The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-04
FALSE HOPES RISE
CLAIMANTS DOOMED TO DISAP-
POINTMENT REGARDING THEIR
LITTLE BILLS.
UNCLE SAM is DISHONEST.
THE HISTORY OF PAST YEARS TO
BE REPEATED AT THE COM
ING SESSION.
REPUBLICAN PARTY TO BLAME.
A Partisan Scheme to Keep Down
APPROXIMATIONS Will Work
Great Injustice.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3.-The goven-
ment will never pay it's honest debts, if
it can escape them. Thescongress will
always be subject to the influences of
spoilsmen. The bills carrying appro-
priations containing a "divvy" will al
ways find corrupt supporters.
Senator Teller of Colorado, is likely
to receive considerable censure for a
pending procedure, which is exceeding
ly reprehensible. Nevertheless, Sen
ator Teller is no more worthy of blame
than the other statesmen, and he is
less censurable than many of them.
Senator Teller will be censured rather
because of his position as chairman Of
the committee on claims, than because
of any particular action on his part.
There are hundreds Of honest claims
against he government which are
pending and have BEEN pending for
many years. The claimants come to
Washington year after year, begging
for justice; but begging in vain. The
committees make favorable reports on
their bills; and then the committees on
claims and appropriations ignore the
bills, and they die. The claimants die,
too, very often, without getting their
rights. But little difficulty is expert
enced by the attorneys for the Choteau
claim, the Bowman act claim and the
Infamous French spoliation claims, so
far as congress is concerned They can
secure appropriations from the treas
ury for the payment of millions, but
the honest claimant, to whom the gov
eminent owes a few, i,undred or few
thousand dollars, cannot get justice 1t
is practically impossible for them to
even secure a hearing. ia
The government claimants were very
busy last year, and they pressed the
congress very hard for recognition;
and, as a step in the right direction,
joint resolution was passed, authoriz-
ing the senate committee on claims to
prepare a general claim bill, incorpo-
rating in the bill all honest claims,
which have been favorably reported
upon by committees of either the Sch
ate or house of representatives. Sena-
tor Teller is chairman of the commit
tee NOn claims, and under his direction
the bill has been prepared, until it Is
now practically completed sand ready
to report to the senate on the first day
of the session.
You may have no idea how many
hopes are wrapped up in that general
claims bill You cannot conceive how
many hungry hearts, and hungry
mouths are awaiting the passage of
the bill, which will bring relief to
those who are suffering; to those who
ought to be in comfortable circum-.
stances, if they had their rights.
You cannot fell what faa1inoc with
cred hopes, bitter, burning wrongs,
anxiety, fear and ultimate misery
those claimants have within their
hearts hot cells shut UP; for all of
them are to be doomed to disappoint
ment and despair
Today they are buoyed up with hone.
because they believe that the general
claims bill will give them back their
own, and the government at last will
be honest They are counting the days
when they will receive the treasury
drafts, and their homes will be glad
dened with relief from want.
Like dynamite shock will come to
them the news. one of these days, that
the government is not honest, and did
not intend to be honest Then there
Will be weeping and wailing and
gnashing of teeth. The picture even
antclpatory as it is, must move good
hearts to sympathy and some of them
to tears
me general claims bill will be passed by
the senate before the Christmas bnIidays
To those who do not know the truth fhe
passage OF the bill by the senate will be as
a benson, and they will thank God and take
courage; ana they viii have merry Christ
mas-a Christmas of happiness based upon
false hope. F
10 become a law, a bill must pass both
the senate and the house of representatives.
hn unr
passed the senate it will 90 to the house of
representatives. There, in the room of the
committee on claims, the bill will sleep the
S S io tnao knows no waking. 1t will never
De reported to the house and it will never
be passed by the present congress.
speaker Tom Reed, the man who rules the
mouse OF representatives old-tme school
master ruled his country school. has de-
clared for economy In government expendi-
lures. Under his orders the chairman of the
mouse committee on claims will withhold the
Dill, ana IL can never be passed. The people
who are looking for justice will get injus-
tice e
But don't blame Senator Teller. He has
done ms duty and his committee has acted
the senate will act honestly and sincerely with
these honest claimants against the general
Place the blame If you will upon the
Eouse OF representatives or upon Speaker
Reed individually. You have the facts and
Will reach your own conclusions anyway.
Inc committee clerks say that each bill
has history, and that full description
of the general claims bill would fill vol
ume. There are claims for. horses used by
the Union troops during the. Civil war, and
never paid for by The soldiers There are
claims, for forage taken and used in cavalry
campaigns and never paid fer. One claim
ant furnished $4,000 worth OF ice which was
not accepted according to contract. and the
ice melted into the Mississippi river. The
man was then wealthy. He became suddenly
poor and begs in vain for justice. One claim
ant wants. $1,000 for the destruction of her
house by fire, while her husband was in the
Union army. She will never get her money.
Speaker Reed is honest as any man in
either house of congress So is Congressman
Brumm, the chairman of the committee on
claims. The same may be said of the men,
bers of the committee on claims. Probably
majority Of the members of the house OF rep
resentatives are honest enough, and believe
that these claims ought to be paid. But as
a general proposition. 1t may be said that
the surcharged sentiment of the house OF
representatives is opposed to the general
claims bill, mainly because the treasury is
bankrupt and in no condition to meet the hon.
est obligations of the government.