The Opelousas courier., 1908-02-08
THE COTTON CLAIMS

being covered into the Federal
Treasury. It is provided further
by the measure of the owner%
proof of loyalty shall not be r.
quired, and that all contracts 4or
fees and allowances to attorneys,
hitherto made, shall be nullified.
Several other bills of similar pur-
port have been introduced during
the present session. among them
one by Congressman Watkins OF
Louisiana, who drafted his meas
ure along the lines of a bill favor
ably reported by the Senate com.
mittee last session. The authors of
the House bills on the subject will
have no trouble in agreeing upon
any measure calculated to secure
restitution of the funds held, and
;ho. e is said to be some chance OF
{ orable action.
he history of the efforts made
ecure return of this money to
Is owners records a long series OF
disappointments. While the fund
was at the disposal of the Secretary
of the Treasury, and payable on
the favorable awards Of the Court
of Claims, some millions were dis
tributed. Years ago, however, the
claims were outlawed by statutory
limitation. Since then repeated ef-
forts have been made to reinvest
the Court Of Claims with the neces-
sary jurisdiction and to remove
some of the onerous and unjust re-
strictions which made recovery
difficult. Bills authorizing the
desired relief have been favorably
reported time and again by Senate
and House committees, but it is
explained that the two branches
have never been able to get to-
gether upon any one measure and
restitution has been postponed.
Meanwhile there remains in the
Federal Treasury something like
five millions of money rightfully
belonging to despoiled owners of
seized cotton, or to their heirs,
which has been wrongfully with
held for about forty years.
1t is no longer argued that the
government has any valid title to
the possession of this sum-. Repub-
lican as we'll as Democratic COM
mittee having frankly acknowl-
edged that It belonged to the
Southern owners of the seized cot
ton from the sale of which it was
derived. Nor is there any pretense
that the owners proof Of loyalty
is a Just requirement; the claims
committee of a Republican House
aving reported in 1897 that 1.-The
Presidents proclamation of par
1on and amnesty, with restora-
ton of rights and property, and
particularly that Of July 4, 1868,
was a decision on the part OF the
government which decided affirm.
atively the right Of all the owners
of such property to the proceeds
thereof in the Treasury" 'Fol
more than twenty years." CONT
nued the same report, "the claim
ants have been appealing to Con
gress for relief, and if Congress, il
The discharge of more pressing du
ties. has neglected this appeal, or i
the remedy it provided has proven
inefficacious, the stronger the rea
son for some action in this direc
ton at the present time. Tn
claimants are fast passing away
leaving as an inheritance to thel
children the prospect of litigatio
with their government, -. and t
delay further is simply to rob an
deprive these parties OF the
rights
Surely no stronger presentmer
of the case than that made by tn
committee could be desired; "
the relief is still delayed, and tt
Congress, whose members woul
consider themselves dishonored
individuals by failure to refun
money held by them in trust t.
it's owners, apparently holds tt
imputation against the honesty
the government as OF little m
ment. The national honor d
mands restitution of this money
insistently as it requires PAYNE
of interest on the public debt, al
the delay in making refund can ]
longer be excused on parts;
grounds, since the partisans the1
selves admit the obligation al
Z condemn the delay as robbery al
y deprivation of property rights.
The demand for refund of t
cotton taxes illegally collected
LIZ CA,,4L Jurr rho Woo rc 1899