River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-10-17
CLAIMS ARE SIFTED.
Getting Money Out of the Treasury
Is Hard Work.
All the Powers of Government Are at
the Disposal OF the Court of
Claims which Investigates
Every Petition.
Especial washington letter.

90 tn EOPLE who want to get
~ money out OF the treasury,
LIZ through the court of claims,
do not realize the difficulties which lie
in their way" says one of the expert
enced officers of that court.
For example, we have under con-
sideration the claim of man for $780,
600 for the use OF his insulated wire
during the civil war. This man Sc
cured that amount from telegraph
corporation, and he expects to recover
that much from the government. But
there is where he makes a great mis-
take, as so many others Ike him have
done and are doing. He thinks that
this court of claims is a very small part
of the federal government. As mat
ter of fact, this court of claims is the
whole thing because we have at our
disposal all of the powers of all the eX-
ecutive departments of the govern
ment. In this case, by way of illustra-
ton, we informed the secretary of the
treasury of the claim, and requested
that secret service agent be sent
abroad to ascertain whether or not
this gutta percha insulation was in
vented by this claimant. We thus as
certain that this insulation was dis
covered and patented in Germany long
before the civil war. 1t costs consid-
cradle to get this information, but it
knocks out the claim of 100000, leav-
ing the government upwards of $4,000
ahead; for without this information
the government would have been
obliged to pay the claim.
'In like manner we can call upon
the war department, navy department,
department of agriculture and all 9TH
er powers of the government in de-
Tending the treasury against these nu-
merous and usually enormous claims.
Here is an instance of a man who
makes claim against the government
for supplies furnished the federal sol
diers during the civil war. In every
claim of this kind the claimant must
establish the fact that he was loyal
during the great conflict. This claim
ant swears to his loyalty, and num-
Der of his friends make similar Aft
davits Well, we sent to the division of
rebellion records, and there, in the rec
ords of the confederacy, we find that
this man was disloyal. in that he fur
nished aid and comfort to the confed-
crate soldiers. We have dozen copies
of his signature, and it corresponds
with his signature to-day. OF course,
he did not know that the government
has possession of the rebellion records,
and hence he did not know that we
would easily have means to disclose his
disloyalty. In common with all other
claimants, he is waiting for the money
which he claims; but, like a majority
of his kind, he will be disappointed.
Here is colored man making claim
to large sum of money because of de-
struction to property by federal troops
during the civil war. He makes oath
that his master went into the rebellion
and left all of his property to the col
ored man. It was in Alabama, and the
colored man swears to his loyalty, as
we'll as to the ownership of all this
property. We have here the state laws
of Alabama which were in force during
the civil war, and it is provided that
mo negro shall own any property; not
even dog That settles this claim.
The negro is simply used as a cat'spaw