The evening times., 1896-04-28
UNCLE SAM | BAD DEBTOR
Difficulty Of Collecting Claims
Against the Government.
POLICY INDUCES LOBBYING
Congress- Has Passed But Few
Pension Bills and Limited Num-
ber of Relief Measures-Judgmen
of the Court Of Claims No Longer
Paid-Mnny Hardships the Result.

There has probably never been session
! of Congress that has given greater emphasis
| to the assertion that it is impossible TO COL
| lect even 4 Just claim against the govern
ment than the one now approaching close.
| A few pension bills have been sniuggled
| through at odd times, and an extremely linn
| tied number OF relier measures, each carry
| ing small sum OF money, have been pushed
| along under protest, but all those claims
| which would perceptibly increase the total
| of appropriations for this Congress have
been persistently relegated TO the rear.
| To such an extent has this policy OF ignor-
| ing the obligations OF tie government been
! carried that judgments of the Court OF
Claims are no longer paid. This judicial
adjunct OF the government was created for
the express purpose Of ascertaining the
merit of certain claims and report as to
whether they should he paid or repudiated.
Almost daily since the beginning of this
session findings of the Court of Claims have
been forwarded To the House. The natural
expectation has been that these findings
would bc Incorporated into approriate bills
and passed, in order that the government
might nquidate its obligations and the cred
itor be given tardy justice.
WILL INDUCE LOBBYING.
But the policy Of the Republican leaders
in the House under the direction of Speaker
Reed, has been to minimize appropriations
and make everything subservient to
record for economy and a prospective early
adjournment. As consequence, those who
are unfortunate enough to be creditors or
the United States must either abandon their
Just claims or expect to begin period OF
lobbying and waiting which may continue
for one or two generations. 1t long ago
became a proverb that the egovernmentcould
not be made to pay its debts, and this TACT
has become SO plain at this session that II
savors strongly of repudiation.
A number of members have persistentiy
called attention to the delinquency OF the
government, both in season and out OF
season. hut the rank and file have been
whipped into blind and unquesuoning
following of leadership that shows the
futility of hoping for relief during the
present Congress.
on the last day the private calendar was
taken ND for consideration Mr.. Walker of
Massachusetts declared that certain OBJ
noxious bill for the promotion and retire
ment of a hospital steward as second
the head of the. calendar to prevent the
consideration of meritorious bills. He
said:
This case is put here under the peculiar
circumstances which exist here, in order
that justice shall not be done to men who
are being robbed in their Just claims not
being considered by the government of the
United States: their Just claims which have
by the committee to whom this day 10
asst signed.
DISGRACE TO THE HOUSE.
This bill was put here to be kept here,
and be discussed the day out, so that W omen
may still continue TO haunt the halls or
Congress in the hope that it will deal justly
with their fathers and husbands private
claims to money honestly due them. 1t
IS an outrage and disgrace to this House
and the leaders TO put in such claims as
This, to be discussed all day, so that these
other claims shall not be considered
Referring 10 Mr.. Walker sremarks, Mr.. Tai
bert said: II am glad 10 see revival going
on among gentlemen on the other side OF
This House / am glad to see that the
scales have been stricken from their eyes,
and that they have begun to see the out
RACES tDlU UeluH upOh thS
taxpay yers of this country"
Mr.. Mahon said: Il want to say this
about the Court of Claims: that this court
holds claimants to a stricter accountable
ity a stricter compliance with the rules of
evidence, than any other court in the United
States. l say, either you ought to standby
the court and pay the judgments which it
renders or you should abolish your courts
80 al
lars that are now expended in the investiga-
sion of these cases.
why should not the government OF the
United States pay to its citizens what it
owes them? But 1t seems to have become
a rule in Congress that IL private citizen
has an honest and Just claim against the
government OF the United States he may
knock at these doors in vain. would so on
er that a pauper owed me thousand dol
lars than that the government of the United
States should benny debtor tothatamount."
THE NATION AS A ROBBER.
A Member-You would get paid sooner.
Mr.. Mahon-My experience has been that
the greatest robber in this country is the ma
tion itself.
Member-You are right.
Mr.. Mahon-0ur government is continu-
ally robbing private citizens OF their prop
erty and refusing to reimburse them. Now,
/ say the time has come for this Congress
either to pay those findings of the Courtof
Claims or TO abolish that court and let the
people OF this country know that this Con-
gress does not propose to pay their claims
in the future, whether they are found to be
just or not.
These bills that we now have In the
Committee on War Claims, those findings
of the court of claims and other claims, are
about 1,200 In number. They do not ac-
cumulate. They come in Congress after
Congress. The bills are printed, and the
reports are printed, and If you 60 and in
vestigate you will find that you have spent
about $34O,000 in this Congress for print
ing for this and other committees.
"I have been in this Congress since the |
beginning of 1t, and every Friday have