The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-03-12
TO LOOT THE TREASURY
Bill Comes Up to Appropriate
$1,2OO,OOO for Old War
Claims.

Washington March 12.-The bill to
pay the Bowman act claims aggregating
81, zoo, 600, for stores and supplies furn-
ished the Union army during the war;
was before. the house until o'clock,
yesterday, but beyond completing the
general debate little progress was
made OF the 800 odd claims in the bill
all but few come from the south, and
vent progress with the bill During the
filibustering the house was in an up
roar. At O'Clock, after completing two
pages of the bill, the house recessed I'M
til o'clock for an evening session to
be devoted to pension legislation. After
the evening session the house adjourn
ed over until Monday.
Mr.. Dalzen, (Rep., PAP before the
debate began, made the point of order
against the bill that it was not COM
petent for the war claims committee to
report a bill containing $40 claims, each
of which should be the subject of sep
arate bill
The chairman of the committee of
the whole (N1r. Payne of n. V ruled
that the point came too late.
The general debate then began under
an agreement that it should be limited
to two hours.
Mr.. Gibson (Rep., Tenn.) in opening
the debate explained the nature of the
claims all of which were for stores and
supplies furnished to the army by loyal
citizens. The loyalty of the claimants
had been affirmatiVely proven. The
claims he SAID were distributed as IOl-
lows by states: Alabama SO; Arkansas
IS; Georgia AZ Illinois 1; Kansas 3;
Kentucky 8; Louisiana %; Maryland 70;
Mississippi 1O9; Missouri 81; New York
/ North Carolina 10; Ohio II; Oregon /;
Pennsylvania / South Carolina 2; Ten
nessee 1870; Virginia 66 and West Virgin
ia 49,
Mr. DingIey the Republican floor
leader, opposed the bill in an earnest
speech. He insisted that members who
imagined that the findings of the court
of claims in these cases constituted a
liability against the government were
mistaken. The court simply found GER
tain facts. He was perfectly willing, he
said, to take up these claims separately
and pass upon their merits.
Mr. Richardson (Dem., TENN in
advocating the passage of the bill called
attention to the fact that 80 per cent of
the claims submitted to it were re-
jected. That was sufficient evidence of
the vigorous character of the eXamina-
ton made by that court. OF the origi-
nal claimants relieved by this bill, he
said. IS per cent were dead.
Mr.. Evans (Rep-, Ky.) in advocating
the bill, said that the Republican lead
er (Mr Dingley) set up a scare crow to
brighten members when he alleged that
the passing of this bill would establish
a precedent which would permit south
ern claimants to loot the treasury. He
pointed out that one of the first war
claims passed by the house at this ses-
sion was one to pay a citizen of Maine
OWN. S. Grant, $7S, 900. Mr.. Dingley's
voice had not been raised against that
claim although it had, unlike these
claims, been rejected by the court of
claims and the rejection had been ap-
proved by the supreme court of the
United States. 1t was only when the
southern claims were brought in that
the distinguished Republican leader
cried out against imaginary raids upon
the treasury.