The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-04
French spoIiatlon Claims.

From the NetUdrk IN. Jl Adpertiser tDem.)
1t will be impossible in years to come to
make the next generation OF Americans I'M
derstand why debt due TO certain citizens
of the republic from the federal govern
ment should have been so persistently
lodged as the so-called French spoliation
claim has been. Those OF our readers who
are interested, as many Jerseymen are, in
these historic claims, may have supposed
that when congress finally sent them to
the court of claims and appropriated money
to meet certain of them all would be we'll.
But this expectation has not been realized.
The court has passed several OF the claims
and about Sl,300,000 for the payment of
those which have been validated by the
court. But considerable remainder yet
remains Enacted upon and begging a chance
TO bs considered. At the close OF the Fifty
first congress there remained claims TO tho
amount of S1l,000,0O0 yet Enacted upon,
sly, Isl, I26 had been disposed of in various
ways, and claims to the amount OF 81, $780,
74o had been allowed and reported to CON
gress for an appropriation. What Is now
required to conclude this long delayed bust
ness ia the sending to the court of claims of
all claims in the so-called spoliation class,
without respect to their distinctive char
acter, and an appropriation by congress Of
the money needed to pay the claims allowed
by the court, aud SO this scandalous national
neglect may be put at an end forever
French men-of-war and privateers, at the
end OF ths last century, committed dspreda-
tions upon American commerce. Com
plants being addressed to the President
Washington aud Secretary Of State def
ferson), these officials assured the ship own
ers that their wrongs would be redressed.
Their losses we're put in the form Of chooses
In action, and were undertaken by the
United States. Subsequently France ac-
knowledged her responsibility for payment
Of these claims. And when the government
Of the United States, ia Its turn, became
liable TO France for violation Of treaty
obligations the French government agreed
to release us from our confessed obligations
on condition that our demands be Offset by
the so-called French spoliation olaims In
other words, we paid our debt to France by
agreeing to assume payment OF the claims
which American citizens held against
France; then. having paid of that debt, we
refused to pay the claims.
" As we have said portion of these claims
has been allowed and paid; but congress
hesitates TO send all the claims to the tribu-
nal where their justice and validity oAn be
tested finally. lt 10 alleged that some of
these are war claims, and are not logically
included in the catalogue of claims which
may be lawfully allowed Some Of these
are the claims Of insurance companies, and
others are held to be barred on account OF
there being "a state of war; prevailing at
the time when the depredations were com
mitted. All this appears frivolous when we
consider the length Of time that has elapsed
since the debt was assumed by the govern
ment. l would be an added disgraceff this
this obligation should remain unliquidated
at the end of the century.