Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-15
ASKS TARDY REWARD
BILL TO REMUNERATE HEIRS OF
DIR. MORAN FOR VALUABLE sERv1
WAS PROMISED COMMISSION.
A virsinian Now Deceased from the
Federal Government s44s,ooO, on
which 1t Is Said He WINS Promis-
ed n Large Margin. GA GA oAo 40

ITO compensate the heirs of ]. J. Moran
for services rendered by him as agent of
the State in prosecuting the claim of
State for recovery of direct tax levied by
! the Federal Government under act Of
amendatory thereof
The foregoing is the title of bill pre-
sented to the Senate yesterday by Mr.
Donahoe, of Fairfax county. The his
tory of the claim is an Interesting one,
and In conversation with reporter for
The Richmond News Senator Donahoe
gave the following facts:
| The claim. in my Judgment. is clearly
! and indsputa bly, a just one. The General
Assembly. by an act approved March 8,
1880 authorized the Governor to appoint
an agent to collect certain claims due
tie State. including claim against the
United States. on account of taxes coll
lected under the act of Congress approved
Aug. o, 1861, and the amendatory acts
thereto, and to pay said agent for his
services a sum not to exceed % per cent
upon the net amount of money collected.
Governor Holiday. acting under the au-
thority thus vested in him. and with the
| approval of the Attorney General. exc
cuted contract in writing on the 2sth
day of April. 1880. appointing DR.. J. J.
iOl dll liON tttCcdSeu. VI ans .SuuECl.
Fairfax county. special agent to ad-
just. determine and settle said claim,
among others, agreeing to pay Dr. Moran
for his services Is per cent upon all
money collected.
DR.. Moran faithfully carried out his
part of the contract, and by reason Of his
efforts the State of Virginia recovered
from tie Federal Government the sum OF
SASHA, upon which he was undoubtedly
entitled to the commission agreed upon.
Unfortunately, however. DR.. Moran died
within few days from the passage of
the act by Congress, recognizing and al
lowing the claim. He had given the mat
ter eight years of ccaseIess labor, search
ing the records in Richmond and in
Washington presenting the matter to
! individual members of Congress as we'll
as before the committees of that body
neglecting his professional work for that
purpose. impoverishing not only himself
and his family, but receiving financial
assistance from his friends in the prose-
! cution Of the claim
He was profoundly impressed with the
business of the claim, and was resolved
that no effort should be lacking on his
part to bring it to a successful! conclu-
sion. His death was due to overwork.
worry and excitement. and the hardships
to which he and his FAMILY were sub
jected were believed to have caused the
death of his wife, which followed within
three months. Their three children were
left not only penniless (for at the begin
ming he Was possessed of ample means).
but were deprived of proper education
by reason of his work and expenditures
in behalf Of the State to the exclusion
of every other interest. They thus be-
came dependent upon the care and kind
ness of friends and relatives. After DR..
Moran's death there was some talk of APP
i yr,fs, 7,
agent. which, however. was found to be
unnecessary. Governor Lee. in the mean
time, had succeeded Governor Holiday.
and he assured the representatives of DR..
Moran that in the event of. the appoint
ment of a successor the State would re-
qure that nothing in said appointment
would prevent the repl esentatives of DR..
Moran's family from receiving legal COM
rensation for the eight years he had been
laborng to bring said claim to a salts
factory result.
THE record in the case embodes one
from Governor Lee advising Secretary
Fairchild that DR.. Moran was the State
agent in the matter. There is also a let
ter from the treasurer of the State Of
Maryland stating that the agent for that
State had been paid for similar services.
"Of the s4iS.144 recovered from the
United States s79,419 remained undistrl-
huted and was ultimately apportioned
among the counties and cities Of the
Commonwealth and applied to the i'm
provement Of the public roads and
streets.
Or Moran was a gentleman of the
highest character, and / will mention
the interesting fact that he attended
Edgar Allan Poe in his last illness. and
the gifted poet died in the arms OF the
gentleman who rendered such signal SER
\vice to the State Of Virginia, and whose
impoverished children .-re now asking a
reasonable remuneration for his services.
eff the State Of Virginia refuses to pay
a reasonable sum. after Officiating her
self to do so under the seal of the Com
monwealth. and by contract duly exc
c,Ited, then, indeed. have the credit and
honor of the old Commonwealth suffered
deterioration. I have no idea that such
will be the case.