The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-04-09
The French Spol1atlon Claims.

How THE EVIDENCE WAS COLLECTED AND
HELD COMMUNICATIONS WHICH REST on
FAMILY TRADITION-HOw THEY WILL BE
ADJUDiCATED. &c.
There is a sort of romance attached to the old
French spoliation claims, which are about to
he settled in the courts through the action of
Congress at its last session. From nearly a
hundred years ago these claims have come
down a> heirlooms TO claim the attention and
tempt the hopes of the descendants of the own
ers of the Inflated ships that fell into the hands
OF the French, who, by the orders of the great
Napoleon, preyed upon our commerce in retail
alton for our disregard of treaty obligations.
From the comparatively few ship-owners, who
spent the remand II OF their lives in the vain
effort TO recover the value of their lost prop
trly. the list of claimants by descent has so
multiplied that they are scattered all over the
Each generation has had its trial at
the claims, and many have spent their lives in
following the swamp-iights that CLEANED
through the lbs of the Sunken ships OF their
tOrefatherS. The many almost successful efforts
10 get Congress 10 recognize the claims have
kept them from sinking ike many other hopes,
bvneah the pressure of accommodating years.
The favorable reports Of committees, which
have been made upon them every year but
once since 1902, has kept them alive, and the
failure each time being so near success. only
adtic;t fresh Interest to them and inspired the
claimant, to renewed efforts. They have been
III Htlbl't IN Wills. lAihtu Oh IA uIt>OtS. until
it has become Il matter of family pride in some
Of the old coast towns in New England and old
southern ports 10 have a French sp0iation
claim. In some eases even it has been consid-
aI,i ih. duty of the eldest son to devote some
thing Of hi. time to an attempt to make the
claims good.
MANY ROMANCES
have reyolyed around these claims, and they
have been courted unit! they have become
almost sacred. There Were about seventeen
hundred of them. but the records in many
:a>"s have been lost and whole families have
III out and passed away together with the
records of their claims. Thus the nulnber that
Wi'l be presented for adjustment by the court
Will be greatly reduced. while the number of
claimants Is increased ten fold. In some cases
" acre The claim was pretty considerable there
r now 80 many beirs TO ii that it would not
be- worth working for. For one claim OF $ll 900
here are over Il hundred heirs and there are
probably many eases whtre the original amount
s tess and tlcre are many more for it to be
il| ld"d am0i.-. one lady describing the situa-
ion OF her family claim says that her great
sTnnd-fdther. The oligilal claimant. had nine
.hiiereu. lirr grandfather had ten. and she be-
icVcs. I> it ran IN the family, each OF the rest
lid II well.
In "A great many cases the records have been
o>l. and there remains only family tradition
lpon which TO base ihe claim. and nearly every
btNN " no can trace HIS tdluiIN Ddck 10 Itdl
lme thinks he must have il claim somewhere.
In the early history of the claims each claimant
lppear> 10 have pressed his own suit and not
q nave gone to the trouble and expense of em-
jiul ing an attorney or agent; but as the claims
grew old The original claimants dropped Out
me BY one in despair. The first man 10 make
my systematic effort to get the claims recog-
Med by Congress was
MR.. JAMES H. CAUSTEN.
Having spent much time in looking up the
proofs ol lis own family claim. he became 50
Interested i'll the subject that he went into the
y mole question. and got the history and evil
lence i'll nearly every claim. lie became fasci
rated IN the research. and devoted his life 10 it,
Directing much Valuable information and keep
~ the matter before Congress. Finally, as
,,hcr claimants gave mp the struggle, the idea
occurred To hm 10 pa TO u>c tue Information
he had possessed himself of. and in 1916 he
abli>htd an agency tor the French >poliution
tlaiiuS. hal lhg hi Office where Angim's book
,tore BOW stands. lie then took charge of 500
II The seventeen hundred claims. and devoted
inn>cif to their prosecution until bis death in
~. He WAS very Intimately associated with
i'll the great men of bis day. and enlisted their
interest i'll behalf of the claims. Daniel Wcb-
Ter WAS his friend, and was very much inter-
Sled IN the matter. having 1t |, said. assisted
lim in writing TWO books which be published
IA he subject. One OF these. a volume of over
injured pages glNtS history OF me seizures
If the vessels by the French. the negotiations,
md a discussion OF the legal questions. The
jtLtr, which contains a hundred and forty
Dages. discusses the effect of the proceedings
inder The treaty of April 20, 1903, upon the
'la1mS which arose PRIOR to 1901. The only
'opie> of the books believed to be eXtant-two
very mu-ty old pamphlets, but invaluabc-are
n The possession OF Mr.. W. Z. Earle Mr..
