National Republican., 1888-02-19
now TO DISPOSE OF THE SURPLUS.
An Omen Letter.

revenue which Is accumuuting in the United
States Treasury, and by which disposition
the people will br benefited To this end
various bills are now before Congress- all
more or less designed tu benefit politicians
and strengthen them in the estimation of
the people rather than benefit their cOnstitu-
cnts directly Thus, there is the Blair bill,
which proposes to distribute some so DO,uD
among the States for educational purposes,
and numbcrlcSs bills providing for the crcc-
tion of public buildings in various townSan
cities, amounting to about SDn0,On which
il Is supposed will increase the popularity of
the members of Congress in Whose districts
the buildings are tO he located; and other
bills too numerous to mention, all making
provision for sQtnndcring the public treas
TIRE, and the greater part of which will he
expended upon party or personal favortcS
But Singularlv enough, there is one mode of
disposing of large portion of this surplus,
which is demanded by common justice, that
seems never to have duwncd upon the minds
of the peoples representatives, and that Is,
IN dppIy 50 much Of his surplus as mdy be- re-
g,,,J,d h hc pdyuicut If Hc dcbiS 0t hc gorcri-
n,,ut uDr duc ~ priydic cIuimdHiS Allow me
to cnumcrutc Il few of these claims:
/. The French SpOliatiOn claims are still
unpaid. The United States received the
money To pay these claims with more than
seventy years ago. Andrew jackson alludcS
To- them in one of his messages over forty
five wears ago as Il class of claims that ought
to he paid and the grandchildren and great
grandchildren of the original claimants are
still vainly seeking the money due them.
>. There is what is known as the thoctaw
claim. amounting to over S3,uWOW, for
which the supreme Court has rendered Il
Judgment in favor of the ChOCtaw Nation
This debt is due for land and the improve
mcntS thereon, purchased of the Nation
many years ago, at the rate OF twelve and
Il half cents an acre, and from which the
United States has realized over Sll ,OOO.OOO.
For years the Chuctaw Nation has had its
delegates in Washington ut great expense;
and vet. after long and tedious litigation,
Congress in order that its members may
boast of their economy, ncglccts To
make the necessary appropriation to
pay the Judgment of the Supreme
Court, and allow the money to 90 to
those who are entitled to and need it. The
Choctaws are Il civilized and independent
people. having Il government of their own,
and common honesty requires the prompt
payment of this debt.
3. The captured and abandoned property
fund in the Treasury, amounting 10 about
SlO, 1000 belongs to the people who con-
trbutcd To the fund by the seizure and sale
of their property by the federal authorities
during the war. In the case of Klein vS. The
United States, Is Wallace. l:iS. the supreme
Court decided that Congress intended that
the proceeds of this property should 90 into
the Treasury without change of ownership;
that the title of the owners was never di-
vested; and that the Government constituted
itself hySttc for those who could establish
their ownership to the property. This de-
cisiom has been adhered To in other eases
All that the claimants ask is the enactment
of some law which will enable them tu 20
into some court and prove the seizure of their
property and their right To its proceeds, and
for years they have been pressing Congress
for the enactment of such statute; yet,
upon one plea or another, none of which are
founded in justice, Congress has pcrsistcntly
neglected To pass such II law. Indeed, in the
last Congress, when bill of this char
actcr was before the House, one member
took the ground that as the money was in
the Treasury, if Congress refused to pass the
bill and appropriate the money, il would re-
main there. thus taking the dishonest ground
that might makes right
1. Indian dcprcdatiOns come next These
are claims for deprcdatiUns committed by
Indians upon the settlers of our Western
Territories. Congress, by its homestead and
prc-cmptionS laws, oilers inducements to our
citizens to 90 into the Territories and enter
upon the public lands, with view To Their
settlement and improvement thereby open
ing up the country and enhancing its pros
pcrity. But il pays little care To their pro-
lection and safety while so engaged. Indians
living upon Government reservations and
under its care, break ont of their proper
bounds commit raids upon the peaceful whit,
settlers, drive of their stock, destroy thciI
buildings, otcn taking the lives of the set
tiers themselves, and more often reducing
them and their families To absolute poverty
character committed by Indians to he pre-.
scented To the Interior Department for adjudi
cation. Those that are allowed USUALLY
about onc-half that is Clumc,D are annually
reported To Congress for an appropriation iOl
this payment, but this Congress never docs
These injuries are committed mostly, if moi
entirely, by Indians who are supported by
annuiticS appropriated by the Government
which Congress never fails to make, 50 that
/ the Indian purSucS his murlcrOlS cOurSt
while fed by the Government, but the claim,
Ofthc poor settler, who has been dCSpOilcd nj
his all by these wards of the nation, are ut,
/ tcrly diSrcgarlcd. These claims have been
uccumulating for years, and now amount I,
over two millions of dollars, and, if paid
would not come out of the national treasury
/ but he charged to the Indians, and paid out
of their annuiticS. But these claimants liv,
generally in the Territories and have no vote,
/ in the election of President and cncc never
receive the justice they are entitled To. II l.
| true that the House has II committee on In
/ dian dcprcdatiOns, but no delegate from any
of the Territories whose citizens are demand
| ing relief is member of the committee
and if these delegates ever make I'M effort t.
secure an appropriation for the payment -
/ these claims the fact is not known bcyon,
the committee room. This committee seem
/ tO have been created mainly to provide
room and clerk for the chairman, and if an,
/ member of il has taken any steps looking I,
| the payment of these claims ii has escape,
| the notice of the viglant news reporters.
., Then there are what are known II
| the Venezuela claims, which, if not pay
able directly out of the public treasury, ar
| not paid because of the indifference q
/ the Government To the interests q
/ its citizens. These are claims due American
citizens from Venezuela, for injuries commit
/ ted by that Governments which were Scttlc'
| by a commission, under Il treaty. tn,
awards of the commission were made puya
bile tu bearer, and they are now generally il
/ the hands of innocent holders. Venezuela
/ from time to time, has made payments I,
our Government of certain inStalmCnts nm
der the treaty, and have reason to bclicv,
that there Is now from SPOON to Sl5O,OOO il
the hands of the state Department, thu
paid, applicable to the payment of thcS,
/ claims. But while making these payment
/ Venezuela has claimed that some of th,
claims were fraudulent and for years lis rep
rcscntativc here has resisted their payment
/ But the Senate has more than once invcsti
gated this charge of fraud and pronounced /
unsupported by proof. Vet the rourt,Sy q
the state Department To II foreign represent
uliNu iurbids payment of the money ON hand
and the Indifference of the Executive nui
Congress to the interests of its citizens allow
the matter to remain unsettled, in violation
uithc solemn obligation of treaty whirl
Is law of the land and which II is tn
= sworn duty of the Executive Ia enforce.
&, Another class Of clumS grows ont q