Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-02-20

1t is only an as~certainment of the
facts, and it is afterwards the duty of
Congress tc pass judgment on the facts
so reudered.-Congressional Record,
Fifty Third Congress, second session,
proceedings of July II. 1894, volume
26, page 1927.
Mr.. Sayers, of Texas, in discussing
this question, replying to Mr.. Springer,
said:
Well, you ought to be in favor of pay
ing them referring to claims of this
class, when the court passes upon them
favorably, after you have referred them
to that tribunal. ..
Mr.. Sayers further stated:
You are bound by the forum to which
you send them for adjudication.-Con-
gressional Record, Fifty Third Congress.
second session, proceedings of May 20,
1894, volume 20, page 1924. t.f su
To question the facts as found by the
court upon which q judgment is based
would be as reasonable as to dispute
the facts as found by the court and re.
ported to Congress in this class OF cases,
for every judgment is based upon a
finding of facts.
Congress in repeated appropriations
for the. payment of allowances made
by the Quartermaster General under
the act of July A, 1864, and allowances
made by the Commissioner of Claims
under the act of March 3, 1871, never
questioned the correctness of the facts
found by said officers or commission
Then why should there be a doubt in
dulged as to facts found by q court
which proceeds in reaching its conclu-
sions upon the lines of judicial proceed
ings, accepting and considering no tes-
timony except that taken according to
the forms of law by direct and cross
examination? Certainly the findings
of the court should not be questioned,
but, in the language of the Supreme
Court of the United States, should be
accepted as entitled to absolute verify.
The late Senator Morton, of Indiana,
in discussing a bill for the relief of Mr..
Murphy, a citizen of Tennessee during
the rebellion, used the following forci.
BILE language:
Let me take the case of a Union man
in the South who has borne the heat
and burden of the civil war, who has
been prosecuted and who has sustained
all those hardships that we know were
incident to the condition of a Union
man in the South during the war. To
say that we will treat him as a public
enemy and that we will refuse to pay
him for his property deliberately taken
by the Government, when under the
same circumstances we would pay a
man living in the North for his prop.
erty taken by the Government, is re-
voting to the plainest principles of jus.
tice. | can not subscribe to any such
doctrine. (See January 10, 1865, third
session, Fortieth Congress-.
But, strange to say, there are gentle.
men in this House who will vote against
this bill for the sole reason that the
claimants have proven their loyalty to
the Government of the United States,
The distinguished gentleman from
Texas Mr.. Cockrell, in discussing this
question recently, used the following
language:
Whenever a man comes to Congress
and asks me to vote for a bill to pay
him q claim because he lived at the
South and was loyal to the Government
of the United States, that is the best
reason in the world to my mind why ]
should not vote for that bill. That is q
reason satisfactory TO me, q reason deep
down in the convictions of my heart,
that it would not be right to do it,
Congressional Record, Fifty Third Con.
gross, third session, proceedings Of Jan.
uary II, 1895, page 95S.
Mr.. Speaker, that is a harsh judgmen,
pronounced against the loyal men oil
the Southern States. l had hoped thai
since he has had ample time for reflec
ton the gentleman would now be pre-
pared to modify that judgment or can,
Gel it altogether. Inasmuch as he has
not done so, and will not, l take it, a.
the risk of subiecting myself to the crit
icism of INDUCING in a recital of an,
cient history, so much deplored by this
House, | will reply to him. l had hard.
ly expected to be called upon, at this
late day, to vindicate the course my
people took thirty years ago.
was aware that outside of this Capt.
toll, scattered here and there over the
country, there were a few gentlemen
yet unreconstructed who continue te
indulge in the delivery of irritating
speeches as occasion presents itself, ut
tering sentiments calculated to revive
unpleasant memories, to arouse passion,
that were dead and snimosities tina,
had given place to fraternal relations
but | had sincerely hoped that no such
sentiment would find expression in the
House of Representatives of the United
States.
l have said in another place thai
some of us had fondly hoped that the
scars of the civil war had long since
disappeared from the hearts of our peo
pie, as they have disappeared from the
face of our beautiful land; hat the
blue and the gray bad clasped hand;
tenderly and sincerely in the new made
love of a perfect reconciliation. Thi: