The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1907-12-20
THE FEDERAL
COTTON TAX
Strong Effort Being Made to
Have it Refunded to Those
Who Paid Ii.
A Washington special to the
New Orleans Picayune says:


New Orleans Picayune says:
"No legislation, general in lis
character, that is proposed in
Congress will excite more interest
through the South or calls forth
more letters of inquiry than that
which has for its object the
adjudication of claims against the
Government for the payment of
private property destroyed. or
taken by Federal troops. during
the Civil War aud later sold. the
proceeds being covered into the
United States Treasury. Eycry
session there is a food of private
bills to refer individual cases to
the Court of Claims, few of
which are favorably acted upon.
but there are at least two classes
of claims which cannot be ade-
quately dealt with except in
general bills. The first class is
familiar to every one, in its
general aspect, yet there is a
large amount of transformation
concerning particulars. L h is
class has not been much discussed
in Congress. Although m an y
bills have been offered only one
was favorably reported and that
fifteen years ago by Democratic
House. because the judicial
authority was against it. This
class includes claims for refund
Ing the tax illegally imposed and
collected on raw cotton fiom
July /, 1862. to February 3, 1868.
Judge j. L. Watkins. who
represents a cotton district in
north Louisiana. has been
deyoting considerable study to
the first class of claims, and,
after serving two years in the
House he has concluded to make
an active effort to pass bill
whereby the Court of Claims may
be again thrown open to claimants
who desire to prove their title to
cotton which was abandoned, or
seized by Federal troops and later
was sold by Federal agents. the
proceeds being deposited in the
Treasury first as trust fund.-
and later covered into the gen
eral account. The measure which
Judge Watkins is working upon
and expects to introduce in Il few
days will not be materially diff
ferent from the bills which have
been favorably reported year
after year by Republicans as well
rs Democrats in the House and Ia
the Senate, and for the passage
of which Senator Money, of Mis-
sissippi, has been spending
prodigous effort.
I'm brief, Judge Watkins hopes
to revive and extend for a certain
period. the right of action in the
Court of Claims that was given
by an act approved March IL.
1868, entitled IAN act to provide
for the collection of abandoned
property and for the prevention
of frauds in the insurrectionary
districts within the United
States" This would permit any
person, his or her heirs or legal
representatives. whose cotton was
taken and sold by the United
States to bring an action against
the United States for the recov-
cry of the money derived from
the sale of his or her cotton. The
claimant would be obliged To
establish the fact that his or her
cotton had been taken and sold
by the United States, but the
Court of Claims, under The pro-
visions of the bill, at the request
of the claimant. could have the
use of all papers aud records in
any of the departments of the
Government; and evidence taken
in any case between the United
States and any claimant. pertinent
to the issue, could be used by the
Court in like manner.
"While these features are not
as they were drawn by Senator
,ioney, the author of the bill, in
u preceding Congress, they rep
resent the sentiment of the
Senate Committee Oh Claims, rs
expressed last session i'm an
amendment To the MEASURE"