Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-10
NAVAL BOUNTY CLAIMS.
No Truth I'm the Assertion That Their
Settlement VIII BE Delayed.

Mr.. Pradt, the assistant attorney general
in charge of claims, IN an interview With
Star reporter, gave some interesting facts
about the navy bounty claims before the
Court of Claims He said
There has been very natural popular
interest in the navy bounty cases that have
been referred to the Court of Claims by the
Navy Department for determination, since
these are the claims of our forces that took
part in the various naval battles of the re-
cent war with Spain, for bounty for the de-
struction of the vessels of the enemy. And
hence the suggestion that has been recent
ly made, and which has found expression
in the papers of this and other cities, that
these claims were likely to be unduly de-
layed in the Court of Claims, and that there
was danger that exorbitant attorneys fees
would be deducted from the award or the
nations bounty to our brave sailors has
excited a just indignation. L am happy to
state, however, that there is absolutely no
foundation for this apprehension nor for
the assertion that the Navy Department
has found it necessary, since these cases
were referred, to admonish the court that
it desired a speedy adjustment OF the claims
involved.
The Court of Claims has from the start
fully recognized, as apty stated in the let
ter of transmission of the Secretary of the
Navy, that the claimants belong to meri-
tOrious class upon whom the government
has by statute directed the bestowal of
bounty for the performance Of patriotic
StTNiCt. Anu lot my OWL part L lttl llIdl
my duty, as the representative of the gov
eminent in the consideration of these cases,
will be fully performed by expediting a
hearing of the same and affording the
claimants every opportunity TO fully pre-
sent their claims.
Acting upon this view of the situation,
the court, after consultation with myself
and also with the various attorneys repre-
senting the claimants, has formulated a
plan of procedure which will unquestiona-
bly, result in the determination of these
claims in the speediest and most satisfac
tory manner AS part of this program
each of the claimants who has already APP
peared or may hereafter appear in the
court will be given an individual judg-
ment which will be duly reported for APP
preparation by Congress, and arrangements
will be made by which claimants who have
not already appeared in these cases may do
so and obtain judgments for their claims
without employing an attorney. AS to
those claimants who for any reason do not
appear in the court, the report of the court
TO the Navy department which is required
by law Will be so complete that their
claims can readily be adjusted by the
ditor for that department. 1t should be re-
membered that the rendition of individual
Judgments in the case of claimants no APP
ply for the same is required by the pro-
visions of the statute under which the ref
erence of these cases was made to tn court
so that the criticism which has been made
upon this plan of procedure is based upon
a msapprehenSion of the situation. Fur
thermore. there can be no question that by
tHlS method the claims VIII be determined
with degree of dispatch and certainly not
possible by any other method.
The Navy Department fully approves of
the course of procedure which has been
adopted by the court and has all along re-
lied with courteous confidence upon the dis
erection and wisdom of the court in dealing
with these cases, without any suggestion of
d!Ctation on its part
AS regards the question of fees that are
to be paid To the attorneys of the claim
ants-they are to receive simply the fees
that are prescribed by the Treasury De-
partment for attorneys representing claim
ants there, and these fees viii be payable
to the attorneys representing the eta mants
irrespective of their services in court. 1t
is needless to say that this arrangement
for fees is entirely satisfactory to the court
and to the Navy Department.
The facts which L have stated have been
easy of entertainment by any one interest
ed in the premises, and hence it would
seem that the recent newspaper utterances
upon the subject have been inspired by a
desire of exploiting peculiar interest in,
and concern for, our heroic tars which
NEST of US feel require no proclamation