Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-26
GOVERNMENT CLAIMS.

The United States government has d de- termined to make a demand on Spain for the old Mora claim. Mora was an American citizen, resident in Cuba. Dur ing the former revolution his estate, val ued at $2,00000O, was seized by the Span ish government on the ground that he had given aid and encouragement to the insurgents. It was afterward shown that this charge was baseless, and Spain admitted that she was liable for dam ages. But she claimed as an offset that the United States was due her for depre- dations committed by American troops in Florida. when that peninsula was in her possession. The United States now agrees to give her an opportunity to make out those claims, but will not al- low the Mora indemnity to be dependent on them. This government should make other nations pay what they justly owe. and should pay it's own dues. In the lat ter case. however, the government has not very savory reputation. The late Congress refused to pay the Behring sea award of $425, 900, after it had submitted the matter to arbitration. England will hardly treat us as she did Nicaragua, yet she may have her private opinion of such a course. The government is not given to paying claims to it's own citi- zens. There are claims brought up be- fore each Congress and postponed to the next Congress. As an instance, it is re- membered that when the Union Pacific Railroad was being built by government aid large lot of land belonging to a private citizen was condemned for right of way He laid his claim for indemnity before Congress, and it was admitted to be just, yet its payment was continually Postponed, and the claimant became an old man and died year or two ago with out getting his just dues. The French spoliation claims are in evidence. In the first year of the present century this country sent commission over to France to demand indemnity for the wanton destruction of our merchant yes selS in time of peace by French men-of- war. This commission was royalty re- ceived by Napoleon Bonaparte, who ad- mitted the justice of the claims and the righteousness of their mission. Not long afterward Napoleon sold to the United States the Louisiana territory, with the express stipulation that this government was to assume the spoliation claims of our citizens against France to the amount of 20, 0OO francs. In consider alton of this government assuming these spoliation claims the price of the Louis- jana territory was placed at G0000,0 900 francs, a paltry sum when the magnfi- cence of the purchase is considered. Thus this government was virtually paid the amount of the French spoliation claims. but it has never divided out the money to the individual claimants. The claims have been proven and placed on file. after being adjudicated by the Court of Claims, yet the claimants have appealed to Congress after Congress in vain. True, the Congress previous to the last voted $2, .00O toward the payment of these claims. and thereby established a pre- cedent, but the last Congress refused to make an additional appropriation. The trouble is that Congressman have an idea that they will please their constituents by voting against appropriations-they like to appear in the role of watch dogs of the treasury-and hence they refuse to pay even just claims