Washington sentinel., 1899-03-25
We Must Pay Millions.

~ may OC hM GhaS SNA ahANiAB P~A
haps, to say that it will cost the
United States more to settle the
war with Spain than to have 70 ught
it, but the tact is that the future
expense will be enormous. even
now that peace is actually in sight.
The treaty left three legacieS for
this country. The first is war in
the Philippines, the end OF which
is by no means in sight; the sec
ond was the payment OF $40, ,ooo,-
900 to Spain tor those islands. and
the third is another $40, 1000, 900
which will have to be paid to
American citizens--nearly all OF
whom are Cubans naturalized-
who had claims against Spain
growing out of the insurrection in
Cuba.
Without taking the war in the
Philippines into account, and no
one can tell what its cost will be,
there are still two items which
make a very expensive total OF
$40, o,ooo, 600. Half Of this amount
has already been provided for by
an appropriation OF Congress. The
claims must be adJudicated and
settled under the provisions of the
seventh article OF the treaty. This
article is very comprehensive in its
language and includes the follow
ing classes of claims:
All claims for indemnity, national and
individual, of every kind, OF either gov.
ernment, or of its citizens or subjects,
against the other government, that may
have arisen since the beginning of the
late insurrection in Cuba and prior to
the exchange OF notifications of the
present treaty, including all claims for
indemnity for the cost of the war.
The list of claims against Spain
fled by American citizens already
aggregate ao8, with total amount
involved, as already stated, Of over
$40, 900, 900. The correspondence
relating to the various items is
very voluminous.
Solicitor Pen6eld, Of the State
Department, said, that in all prob
ability, a commission would be
appointed by Congress to adjudi-
cate these numerous claims. The
work will hardly be undertaken in
the State Department" said he.
"and we will wait until Congress
acts. After the commission has
been appointed, it will examine the
facts alleged in each case and nm
ally report upon the amount due
to each person. Congress will
then have to make an appropria-
ton to meet the liabilities, but the
appropriation will undoubtedly be
promptly made, as the pledge Of
the United States to settle these
claims is given in the treaty OF
peace"
1t is said at the State Department
that the general average of settle
ment of claims is about SO per
cent, in which case the S 40, ooo, 900
may be pared down to $4,000, 900.
This immense sum is not likely to
be appropriated all at once. The
commission will take up the least
difficult OF the cases first, and hav-
ing disposed of them, will adjudi-
cate the more knotty ones. In the
meantime Congress will be asked
to appropriate for those which
have been settled.
Most Of the cases relate to the
destruction of sugar plantations
and other property, but there are
a number Of claims growing out
oil the arrest and Imprisonment Of
either native or naturalized Amer
lean citizens by the Spanish au-
thorities in Cuba. There are three
instances where human life is in.
Volved. For the death Of their
husbands Mrs. Ricardo Ruiz asks
SIS, 900, and Mrs. Cornelia de
Otazo SIoo, 900, while Manuel F.
Lopez wants SIoo,ooo for the kill
ing OF his son. The Ruiz case is
familiar. having attracted attention
IN Congress at tiAs timS If its oc-
currence. A number of news
paper correspondents who were
arrested and expelled from Cuba
have come forward with demands
for generous amounts, one Of the
number, T. J. DawleY, wanting no
less than SIoo,ooo Dawley was
charged by the Spanish Govern
ment with taking views of forts
and conspiring to blow up the same
with dynamite"
Some of the largest claims are
as follows:
Property losses. |
John w. Brock. ...,.. ,..... $2,I62, STA II |
Alharf Rro-L ,-n rao % |