The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-24
Vast Sums Due American Citi-
zens For Many Years.
HARD TlAE GETTING MONEY
CLAIMS AGAINST GOVERNMENT
AMOUNT TO MILLIONS.

government owes this money TO its citi-
zens and many of these debts date back
to the foundation Of the government.
The United States is an elusive debtor,
and it has often been said that if the
government were an individual and
conducted its business as it does as
government, it would soon set into the
penitentisry. Claims against the gov
eminent are proverbially hard 10 col
lect The United States cannot be sued
under the ordinary forms of law for the
collection of an account against it, and
the machinery for such collection
through legislative channels is so COM
plicated that vexatious delays are IN
evitable.
The number Of claimants who have
accounts against the United States and
who are seeking relief through legis-
lation and who have bills before the
Fifty seventh congress exceed those OF
any prior congress since the close OF
the civil war Although the session has
but fairly commenced, over LOO bills
have been presented in the senate and
referred to the committee on claims
for action An equally large number.
most of them. of course, being dupli-
Gates of the senate bills have been in
PRODUCED in the house. These bills en-
body the claims of several thousand
individuals, the claims of nearly every
state in the Union, claims of large
number of schools and churches, and Of
many corporations, and aggregate IN
amount over $4,000 900. These claims
are classified by the claims committee
into seven classes, as follows: State
claims. French spoliation claims
churches and schools. personal injury
TQ1r n h
er acts. Selfridge board findings and
miscellaneous claims
Only Part of the Claims.
This $1S, 0O0,O 600 represents only those
claims which have been put into the
form of bills and presented TO congress
for consideration. The claim growing
out of the recent war with Spain, the
Chilean war claims and others not yet
before congress represent an additional
alleged Indebtedness of the United
States amounting to probably $25, OO0,-
OOO 1t is probable therefore, that the
United States has floating indebted
ness, not yet adjudicated and some of
I it of doubtful legality amounting TO
nearly 10000, 900. In the business Of a
private corporation the floating indebt-
edness is always included in d state
ment of liabilities. but not so with the
United States. II is also true that in
the case of an individual or corporation
the floating debt causes the most trOu-
bic. and is the liability which gener-
ally leads to bankruptcy. The United
States government, however, takes into
| account its bonded debt only and let's
/ its creditors do the worrying over the
I floating debt.
The greater number of claims and
amount Of money claimed. TO which
the attSntion 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 destruction of prop
| eTty and other obligations incurred by
the government during the civil war
and not Immediately paid for by the
army of the United States. The claim
ants are mainly residents of the south
ern states. and much of the testimony
] introduced in their support is for the
! purpose Of proving the loyalty of the
claimants to the government at the
| time the property and stores were
/ taken.
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 president
/ proclamation of blockade, April q,
/ 1851: consequently all claims growing
; out of the war have been incurred
| since that date. Under act of congress
/ approved July 4. 1864, claims of loyal
! citizens for stores furnished the army
/ were referred TO the quartermaster
| general and the commissary general OF
! the army for adjustment. Under this
/ act 5S.2S3 claims, aggreeating $40, 135,
| 160.55. were filed. Of these. 1885 were
! approved and paid. the amount being
/ $500. 745.S3. There were disaTewed
! S6.S32. 0SS.64. and left unadjudicated 3S,-
! 647 claims. amounting 10 over ST.
/ 100000
Created Commission.
1t was found that the quartermaster
/ general and the commissary general
4 had not the proper facilities 10 proper
( ~ adjudicate the great number OF
/ claims presented. and on March 3, 1871
] congress created commission. known
/ as the southern war claims commits
( sion, which was given powers Of in
/ Vestigation and was required TO report
its findings to congress. In all claims
for stores. supplies. etc. not exceeding
$4,000, testimony was taken by agents
+ of the commission in the state where
l the claimant resided: in claims over
1 that amount the claimant was required
/ to come to Washington TO testify orally
before the commission. This commits
sion disposed of many of the claims
/ which il inherited from the war de-
partment. but its term expired by I'm
itation on March TO- 1SS04 On March 3
1882. congress passed what is known
as the Bowman act providing tha'
when any claim or matter is pendine
before either house of congress or any
committee which involves the iuvesti.
cation or determination of facts. tbs
same may be transmitted to the cOur
of claims for hearing.
The court construed this act in SucI
I a manner as TO prevent the cOnsidera
tion of certain claims for rent, use anC
occupation OF schools. churches anC
other buildings. and on March 3. 1887
an. act was approved. known as th'
4 Tucker act. which bTOsdened the Bow
man act and gave the court Of claims
jurisdiction TO investigate any claim
4 which might be referred TO It by con
! gress. 1t is under the Tucker act tina
most Of the bills introduced in con
gTess for claims are now adjudicated
! Included among them are the claims
for churches and schools. The tota
amount of these claims authorized I,
be paid by congress since the war /
S214. 62S.59. The claims still pending ag
gregate over $4,000 and are maini,
for rent and damage TO property -Occu
pied by troops during the war Claims
aggregating upward of $500 600 hav
been disallOwed by various congresse
since the war and undoubtedly man,
of the claims now pending viii be re
jected. Some of the larger allowance
since the war have been: William ant
Mary college Virginia. $4,000. Ken
lucky university Lexington. Ky, S25.
eco: Roman Catholic church at Chat
tanOoga, SIS, 729.0S; Episcopal seminary
Alexandra. Va. $40 900. Washington
college. Lexington. Va. S17.4SA