The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-02-09
EXPENDITURES.
No, A.

nAlllOup VI uOAioic Va OSASA cAsSAAAAo
pending before Congress. Large
amounts are paid each session yet
the aggregate is constantly increas-
ing. The statute of limitations
does not run against the govern
ment and most Of these claims
wear whiskers and the whiskers are
very grey. Revolutionary War
claims, French Spoilation claims,
Southern War claims, Indian Dep
relation claims, and a motley
array of other claims, real, fantastic
and imaginary, hoary with age,
present themselves in spectral
procession at the door of the
Committee on claims. The Spanish
War was little one for cent, yet
the "claims'' arising therefrom
promise to exceed in number and
amount all Others,-sO mighty arc
they in volume that "Commis-
sion. had to be appointed to help
Congress settle them.
Except in the Spanish War
claims, in many, might say most
cases, the original claimants are
long since dead. Claimants die,
but claims are immortal. Many
cases exist where the original
parties never dreamed they had q
claim, but their children, grand
children and great-grandcnildren,
hunted them up Or evolved them
from the fertile fields of their
imagination, aided by ingenious
"Claim Attorneys" who when the
claims are allowed,-if there is
:;'pull" enough to get them al
lowed, -(and in nine cases out of
ten it is pull and not merit that
secures the allowance) take the
lions share and the claimants,
regarding their stipend as SO much
t'velvet," proceed to blow it in
riotous living.
Not one in ten of these claims
would receive consideration in a
Court of Justice. They are
founded in fancy and are established
by fabrications and passed by
collusion. There is no question
but that the government should pay
it's just debts and there is little
question but that it pays the most
of them in the regular course of
business. and hence those that are
brought to Congress are wholly or
very largely based on graft.
A Congressman elected by the
people seldom has nerve enough to
tell the "man with claim" whose
vote and influence the Congre ssman
wants. ''You are trying to thrust
your hand into the Treasury and
get money that you are not entitled
to-" at least. he doesn't. He
introduces the bill. He haunts the
Committee on Claims like a restless
ghost until he gets a favorable
report. He clamors on the floor
for its passage. He exhausts his
ingenuity in forming combinations.
'fYou vote for my bill and l will
vote for yours" has taken immense
sums out of the treasury, where the
measure, if it had stood alone on
its own merits, could not have
mustered a corporal's guard of
supporters. Legislation for poll
tics and legislation for profit is
responsible for the passage of most
of these claim bills. In this legis-
lators err. Just legislation is the
best politics and the most profitable
thing to do is to do right.
A few simple regulations strictly
adhered to will obviate most of the
evils l have mentioned.
No claim should be considered
unless presented. within a reason
able time after the maturity Of the
same. The government is always
solvent. Sensible business men do
not pigeon-hole just demands
against solvent debtors. until the
claims are old enough to vote.
No claim should be reconsidered
that has been once settled nor con-
sidered at all unless first presented