National Republican., 1884-05-15
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
REBEL WAR CLAIMS ro BE PAID.
10 Lhc Editor,

70 thC EoitOr.
The democrats of this congress are dli-
| gently working to manufacture clubs with
which to be beaten by tho republicans in the
next campaign. One Of tho best clubs made
| for the republicans to pound the life out of
the democratic party in all the northern
statos WAS presented by the solid south in the
house on Friday last. Tho official record
will make nice campaign document Briefly
told it is as follows:
In November, 1862, on irregular force Of
rebels made u raid on the post of Henderson,
Tenn, and destroyed a quantity of camp and
garrison equipnge and cotton belonging to
the government and tho property of several
citizens. Col. j. N. Hnyne, dSth Illinois
volunteers commanding the post, issued an
order appointing board of officers to inves.
tigate and inquire tho amount OF damage
dono by tho rebels in their raid, what
property was DESTROYED, its value, and to
whom IL belonged. This co mmission having
met at Henderson station and investigated
all the facts reported that they found tho
amount Of damages done as follows:
Cotton burned Of John Aldridge &c $. J.
Cotton burned of D. W. Silver. 2565.OO
Cotton burned of Willis n Arnoid..."... 5000 90
Cotton burned Of the United States ...... 10000
Water Tank Mobile aud Ohio railroad.... 100000
Depot House Mobile and ohio railroad 100000
Camp equipage and rifles i9th Illinois In
........................... 3,lSOOO
lOthlssssssss''ss 'ss's'sss'sss's.s....ss EO,fOlUU
The commission also found and reported
that the owners Of the property destroyed arc
loyal citizens of tho United States.
Col Hayne then issued an order making
an assessment on Hiram Johnson and
other sympath2ers and co-operators
with tho rebellion in the vicinity
of Henderson to pay the losses OF the
government and the loyal citizens named.
This assessment was collected, and tho
money finally turned into tho United States
treasury, amounting to S26.751.36. This sum
has been reduced as follows:
In 1875, by act approved by President
Grant, Aldridge & Patterson, two of the
loyal citizens named, were paid,....... 100000
The losses of the government. ......,.... 60S0 90
Leaving In the United States treasury 12,07l.36
The committee on war claims of the present
congress, as we'll as the committee of tho
forty-soventh congress, reported in favor of
the payment Of the SO, 600 collected for tholoyal
citizon, Willis N. Arnold. When his bill was
reached in the house on Friday last Hiram
johnson and Others, tho rebel sympathizers
and co-operators, whom Col. Hayne assessed
to pay these losses, and against whose bill the
committee had reported adversely, came in
with an amendment requiring the govern
ment to pay thom $22,271.26. This amend
ment was adopted by a democratic vote, thus
establishing the right of disloyal citizens to
be paid by the government for rebel war
claims. Such democrats as Judge Geddis,
! DUFF w. Jones, OIL w NlSCOnbln, lully, oI laD-
! fornia and few others from the north voted
against it as dangerous precedent to deny
tho official records aud pay rebel war claims.
The first named said that If tho government
10 required to pay this claim to disloyal citi-
zens what can it say to the union men in
| Pennsylvania whom the rebel Gen. Early
| assessed 700 during his raid?
Hon. j. H. Rowel, of Illinois, in his
speech in opposition to the payment of Hiram
johnson ct al. this rebel war claim, said that
this was but the entering wedge for the pay
ment of millions and millions of dollars to
dsloyal citizens of the south, aud refusing 1t
to those who had been loyal. If these men
were entitled to be paid, every rebel SYM
pathizer and co-operator with the rebellion
in the south from whom tho army took
mule or q pound of hay was entitled, and the
| $4,000 collected by Gen. Butler in New Or
| leans to pay for the rations issued to citizens
would be the next bill to consider.
| We think that the speech of Hon. ]. H.
Rowell, the report made by tho committee on
war claims of tho house, the report in the
senate by Senators Pike, Henderson, and
Dolph, showing what Col Haync, COL Harris,
and tho officers who made and collected the
assessment say, and the Congressional Record Of
last Friday, showing up the case of Hiram
Johnson ct al, and the clear intention of n
democratic congress to open the treasury to
rebel war claims and close it to union men.
will make formidable campaign document
in warning the north of the dangers from q
solid south. A SOLDIER.