the two Senators from your
| Stale have presented various claims Of like
character at the other end OF the Capitol.
! and there are q good many in the hands of
| the delegation yet unpresented. In con
| yersation with members find that there is
very little expectation on the part OF anyof
themthat these claims can he got through
with the present situation aud inclination
Of Congress.
said Judge Huge, to your correspondent, a
few DAYS since. 'to encourage delusive eX-
pectations i'm regard to these matters, for
the whole tone and temper OF the
House is against them. Particular
" IS this so with regard
10 the war claims, none Of which have pass
ed Congress for more than four years past.
Even if there was an inclination on the
part OF members to consider them, the
crowded state Of the calendars precludes
any hope of considering all fully and fair
w." Other members have spoken of the
situation in the same way, and declared
their intention not to present any further
claims of this character to Congress, but en-
deayor to bring about the establishment OF
some tribunal that could deal with them
fairly and in whose decisions Congress
would have confidence enough to concur.
what II Proposed.
There is fair prospect that such tri,
buual will be formed or established at the
present session. \ bill for that purpose
was introduced before the recess and refer
red to the House Select Committee on Re
form in the Civil SERVICE and this commit
tee has Just completed its report, bringing
in substitute for the one referred to them,
a substitute entitled "a bill for the judi
cial entertainment OF the facts in
cases OF private claims, and for
other purposes" The first section
of this substitute provides, in substance,
that Congress shall not authorize the pay
ment Of private claim Ia ,ed on exparte
testimony, and thus announces
A New Policy
in reference to the payment OF such claims
for the future, which. as the committee
suggests. if it had been adopted and act,l
| on i'm the past. would have saved Congress
a good deal of perplexity and annoyance,
the public service much scandal, honest
claimants much delay and injustice, and
the public treasury many a dollar. The
committee hold that the right If govern
ment to protect itself against a fraudulent
claim is equally clear with the right of a
citizen t. ask for relief and proposes that
any one hereafter having claim against
the government of which
The Court OF Claims
has not jurisdiction under existing laws,
before applying to Congress for relief, shall
file his petition in that court, setting forth
his case and asking the court to find the
facts therein, and it is made the duty OF
the court to ascertain the facts established
10y the evidence and 10 report the same.
together with copy of the petitions and
the answer "f the government thereto
| to Congress Under this arrangement
the members of the Committee are sure
J that when party comes to Congress for
relief he will come with the facts of his
! case judiCially determined, and the facts
on the side of the Government judiCially
determined, and Congress will thus be
| furnished with the data on which it will
feel it can safely act without doing any
injustice to the claimant or suffering any
imposition to b. practiced on the Govern
| ment
The Gases on Hand.
The substitute further authorizes either
| house Of Congress or any Committee
thereof having before them a claim or
matter which involves an ascertainment !
OF facts to transmit the same, with all the
papers appertaining thereto to the Court of |
Claims: and the Court is directed to aScer- |
tam all the facts and report the same to |
the Committee of the House by which the
case was transmitted for its consideration.
Another section provides that when the
claim is for supplies or stores taken by
the United States forces for their use dur
ing the late war, or for the destruction of