The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-25
COTTON FUND IS
 NOT VERy|;;...ARCE Statement ssyy'd Broadcast Setting S13'OOO'OOO ACCUMULATED AFTER WAR Judge Jordan, Who Has List of Cotton Claims, Prepares Statement Set
 ting Forth Status of the
ACCUMULATED AFTER WAR

Washington, June d. (Special1 A statement originating in Washington that there is S13,oOO.o00 in the treasury belong ing to the cotton fund is again being eN- tensively copied in the public press, es pecially in the south. This publication Is causing persons, or their descendants, who lost cotton to make inquiries at the treas ury department. The officials there say the statement Is erroneous and mislead- ing. At any rate the statement Is made officially that Il is useless to apply to the treasury department with any such claims. The only relief possible is through Congress.
 Judge Lewis Jordan, the chief of the miscellaneous division of the seeretary's office, has had the files of the cotton claims in his office for many years and has prepared a statement going fully into the matter. The statement has been ap- proved by the secretary of the treasury and can therefore be considered official.
 Judge Jordan Explains.
 By an act approved March P, ls6S' said Judge Jordan today, the secretary of the treasury was authorized to ap- point special agents to collect captured and abandoned property in the states in insurrection Nine districts were estab- lshed, and an agent appointed for each. All the property collected by them that was not returned to the owners was sold, and the proceeds reported to the secre- tary of the treasury. The records show that in many cases the secretary order ed the property collected by the agents to be restored to the owners before sale, and in other cases he returned the pro- ceeds derived from the sale to the owners. The treasurer of the United States was until March 90, 1868, the custodian of the funds t was trea q as Il trust fund under the control of the secretary. By. a joint resolution approved March 30 1868, it was provided that all the moneys de- rived from the sale of captured and aban- doned property, which included cotton which have not already been actually covered into the treasury shall immed- lately be paid into the treasury. Since the passage of the joint resolution, all the funds derived from the sale of captured and abandoned property have been GOV cred into the treasury, from which it cannot be taken without an appropIia- tlon by Congress. There is therefore no cotton fund in the treasury, carried on the books as such, nor as the captured and abandoned property fund
 Total Receipts $26,997, ,594.39.
 February 1, 1888, the register of the treasury reported to the secretary that the receipts of the treasury from cap tured and abandoned property were $26. ss1,5S4.39, and noted that In this amount was included $2571, ,090.75 derived from premium on the sale of gold coin which had been received from the sale of cot ton purchased by treasury agents, and which was sold for gold. There have been no further amounts received from this source since the Registers report
 There seems to be a general impress sion in the country" continued Judge Jordan, 'that the captured and abandon ed property fund was all derived from the sale of cotton. This is an error. Here is the complete statement taken from the books of the treasury department:
 Statement By Treasury Department.
 Amount covered into the treasury de- rived from sale of individual cotton, $15,- sS0,66419. From this amount should be deducted the following payments: Judg ment of the court of claims under act of March 12 1863, to February 1, 1888, s.
 
 ruary 4, 1888, and private acts, $52O, TOO IS: dsbursed as expenses under section 3, joint resolution. March 30, 1868. and sub sequent acts, S242. 34; judgments against treasury agents under act of July 27, 1868, $oo. .276 .79 claims allowed by the secretary under section ,. act of May IS. 1872, $195,- S96 21, a total of $l0SS8,314. .27 There is then only $4992, ,349. .92 left In the treasury, which was received from the sale of captured and abandoned cotton.
 There were 1886 claims filed under the act of 1872 for 136O0O bales, of the esti- mated value of s13,GOO,00O. Only s195,S96 21 was allowed by the secretary. The claims were nearly all disallowed for the reason that the Confederate records in this di- the cotton to the Confederate government, ton when seized after June 3o 1865, but was the property of the Confederate gov ernment. Ample provision was made by law for all persons who claimed that their property was unlawfully taken. First, until the fund was covered into the treas ury, in 1868, the Secretary of the Treasury could return the property or the proceeds In all cases where a claim was substan- tiated by proper evidence. Second, the court of claims had jurisdiction for all the act of 1872 provided that all claims for cotton could be filed with the secre- tary until November, 1872.
 'The treasury department" concluded Judge Jordan, "has now no authority to consider and settle cotton and war claims, and relief, if any. must be afforded by