Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-03-31

Otaims committee 20 the Senate, ap-
preparations were made to pay the
amounts found to be due in the
Omnibus Claims Bill, which passed
during the last session of Congress,
the claims having been gotten on
this bill through Senator Martins
efforts as member of the Claims
Committee. There were also two
claims in the same bill from Vir-
ginia secured through his efforts
for philanthropic societies, one the
Norfolk Seamen's Friend and the
other the Trustees of the Norfolk
Academy. The record will show
that the statements above are cor.
rect. These claims mentioned above
are, as We have stated, the only claims
paid so far.
During the second session of the
5Sth Congress Senator Martin had
referred to the Court of Claims about
forty other church claims which he
had himself introduced in the Senate,
and which were all pending in the
Senate up to that time, and all that
had been called to his attention. In
the third session of the 5Sth Con-
gress he introduced thirty two more
church bills and had them referred
to the Court of Claims for End.
ings of fact. We have secured
congressional copies of most of
these bills, also copy of the res
oiution introduced by Senator
Martin referring them to the Court
OF Claims. In the lot there are eight
claims from the First district. All
but one of them were introduced BY
Senator Martin. These bills and the
resolution are record in themselves,
and show plainly by whom they were
passed.
Some of these bills may have
been introduced many times in the
past by representatives from the
various districts in which the
churches are located, but nothing
whatever had been done with them
further than the introduction. The
matter of sending q claim to the
Court of Claims can be done by
either house of Congress without the
concurrence of the other house. None
have been sent from the House of
Representatives. These were Senate
bills. sent TO the Court through
Senate resolutions, and those that
were paid by Senate amendments to
the Omnibus Bill. No honest man
who is informed on the subject can
deny that all that has been accom-
plished towards the settlement of
church claims has been accomplished
by Senator Martin. Many of these
claims have been pending for forty
years, and perhaps have been intro
duced dozens of times, but nothing
whatever done with them. The
claims now in the Court of Claims
are going through the very same
process that the eight which were
paid in the Omnibus Bill have al
ready gone through, aud we think
that there is little doubt that Senator
Martin will be able tc secure appro-
priations to cover every one of them
that ID favorably reported from the
Court.
1t will be observed from our
editorial copied by the News that
our argument vas on the line of
the great usefulness Senator Martin
has been to Virginia at large. Our
contemporary devoted its column
or more of comment into filings
at his services to the First Dis
trict At the proper time, since
1t seems anxious, we will enlarge
on more of his First District
work-bill for erection of fog dwell.
ing at Cape Charles, establishment
of postal routes and beacon lights,
aud so on. And yet at every turn be
would make for our section he is dis
credited, and the great wonder to us
is that he has not ignored US entirely,
seeing the snimus some leaders here
bear him and how he is misrepre-
!ented to the rank and file.
La closing, we will say it has been
our desire since the primary was
fastened upon US to discourage all
hard feelings within the party, and
particularly as to personalities, and
We hope yet to avoid q bitterness such
as has left its blight in the past upon
our people. but if the "outs' who are
itching to get in are determined to
indulge in these things, and are
possessed with iliadvised humor to
besmearch characters and belittle
works of officials as was done six
years ago, We do not doubt there
will be q sufficiency of mud to
bespstter both sides. As to Senator
Martins record and usefulness, even
newspapers unfriendiy to him are
unanimous in praise. A list of his
achievements would fill columns of
any of these papers. For one thing,
our Baptist friends will not soon for
his success in getting $25, 700 for
Richmond College, after nearly forty
years of effort on the mart of otharS