The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-17
War Claims of Moody & Co,
 Were Defeated
MIR PAYNE LOSES HIS FIGHT
Southern Omnibus Claims for Stores and Supplies Taken By Union Army Would Have Gone Through
 But for Lack of Quorum.

Washington, January 16.-The house de- voted the day to private war claims, pass ing about twenty The two features of the day were the defeat of a claim of B. F. Moody & Go. of Keokuk. la, for payment of the amount deducted from their contract for furnishing equipment to the Third Iowa cavalry by the famous commission which unearthed the army contract frauds in St. Louis in 1863. ana the fight of MT. Payne. the floor leader of the majority, against an omnibus resolu- ton to refer ninety southern claims, ag-. gregating s40000O for stores and supplies taken by the union army during the civil war, to the Court of Claims for finding of fact under the Tucker act The former bill led to a lively controversy between two Iowa senators, Messrs Smith and Hedge. MT. Hit of Illinois, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, was the stenographer of the commission and was able personally to corroborate Mir. Hedge in his opposition to the bill. The combi- nation In favor of the omnibus claims resolution was too strong for MT. Payne, but on the final vote the quorum failed. As the previous question has been or dered the vote on the adoption of the on the next claims day
 Moody Claims Cut Down.
 Mir. Smith of Iowa was in charge of the claims of B. F, Moody and company. The original amount of the claim exceed ed s500oo, but it was sealed down by the committee to sS44e. MT. Smith contend ed that the claim was just, the contract having been executed under the author ity of General John c. Freemont, through his agent, Gen. Cyrus Bussey. MT. Hedge of Iowa. MT. Smiths colleague, impeach- ed the claim first on the ground that 1t had been allowed to slumber for thirty years without being presented to con gross. and then proceeded to point out that it had its origin in the action of the famous commission consisting of Da- vid Davis. Hugh Campbell and Joseph Holt, which unearthed the alleged frauds in General Freemonts department of St. Louis In 1862. He declared that General Freemont had been superseded because of the intolerable condition that were found to exist
 The report of that commission said he, was never printed because Lincoln believ- ed that its revelations would make the people despair.
 "I have that record here" said Mir Smith, raising aloft package of papers, musty and yellow with age. But it was never printed" insisted MT. Hedge.
 
 Gigantic Frauds.
 MT. Hit, chairman of the committee on foreign affairs, who had been the steno- grapher of the St. Louis commsson, cor roborated MT. Hedge. saying that the re- port which Mr. Smith had displayed had been written by his own hand. He told of the gigantic frauds unearthed In that investigation and of the unwillingness of the authorities to permit the complete story to become public owing to the dis heartening effect 1t might produce on the people. He did not remember the details of the particular claim of Moody & Co.
 MT. Smith insisted that the claim was not fraudulent in law or in fact.
 The house, however. voted the bill down 30 to 70.
 AIuonB Lue piilS pdsSeu WaS one 10 pay S56S3 to Mrs. Flora A. Darling for dam ages growing out of her arrest by the military authorities of New Orleans in 1864 which she was on flag of truce boat, under safe conduct.
 Payne Leads Fight. Mir. Payne, the floor leader of the ma- jority, led strong fight against an omni- bus resolution to refer to the Court of Claims ninety separate claims aggregat- ing s400,OO0 for finding of fact under the provisions of the Tucker act. He con tended that the resolution would remove the state of statute of limitation which already barred many of these old claims. The claims were all for stores and sup plies taken by the Federal forces during the civil war.
 Mir. Payne conducted a flibustering speech but he was overriden by friends of themeasure who comprised all the dem- ocrats and half of the republicans. On a roll call on the adoption of the resolu- ton, however. a quorum failed, the vote standing 97 to 51 and the house. at 4:45 p. m., adjourned.