The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-16
FRENCH sPoLIATIoN CLAIMS.
The Prospect of an Appropriation
Tor Them Not Improving.


Washington. Feb IA strong effort
is being made on behalf of the French
spoIaiion claims 10 induce the Senate
10 make provision for their payment
by an amendment to an appropriation
bin in that body. II was expected that
some action would be taken on this class
Of claims in the House before this but
Notwithstanding the fact that the House
committee on claims unanimously re-
ported in favor Of the claims last June
the committee on rules refused to set
d day for their consideration. as Speaker
Crisp Is said to be opposed 10 them. he
being the only member Of that commit
tee who is However. a day was set
by the House for the consideration OF
BoWman-act cases but the friends of
French spOliations refused to support
them on the ground that it was unjust
discrimination. Mr., Catchings Of Missis-
sippi the next member Of the commit
tee on rules. stated on the floor that he
was in favor of both classes Of claims.
Had the speaker permitted the joint bill
TO come before the House. there is no
doubt that il would have passed, and
both the French spoiation and Bowman
act claimants would have received the
money so long due them and so unjustly
retained by the government. II the
claims pass the Senate they will go back
10 tho House for concurrence. and it
is quite possible that both sets of claim
ants viii receive an instailment OF the
amount due them.
There is an erroneous impression that
whatever is appropriated for French
spoliations goes TO the north. and this
arises from the fact that the money
paid under the act of March 3, 1891. went
largely to the north The northern
cases. however, were in much better
condition for trial than those from the
south, as all the public documents from
the time of the foundation of the gov
eminent, are intact. These claims de-
pend for their establishment entirely upon
documentary evidence, and largely upon
custom house records, and these records
of the southern ports, with a few eXcep-
tons. We're destroyed during the late war.
Their loss has necessitated the sending
abroad TO France Spain, and the West
indies for certified copies of the original
trial records Of the French prize courts
condemning the vessels which were the
foundation Of these cleaims. For those
that belonged to the south this has been
done, the southern cases have been pushed
well 20 the front, and the claims now
pending before congress are nearly equal
~ divided between the two sections The
north had the greater number of YES
sells, but IN those days the trade of New
England WAS largely confined to the West
indles. the vessels were small, and the
cargoes were not particularly valuable;
whilst the magnificent clipper ships which
sailed frCm Baltimore, Alexandria, Nor
folk. Charleston, Savannah, and other
southern ports we're engaged in the trade
with Europe, the East Indies and the
Orient. and their cargoes consisted of
valuable merchandise. Many of these
vessls carried vast quantities of tobacco.
indigo, cotton, and other home products,
and returned TO this country with man
ufaetured goods, silks, drugs, spices, and
other articles.
The court of claims has ceased trying
these cases, as stated in the last annual
report of the department of justice, be-
cause II is not considered advisable, with
the enormous mass OF other business be-
fore 1t. to give up its time to class of
cases in regard to which congress neglects
to take action after they have been favor
ably passed upon by the court Should
an appropriation be made, however, the
court will resume the trial of the cases
and they viii undoubtedly be brought to a
speedy conclusion.
The claimants in Georgia and the Caro-
linas may be reckoned from A to lizard. "
Among them are the Alexanders, the
Blounts, the Condys, the Dennises, the
Eislers. the Fabres, the Geyers and the
Gardeners. the Harrisons and the Hun
ters. the Joneses the Kerns and the
Krafts. the Lords, the McDonalds and the
.Mitchells, the Needhams, the OHaras
the .Proudhts and the Paines, the Robert
sons. the Stewards and the Swarbrecks
the Tunnos and the Teasdales, the Van
Noordens. the Wilson's and the Warning
tons, the Youngs, the lizards; also Brick
ellis, Polloks, Devereuxs. Langes, La
Notes, Lambs, Muirs, Sadlers, Thor
burns, Kirkpatricks, Turnbulls, Carigs,
Sommerselles, Bankers, kerns Coope1s,
ogiers, Carsons, Banks. Winthrops, COT
fms and many other well known families,
with their collateral branches.