The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-02-13
HOME FOR AGED COLOR
ED FOLKS.

tee on education and labor mas
reported favorably bill to appropgl-
ate for a hone tor aged and infrm
colored people 80 bo located in the
city of Washington. The bill passed
the senate in the last congress and
was favorably reported in the house,
but failed of passage at the end.
By this bin it is proposed, for the
purpose of establishing national
memorial home for aged and in6rn
colored people. 40 make use of a sum
of money now lying in the treasury
of the United States which is due the
estates of deceased colored soldiers.
This sum is that remaining from the
moneys certified TO be due colored
soldiers and which has not been paid
out because ef the lack of properly
certified claims against it. The law
governing the proper adjudication OF
these claims requires that the heirs q
the deceased soldier must prove their
lawful marriage relation by record
evidence. which must be certified &c
by a notary public or clerk of court
in the several states No marriage
record of slaves was. however, kept,
and in o great many instances the
requisite proof caunct be nade, aud
the money claimed cannot, IN conse
ouence, be paid out to individual
claimants What the sum improved
and unclaimed will finally amount to
it is at present impossible TO tell, but
according to the report of the second
auditor Of the treasury TO the secre
sary of the treasury, July q, 1894.
there at that time remained unclaim
ed s230,0ls 81. Owing to the lm
possibility of msklng the required
proof, it is probable that by tar the
greater part of this amount will never
be paid out to heirs of deceased col
ored soldiers
| 1t is this money that will never be
paid out in the manner originally
designed that it is proposed &C
| appropriate for the establishment o1
| a nationai memorial home for aged
and in6rm colored people. The mon
ey clearly belongs to the coiored
people. and numerous requests have
been made that it be used for the
benefit of their race One Of these
requests is indicated in the bill now
under consideration. The institution
in whose aid the appropriation is
requested is proposed by number
of colored men of the District oi
Columbia. who have formed 8 corpo-
ration TO carry out the plan. By
private subscription they have
acquired tract Of land sufficient to
erect suitable building, and now
ask congress to transfer TO then q
portion of the unclaimed money in
the United States treasury which
equitably belongs to she colored
people, to assist them in their very
Isudable work
Ii does not appear to the commit
tee that there can be just or reasona
BILE ground for objection to the use ot
the money appropriated in the bill fo'
the purpose indicated when prope'
safeguards for its expenditure and fol
the protection of the United States
treasury are provided
The sum proposed to be approprl
ated for the erection of the home is
limited toss1oo, 900. and the remsin'
der of the fund is to invested as az
endowment fund for it's maintenance
except such amount as may be held
to pay of the claims against such
fond presented before Jan l, 1902
All claims not presented by that date
are to be barred
Congress is being overwhelmed by
peusion bills Backed ty resolute
commissioner Of pensions, the pen
sion attorneys are leading an ASSAULT
of thousands of seekers for stipende
from the government for faDcied and
fictitious reasons. The danger has
become most appalling. For the drs'
time since the civil war the pension
list is almost stationary at about
$l45, 100000 . year If congress
once lets down the bars and becomes
the tool of the pension attorneys the
increase is likely to be from $4,000.
600 to $4,000, 900 a year. Thus far
| in the present congress there nave
been introduced ia the senate alone
and referred to the committee on