Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-26
SOME MUsTY PRIVATE CLAIMS.
The Bill for the Relief of Victor Beau
boucher
ZION " Nelo Yogk Tri1nne.


WASHINGTON, March pa bill pass
ed by the Senate on Friday for the relief
of Victor Beauboucher is an Illustration
Of many of the private claims that become
musty in the files of Congress. Beau
boucher was a French subject who served
in the Union army during the late war, in
which he lost leg. In recognition OF his
gallant services President Lincoln made
him Consul of the United States at Jeru-
salem. In the winter Of 1866 81 the colony
of misguided Americans " no had been led
TO settle at Jatfa under the fanatic lead Of
the Rev. j. &. Adams, were brought to
the verge of restitution. They had neither
food nor money, nor resources TO procure
either. Beau0oucher came TO their rescue
and made cOnstanttrlps between Jerusa-
lem and Jafa and rendered all the
aid be could. From his own means
he advanced altogether $3.6lS to relieve
their immediate necessities and to aid
their escape from PALESTINE The unhappy
colOnists, to the number Of forty or more,
nearly all from Maine, declared their
appreciation and gratitude for his services
in a letter now on file in the State Depart
ment They were unable to repay him,
and Secretary Fish recommended that
Congress reimburse the consul. MIR.
Sumner introduced a bill granting the re-
lief and It was passed in the Senate seven
teen years ago. Beauboucher's infirmi-
ties prevented his pushing the matter
year after year, and it is still before Con-
gress. The bill passed by the Senate ON
Friday on motion of Mr. EYarts leaves
the adjustment of the amount, under fair
limits, to the Secretary OF State. 1t does
not speak well for the cOlonists that they
have not themselves repaid the consul,
but their failure to do 80 should not
| operate against him. He does not ask
| interest on the claim. 1t mas been favor
| ably reported to the House.
There are now pending before a single
committee OF the House over 800 private
claims, other than was claims, OF which
there are many thousands. Ofthese l 800
claims many are doubtless even more
| worthy than this one OF BeaubOucher's
| 1t is impossible for any committee to eX-
anime into all these demands. In the
| last Congress the COMMITTEES on Claims
was only able to report on 1863 of those be-
| fore it, so that it is practical denial OF
justice to the citizens having an honest
! claim against the government. In a re-
! port on this subject the committee saws
according to the rate at which these bills
! have been disposed OF in the past it Will
/ take 80 years 10 get rid OF those now be-
/ fore Congress. The claimant comes and
goes and dies leaving his claim as a leg
acy to his children Tor II the claimant does
not belong to the favored few, an ordi-
nary lifetime is tar TOO short TO get such a
bill, however just, through Congress. But
the bills are reintrOduced and reprinted
in each Congress In this way the gov
eminent has paid in twenty-five years for
/ printing private bills alone the sum of
/ $494,343. Aside from this expense the
committee states "that if the time spent
by Congress at every session in the con-
/ sideratiOn Of private and domestic claims
was reduced to dollars and cents it would
be found that those expenses are equal to
the claims allowed and probably 90 the
sum claimed in those rejected" The
| committee report thai 10 sis beyond its
power TO give anything like a eatisfactO-
portion OF the mass of data sent to il;
hence the passage of private claims comes
TO he a Legislative lottery" in which
| gross injustice is done, owing to the
chances or success offered to those who
| push grOundless and unworthy claims.
| The committee has reported measure to
! refer them all to a judicial tribunal
Some Of the disallowed claims other
than those OF cOnsuls are interesting. For
| instance, the members Of the u tab Com
mission charged $3.50 for washing which
they will hardly be able to collect from
the government. United States Marsh al
Dubois, OF Idaho, made a charge Of ex-
penses for "persOnal comfort" but the
item was disallOwed, and there are many
other SUCH disallOwed items.