Lau>ten'- zeal carried him to the greatest eX-
remrS III following up the evidence of the
lniln,. He ran>acked the Old prlzc court and
rol valuable information. and after the revou-
non of lS4S. when the public buildings at Paris
Nere burned and the record, destroyed or scat
cred broadcast, ht sent his son to Paris to
earch all
THE OLD JUNK SHOPS.
and ''peter Funk establishments for informa-
non concerning the claims. In this way he
learned many important facts and got posses
son of valuable documents relating to the cases.
lie bought all that were purcha>able, and those
lie dealers would not Sell be had attached and
restored To the public archives.
Caustru Was famous torhis work in the cases.
In ls53 senator John NJ. Clayton wrote to him:
" The session 0f Congress having now closed,
and, bciug about to return home, it occur, to
nit that | ought 10 leave behind me some record
)t my recOlerton> and knowledge of Your ser
vices agent of the claimants for spoliatiOn>
committed by the French prior to the conven-
~ 'oi " t'""' ne pi' lof thelF ftliei mas again
y KS t1 LAtpuNe Net"' nioSt IN
uNHS "PP'i'u' ne pin was passed ol TWO
,,; 'ii' 'f'"eu, mt ny Ioih' .heh oy
l 'N,NN'I nui a 'o"iu VI 'ouit 10 August an
'laln> against the government has been estab-
l,hed, and perhaps the claimants may choose
10 submit their demands TO the decision of that
-ourt. | have an abiding faith that these claims
Will. ere long, be paiu.'
Having been Il faithful friend of these un-
- @ ~ ti'e '1'to i9l qual!ei
~ & ,'iltti ailu !oi M ois peIio'
,itr ,it,' ,.-b @ a,u ,nt i u.rne''
u n.;n ,,a,, ,,, t,,, " ,''e III VI,
M, In - p; KIN; - ~ "'s ; " Nv
i,,,, I -, ii,' Wv - i,on ~ in't p.I
W my 'o;uh''iS 'GStiihone as ~
'no Ill., '"'u, VI ~? sei 'ces you nave rehueTeo
i' ,N9 'iii'iN uuo I'm he ~ YOU now ,
- "ili i'uu ~ 5"'u neatii' apu PoSslp'y NAY
'ri ~ " "ei! II n0 'ieiii any
~ s., 49, .- A., ~
N, -"' .iNi VI W Guy l''. 'h"' WI
~ ~ ianN"chiuS tue iilouios
i',.' ee "a w., So, d pai soleI'
5 l5 u aus 10 tne SENATE ps
q ti"s III o',e'i',r, @ 10 ,iie iesoiutioil ol the
II, "'i..n iili1o "a, a Id y oc.
n 1h, nt.,i,n Iia rntar ~, ,n9 ',,t
NJ ~ ~, ~ a'so W 'ne lae' 'ha.
rlamants' gave fhp Thing nm in des,,,-r and
refused to act as chairman of the committee
appointed Ill 1916 to report on the claims, the
WfleI haNlng TO serve IN his stead. Chlef JUS
ice Maf>halIs opinion IN favor of the bill Is
referred to IN the letter also. Just thirty years
passed after the writing of this letter before the
Dill Tor the settlement OF these claims finally be-
came Il law, Il few months since.
oi-' Nf.ohDo'