The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-12-23
Fraud and Speculation Have
Complicated Matters.
Observation-Disclosures Wary
of Proposed Settlements.
HISTORY OF METHODS.
Those Which Were Employed
But Failed In Settlement.
Delays and ImperfectiOns a Fine
Satire on Business.

Not unfrequently the state treasurer
receives inquiries concerning the pay
ment of the Price raid claims, about
which the legislatures of Kansas talk 50
much and do so little.
The other day a communication was
received from a member of the Kan
sas militia of 1864 in which he said that
inasmuch as his claim was not likely to
be paid during his lifetime, he request
ed Treasurer Grimes to send him his
scrip, as he desired to have it framed
and handed down as an heirloom to his
great grandchildren.
The story of these claims would fur
nish a. fine satire on the delays and i'm
projections of legal proceedings. In
1864 the rebel general, Price, started
from Missouri with $4,000 men to in
wade Kansas. General Rosecrans at st.
Louis kept Governor Carney of Kansas
informed of Prices movements and the
war spirit swept over this state like
Wild-fire. Most of the able-bOdied men
were already enlisted in the union
army, many of them were operating
east of the Mississippi, and even be-
yOnd the Alleghanies but the old men
and boys We're organized and the border
cities garriSOned. They even crossed
into Missouri and harassed Price on his
march. The story of their herolSm VIII
compare favorable with the braVest
deeds recorded in history.
The government dispatched General
curtis TO the assistance OF the Kan
sans, but the warlike- attitude of the
Indians on the western frontier Occu-
pied most of his time Price ent&red
the state at Trading Post in Linn cOun-
ty and camped upon the Marias deS
CygneS river. Here the KanSanS fell
upon them and inflicted a crushing de-
feat, which compelled the rebel general
to beat a hasty retreat.
Colonel Moonlight and General Blunt
followed a part of the raiders into Mis-
souri, while General SanbOrn pursued
the main body into Arkansas, almost
annihilating it at Newtonia- This cam
paign was the last attempt of the con-
federacy to add Kansas to the theater
of the great national tragedy, which
was then raging.
In 1865 the legislature passed IAN act
to provide for the expenses of the mill
tia, and for the payment of claims and
damages arising out of the Price raid
of 1854 This was followed by a series
of legislation at intermittent periods for
the next twenty years for the dispens-
ing of large sums Of money allowed by
the national government. There was
without doubt much fraud in the mat
ter of claims.
Governor Crawford. in his message to
the legislature in 1868, positively as
serted that he knew of such fraud to
the extent of $4,000 In 1869 at the
recommendation of the Washington
government, Governor Harvey appoint
ed an auditing committee, which al
lowed claims to the amount of $780,
with each other in their zeal to secure
appropriations to pay these claims and
the state received in aggregate the
amount of S7O7. 229.49.
In the meantime immigration had
added to the population of Kansas tens
of thousands of people who knew not
Joseph" and who knew little and cared
less about the rebel and Indian raids of
the early, trying years of the states
history, until in 1889 an act was passed
transferring the entire sum then in the
treasury for the payment of Price raid
claims, amounting to 1892. 545.14, to the
general revenue fund of the state, and
here the matter came to an abrupt
close.
This was an injustice, brought upon
many just claimants. but at this late
day it is almost impossible to sepa-
rate the worthy from the fraudulent
and it is hardly likely that any legis-
lature will have the courage to under
take a final settlement of these old
claims