Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-05-11
Special Correspondence-Some
Pertinent Enquiries.

AS q rule, the sentiment of
American business men and
of American people generally is
strongly in favor of the payment
IF debts, but the last Congress
has flown squarely in the face of
this honorable sense of moral duty
in repudiating obligations of the
Government which are of even
higher weight and sanction than
it's bonded debt.
Under the act of Congress of
January 20 1885, the French
spoliation claims were referred to
the Court of Claims in order to
determine whether or not the Gov
ernment was responsible for their
payment. After the fullest
argument and re-argument by the
solictor-general the courts decided
that certain of these claims were
released to France by the treaty
of 1900 in settlement of the do
mands,of France upon the Govern
ment of the United States for its
failure to keep the treaty of Its,
under which France secured to us
our independence; that that the
release of these claims, which
we're always acknowledged by
France, was a use of private pro-
perty for public purposes, and
that under the provision of the
Constitution giving just compen-
sation for private property so used
such of the claims as have been
tried and allowed are valid OBJ
legations of the United States.
For a number of years, especially
when the Government was derelict
in furnishing supplies as stipulated
under treaties, the Indians COM
mitted depredations on the settlers
| i'm the West and South. Year after
year, as the neglect of the Govern
ment to keep it's treties with them
continued, the savages plundered
and murdered these frontiersmen
; who stood between them and
"civilization." Afterward a statute
was passed empowering The
Interior Department to examine
each case and report it to Con
gress with recommendations as tc
the amount due. At great expense
these sufferers then filed the
evidence to establish their losses
and as a rule the department rt
commended payment of abou
, one-half the actual loss sustained
Finally these claims were referred
to the Court of Claims by the &C
: of March 8, 1891, which declareI
,, that they shall be a charge upol
!, the Treasury, and shall be paie
l out of the funds due under the
treaties to the tribes which com
mitted the depredations. Ad
asiqy a5s;tiiqyalv 4as5jddeaee vas taken a
regularly tried before the court
,, aid decisions have been rendered
that a few..hundred thousand dol
lars are, due on those claims. Blu
the sufferers obtained their judg
ments only to have them re
pudlated by Congress
Under different acts of Congress
the claims of loyal citizens in tht
South for stores and supplies
taken in the South by the Unior
forces for their subsistence have
been referred to the Court Of
Claims, and upon full trial, with
the question of loyalty as
jurisdictional issue, the court has
judicially determined that they
are valid obligations of the United
States to the extent of some
hundred thousands of dollars.
All of these obligations were
repudiated by the last House.
which refused to appropriate the
necessary funds to pay them.
In addition two judgments of
the Supreme Court Of the United
States were repudiated with un-
blushing effrontery.
Now, the grave question comes
home to every patriotic and
thoughtful CITIZEN as to where the
line is to be drawn between the
judgment of Federal court, un.
der jurisdiction by act of Con-
gress, that acclaim is valid obli-
CATION of the United States and
Tho hnrdad daht nf tho nn,,ntru