Evening star., 1902-02-22
UNCLE SANS DEBTS
t7s.
Large Sums Due American
Citizens for Many 4 Years.
CLAIMANTS OBSTACLES
g-s
CONGRESS THE ONLY LAWFUL
COLLECTION AGENCY.
A Floating Indebtedness of Nearly
Fifty Million Dollars Charged
Against the Government.
CLAIMANTS OBSTACLES

the sum total of which runs into millions
Of dollars The government owes this
money to it's citizens and many of these
debts date back to the foundati ton OF the
government The United States is an elu-
sive debtor and it has often been said that
if the government were an individual and
conducted it's business as it does as gov
ern,nent it would soon get into the peni-
tentiary Claims against the government
are proverbially hard to collect. The Unit
ed States cannot be sued under the Ordi-
nary forms of law for the collection of an
account against it, and the machinery for
such collection through legislative channels
is so complicated that veXatious delays are
inevitable.
The number of claimants who have ac-
counts against the United States and who
are seeking relief through legislation ana
who have bills before the Fifty-seventh
Congress exceed those of any prior Con-
gress since the close of the civil war. AL
though the session has but fairly COM
menced over / 100 bills have been presented
in the Senate and referred to the commit
| tee on claims for action. An equally large
number, most of them, of course, being
| duplicates of the Senate bills, have been
| introduced in the House. These bills en-
body the claims Of several thousand in
| dividuals, the claims of nearly every state
| In the Union, claims Of large number OF
Sch0OlS ana cnuTcHcS, anu OF many cor
| porations, and aggregate in amount over
| $13, ,OOO050. These claims are classified by
| the claims committee into seven classes,
| as follows: State claims. French spoliatfon
claims, churches and schools, personal in
jury claims, claims under Bowman and
other acts, Selfridge board findings and
miscellaneous claims
Bills Before Congress.
This s13,oo0,Go0 represents only those
oil u-bi bav inf hp
of bills and presented to Congress for con-
sideration The claim growing out of the
recent war with Spain, the Chilean war
claims and others not vet before Congress
represent an addittenaI alleged indebted
ness of the Unitsi@ Sites amounting to
probably S21,OOO.COd H$is probable, there
fore, that the United States has floating
Indebtedness, not yet ad1udicated and some
of it of doubtful legality, amounting to
nearly S50,010.0O0. In the business Of a pri-
vate corporation the floating debt is always
included In a statement Of liabilities, but
not so with the United States. 1t is also
true that in the case of an individual or
corporation the floating debt causes the
most trouble, and Is the liability which
generally leads to bankruptcy. The United
States government, however, takes into ac
count its bonded debt only, and lets It's
creditors do the worrying over the floating
debt.
The greater number Of claims and amount
of money claimed to which the attention
Of Congress has been called. come under
the classification of the Bowman and other
acts. These are claims for use of stores
and supplies, the occupation and destruc-
ton Of property and other obligations in
Cured by the government during the civil
war and not Immediately paid for by the
army Of the United States. The claimants
are mainly residents Of the southern states,
and much of the testimony introduced in
their support is for the purpose Of proving
t10 NJ fna ole ofry,op
| ment at the time the property and stores
were taken.
War Claims.
The history of legislation under which
claims for property and stores taken by
the government during the civil war are
and have been collected is Of interest. The
Supreme Court Of the United States decided
In 1862 that the war began with the Presi-
dents proclamation of blockade April II.
1861, consequently all claims growing out
Of the war have been incurred since that
Date. Under act Of Congress approved July
1, 1864. claims Of loyal citizens for stores
furnished the army were referred to the
quartermaster general and the commfssary
general of the army for adjustment. Under
16O.55, were filed OF these 1895 were ap-
proved and paid, the amount being $6O10,-
1888. There were disallowed So, 1872, ,O3S "a,
and left unadjudicated 3S,647 claims,
amounting to over $27, 100000.
Under the Bowman and Tucker Acts.
1t was found that the quartermaster gen.
eral and the commissary general had not
the proper facilities to properly adjudicate
the great number of claims presented, and
on March 3. 1871, Congress created COM
mission. known as the southern war claims
commission, which was given powers Of in
vestigation, and was required to report Its
m
stores. supplies, etc, not exceeding $4,000
testimony was taken by agents Of the COM
mission In the state where the claimant re-
sided: In claims over that amount the
claimant was required to come to Washing
ton to testify orally before the commission.
This commission disposed of many of the
claims which 1t inherited from the War
Department. but its term expired by linn
itation on March 10, $780, On March B,
1sS2. Congress passed what Is known as the
Bowman act, providing that when any
claim or matter Is pending before either
House of Congress or any committee which
involves the investigation or determination
OF Iacts, the same may be transmitted to
the Court of Claims for hearing. The court
construed this act in such a manner as to
prevent the consideration Of certain claims
for rent. use and occupation OF schools,
churches and other buildings, and on March
s. 1887, an act was approved, known as the
Tucker act which broadened the Bowman
act, and gave the Court of Claims juris-
might be referred to 1t by Congress. It Is
under the Tucker act that most Of the bills
introduced in Congress for claims are now
ad1ud1cated. Included among them are the
claims Tor churches and schools. The total
amount OF these claims. authorized to be
PAID by Congress since the war Is $2l4.-
o2S.oe The claims still pending aggregate
over $lOO,OOO. and are mainly for rent and
Damage to property occupied by troops
during tho war. Claims aggregating up
ward or 100000 have been disallowed by
various Congresses since the war. and un-
doubtedly many Of the claims now pending
Will be rejected. Some Of the larger allow
ances since the war have been: William and
Mary College. Virginia. So. 600: Kentucky
University, Lexington, KY, $2b.OOO: Roman
Catholic Church at Chattanooga, $18. 300;
episcopal Seminary, Alexandria. Va, So
81, ,4S4.
State Claims.
The claims OF various states against the
general government aggregate 100000.
These include advances and expenditures
made by various states and the city Of Bal
timore In the war of 1872 with Great
Britain, these claims amounting to $3O9-
4S937; claim Of the state of Florida for
suppressing the Seminole Indian outbreaks.
amounting to $716, 6,667 Is; the Nevada state
claim. amounting to $46S. .OO3.00 for moneys
advanced In aiding in the suppression OF
the rebellion In the civil war; claim of the
state or wyoming for protecting the Yel-