Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-05-06
HON. WYATT AIKEN's SPEECH.
Made a Telling Talk on an Important
Question Before the House.

While the House of representatives
y had under consideration the bill max
ing appropriations for the naval SER
vice for the coming year, Hon. Wyatt
Aiken, of South Carolina, took ad-
vantage of the opportunity offered,
and taking up a question that is of
great interest to the whole South,
spoke as follows:
Mr.. Chairman: More than forty
years have elapsed since the remnants
of two great armies met for the last
time at Appomattox. Whatever pre-
judice, whatever bitterness, whatever
injustice survived this parting found
no lasting place in the hearts of those
who had borne the brunt of battle.
In the shallow graves of those who
did not live to see the dawn of peace
blue and gray slept side by side, as
do children Of the same mother.
Honor and valor had exacted the sac
rif1ce, and the true soldier, North and
South, standing over these grs ses,
grounded his arms and said, "It is
enough" ..
If those who saved the Union in
fact by Offering their lives for its ex-
istence had also been entrusted with
the governments policy Of reconstruc-
tion, the legislation that 1 am going
to ask for, and that l have proposed
in bill-House Resolution l9747--
would have been unnecessary. The
bill to which refer is as follows:
A Bill to Provide for the Refunding
to Lawful Claimants the Proceeds
of the Cotton Tax UnlawfuIIy Col
lected.
Be it enacted, ETC., That the Com
missioner of Internal Revenue shall,
Immediately upon the passage and
approval of this act, compile q state
ment showing the amount Of money
illegally collected by the United States
Government on account Of the tax on
cotton for the years 1868, 1864, 1855,
1866, 1867 and 1868, respectively, in
the several States, and showing, II
possible, the persons, firms or corpo-
rations paying the same, with the
amounts so paid, which statement,
when properly certified as to It's cor
;rctness. shall be filed with the clerk
of the Court Of Claims and a dupli-
cate thereof filed with the treasurer
of the United States.
Sec. 2. That the Court of Claims is
hereby clothed with full and complete
authority and jurisdiction to hear, try
and adjudicate all claims made under
this act by persons, firms or corpora
tions, or their lawful heirs or repre-
sentatives, claiming TO have paid such
tax for any or for all the years herein
stated, and when said Court of Claims
shall have adjudged a claim just and
lawfully made, in the name Of the
proper party or parties, 1t shall ap-
prove the same, and the clerk Of said
Court Of Claims shall certify said ap-
proval and transmit the approved
claim to the Treasurer of the United
States, who shall pay the same.
Sec. 3. That a sum sufficient to
cover the total amount Of cotton tax
collected, as shown by the statement
Of the Commissioner OF Internal Rev
enue, is hereby appropriated, out OF
any funds in the United States treas
ury not otherwise appropriated, and
the same shall - available for the
payment of all approved claims for
the refund Of said cotton tax, claim
ants to have five years in which to
present and establish their claims
and the unexpended balance accred-
tied to each State, after all approved
claims have been paid and pending
claims deducted. shall be paid to the
treasurer of that State, to be used as
a public school fund.
Sec. 4. That this act shall take ef-
feet Immediately upon it's passage
and approval by the President.
I refer to the rounding of the cot
ton taxes illegally collected, mainly
from the Southern States.
That this tax was illegal, that It
was unjust, from whatever stand
point viewed, there is not a shadow
of doubt. In the only case brought
before the Supreme Court of the
United States the eight Judges sitting
were divided, four and four. Lead
ing men who have stood in line OF
battle in the Union army, notably
Hon. Charles II. Grosvenor. whose
ability we all know, whose zeal as q
Federalist Is unquestioned, whose