Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-06-13
Ind. narle,ouns,s rsn.len olalm.

~ ofIhih AAttNssASAN " NtA~' - |
line to limit pensions on ae-
count OF tho Civil War.
A decision of the Supreme Court has
been unearthed which seems to fix
August Goth, 1865, as the legal date
for the close Of the Rebellion. 1t
was given in case arising under
the Captured and abandoned prop
erty act" which gave loyal owners OF
such property the right 10 bring suit
for its recovery within Two years after
the close Of the war, II was held that
the close OF the war was TO be deter
mined by some formal act of the govern
ment, and that the first official declara-
ton on the point was President John.
sons proclamation issued on August
Goth, 1866, declaring that peace had been
restored. The Supreme Courts de-
cision closed as follows; "Since Con.
gress, in its legislation for the army,
determined that the Rebellion closed on
the goth day Of August, 1865, thereis no
reason why its declaration on this sub
ject should not be received as settling
the question wherever private rights are
affected by It."
So far as actual hostilities were con-
cerned, they ceased more than q year
before that date. Lee surrendered to
Grant at Appomattox on April 9th,
1865, There was not much Of the Con
federacy left after that; aud armed re-
sistauce to the governments OF the United
States was soon az an end, Johnston
sigied the terms Of his surrender TO
Sherman on April 18th, 1865, and when
the government at Washington refused
TO ratify the terms, Johnston and Sher'
man signed new terms eight days later,
on April 26th. General Richard Tay-
lor, only son of President Zachary Tay.
lor, was the last Confederate general
with any considerable body of troops
under his command, and he surrendered
to General Candy at Chronicle, Ala, on
May 9Th, 1865. Two days later, on May
10th, 1865, Jefferson Davis with his little
escort was captured at lrwinsv!lle, Ga,
Certainly by the last of June, 1865, there
was not an armed rebel anywhere,
This question comes up at this time
because Of the claim for pension of one
John Barleyoung, who did not entei
the army until April 10th, ls66-ont
year and ten days after the surrender
at Appomattox. On the theory that the
Civil War did not close until Angus
Goth, 1866, Barleyoung claims that h,
served in the War of the Rebellion TO
four months, and that be comes unde
the "three months service act"
Barleyoung's is not an isolated case
There are said to be thousands Of claim
for pensions, based, as his is, on miltar.
service rendered after the war was over
, but not, it seems, officially closed. Lon
ago we pensloned everybody who wa
, wounded, and the widows, orphans am
t aged parents of everybody who Wa
: killed. and that was we'll. We went o.
and pensioned SO literally that prett
Q nearly every bounty-iumper, coffee
/ cooler and skulker alive is on the pen
: sion roll. Over nine hundred thousan
Q people are now drawing pensions, an
J. 1t costs about as much to pay them as
5 does TO run the public schools In all {
6 the States and Territories. We are
II last face to face with thousands NOR,
IS led by Mr. Barlcyouug, who want pei
y sions for services rendered after Ii
h fighting was all oyer-the fellows wi
enlisted after the genuine fighters ha
Il been mustered out.
s When Mr.. Barleyoung and his fellow
E. have been served, there are yet 9th
Z thousands who may make claim f
pensions for services in waving Il
bloody shirt and shooting OF the
mouths. Service of that kind continue
> for twenty years after President job
: sons proclamation Of August Goth, ls(
;" Great is the patience OF the Amarlc
=, people!