New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-07
QUESTIONABLE INTERPRETATIONS.


This bill is In many Of It's f'a,ures FAR removed
,-o,, legitimate deficiency hill. and II contains
a r,r,h.r 81 appropriatonD which seem TO me to De
o,...dlnglv questionable. Without noticing III de
,.u many ~ these items I shall refer TO two of
them which. in my Judgment Justify my acton III
the premises -, ...
mon, no,n ,airns which originated in d"pre %ialohs %
,, ,,r ,omfn.rce hy French cruiser. ana N'S5's
dining the closing years of the ltst 'en,uty rrn
ee..,nal expercncc they have been prfssoI dIr
recognition and payment. win o, ,S'"r,'' @ ' ~
These claims are based upon me aii"Sa,omii 'r and
France being at war WIN Hi.'.rf ,,reocs in
r,rderincd many American vessels tup 'II," ',,'I 81
,,oI,,nm ~ the rules u intoruaionhi IA" ~ a,,i
treaty provisions aid contrary 10 tp.r and 70 orr
,,,1ena mat Us reason OF these acts Claims aros ~
IaNVV, ,b. french Nation. which claims our HoN-
rrnment attempted - entot'r 4n' ar ts.o thesa
S;us uerc abandoned or relinqushed In conSlitra-
;nn - ,hc renquishment Of certain claims VIII
rance cnsISea T nose interested that Nation
having reaped oeneht IN our onrro'ca' ,he aba ndon-
nen o. the claims Of our citizens aganst lranSr;
the Government became eauitanS boInr as ,Sns re-
itself and It's citizens to pay the ''a"'' ''"' ~
inan.shed.
NO LIABILITY AGAINST THE GOV hhN Nh''> l.
7 do NOT understand it 10 be asserted that there
.x,s,s onv legal liability against the Government
an account OF It's relation 10 these claims Al tho
,or,o % .he Supreme Court just Hhl9Hri l"e '"i''
,.,.o ,r an opinion concerning them and tho
,,oo ., Congress In appropriating for their pay
-, sa,d. 1--WE think that payments thus pre-
-, % h. made were purposely brought withln
.o,,ry of payments by way OF gratuity- pay
,s IN. "a "a, or zee and not OF right -
tfron, th, time the plan was conceived 10 cIn.se
,ho I;overnment with the payment OF tnesc v.ars' @
~, bavc abiled IN the atmosphere or 'ohtroVetsS,
icy nav nns,tion presented in their support mas
LVr.y Itv dis pue,l and every inference aug :ested
" ~ - pa,;or has Been promptly chiIeSrl nus,
nssm,ich as II must. thlhk p' "'l'D"'. ,.'' II
lnasn"'If - var existed between our country ana
s.ale " ,he time these depredatlons were com
r,'d "ur Government was not Justlnei N CAIN.
hltvu ,rrltv for our citizens. II Il asserted mat
ing ro A. The time actually engaged N war win
We nn.ancb Marion This position seems 10 De sus-
the M n oninon Of the Attorney General or the
,,aHAu,a states written IN l7ss, ana ny nunpeI OF
n,sions of The Supreme Court Delivered soon aiier
neC!S'otnD I'VE had certainly ahrOgate1 treaties
that Line and our cruisers and armed ships were
rotming the seas capturing her Ve'se's MI" p''P-
erty .o, {, {. asserted that the validity OF
90 anIair,s was acknowledged in the treaty hego-
these s ~ the representatives OF France their dec.
iar,tlons TO contrary purport are eAIipI'es' s,n
ihan iaL - s alleged that the abandonment or tnese
,n,,ma against France wac In consideration OF great
Snnnd,s 10 the Government. II IL conhhentD al
nd ,hat they werc in point OF fact abandoned pc
rai,sa their enforcement was noPtess' an" tla'
un q, any benefit really accrued TO us by insist
go ,,pon their settlement In the course or dipo-
,atc negotiation, such result gave no prrteNt lor
axing the Government with liability 10 the ciaim-
ants.
THE CONTROVERSY REVIEWED.
Without noticing other considerations and con-
tentlons arising from the alleged origin OF these
TIf pm