The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-24
THE SPANISH WAR CLAIMS.
Meeting of the Commission That
Will Adjust Them.

| meeting of the Commission Tint
Will Adjust Them.
| The first meeting of the Spanish War
| Claims Commission will be held ApriI s.
| Ex-senator Chandler. President of the
| commission. returned to Washington YES
terday after a short visit in New York and
| Immediately began to gather the other
| members preparatory to beginning work.
The Department of Justice has provided
building for the use of the Commission
in II Street. between Fourteenth and Fiji
teenth Streets
The other members of the Commission
are G. J. Dekman of Michigan. J. p Wood
of Ohio. W. A. Maury of Washington and
w l.. Chambers. According to the law
under which the Commission was APP
pointed. the first meeting must be held
within a month after the appointment of
all its members. In addition to the MEM
bers there will be attached to the COM
mission a secretary. William Il. Speare of
Massachusetts, and an Assistant Atttor-
ney General, William +. Fuller
The Commission is empowered to APP
point one messenger and one or more
stenographers. typewriters, and interpre-
tiers, as the business may require. All of
the appointments are to be made accord
ing to the act creating the Commission
without reference to the rules and regu-
lations of the civil service.
The act makes provision for the salar-
les of the Commissioners and the subordi-
mates as follows:
To each Commissioner. the sum of 5000
per annum. To the Assistant Attorney
General, the sum of $500 per annum. To
the clerk, the sum of 50 800 per annum. To
such assistant attorneys as may be EN-
ployed, at the rate of $500 per month to
each for the time of actual employment
To the messenger and to each steno-
grapher and typewriter, the sum of 81 200
per annum. To each interpreter. not ex-
ceeding the sum of 81 500 per annum.
One of the first clauses of the act de-
clares that the Commission shall have
power to make all necessary or conve-
nient or proper rules and regulations of
practice and procedure for the transaction
of its business" The first meetings will
be concerned chiefly in mapping out the
line of work and in deciding upon the
rules which shall govern the presenta-
ton Of claims.
The Commission was established to take
care of the claims against Spain held by
United States citizens, and incurred dur
Cubans. In the seventh article of the
treaty with Spain it was stipulated that
the United States and Spain mutually
relinquish all claims for indemnity, ma
tional and individual, of every kind, of
either Government, or of its citizens or
objects, 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
article then declares that the United
States will adjudicate and settle the
claims of its citizens against Spain re-
linquished in this article
The powers of tine Commission are full
ly set forth in the act In relation to
the presentation of claims the statute
says that every claim prosecuted before
the Commission shall be presented by
petition, setting forth concisely the facts
upon which the claim is based. with an
itemized schedule The petition must
give the name. citizenship, and residence
of the claimant, and shall state the
amount of damages sought to be recov
cred. 1t must be filed with the clerk of
the Commission. The section further
says: "All claims shall be filed as afore-
said within six months from the date of
the first meeting of the Commission, and
every claim not filed within such time
shall be forever barred"
A provision is made that the Commits
sion can receive claims within six months
after the expiration of the time, if the
claimants can establish good reasons for
not presenting their documents earlier.
The act stipulates that the award in
favor of any claimant shall be only for
the actual amount of the direct damage !
which the claimant can prove he has sus-
tanned. All awards of the tribunal are |
to be final. unless a new hearing shall |
be granted by the Commissioners. The /
if in doubt on any point /
arising in the facts of case. can certify |
the facts and the question of law to the |
Supreme Court, and the court is author /.
zed to consider the same
The Commission has now in its hands }
claims amounting to about s32 900 600. /
many of which are large Among the most
important are the following: Yznaga, del
Vale. 81, 900, 600; J. w. Brock 81 900 900: Al t
pert Brock, 81 300. COO: Charles Rosa. $l,140,- {
90 and Joseph Rigney. 100000. 1t is ex- /
De filed before the Commission closes its
books. Many are considered to be exorbi-
ant. and probably will be considerably re-
iuced by the Commission.
Speaking of the work of the Commission
senator Chandler said Yesterday that he
bought il could be finished within the two
ears provided in the act as the life of |
he Commission. The President however |
: allowed, at his discretion, to extend the
ife of the body for periods of six months
n order to enable the Commission TO COM
,lete its work