The Topeka state journal., 1908-02-17
CASH FOR KANSAS
State Claim Agent Is on Warm
Trails.
May Recover Big Sum on In
terest Account.
A RELIC OF THE WAR.
Interest and Discount on the
\ RELIC OF THE WAR.
Interest and Discount on the
State Scrip.
Also Making Effort to Recover
Large Body of Land.

Washington, Feb. 17.-John G.
Nicholson of Newton. state claim
agent, is in Washington indefinitely
trying to secure the adjustment OF
number Of matters in the way OF
claims on the part of the state
against the general government. Some
of them are practically as good as
settled; while others are not yet ad-
justed.
Probably the most important mat
ter Mr.. Nicholson has on hand IS
what he calls the interest and dis
count claim. This amounts to $1O1,-
600. 1t is for interest and discount
on bonds issued by the state OF Ran
sas for raising funds to enlist, equip
and maintain troops from Kansas IN
the war of the rebellion, the First TO
Seventeenth regiments inclusive, and
their transportation. The cialm Is
now pending in the office of the au-
ditor for the war department, ana
Mr.. Nicholson is pressing II asslo-
uously, from day to day. ne mas ~
in the hands of expert examiners at
the present time. The notable prece-
dent in this case is that of the state
of New York, whose claim was de-
cided valid by the United states su-
preme court.
MT. NICHOLSON Is dlSO lIilCiOSeSo a.
the capitol in the joint resolutions In
troduced in the senate by Senator
Long and in the house of representa-
tives by Mr.. Campbell, for Mr.. Cald-
erhead, who was seriously Ill IN tne
early part of the session, whlch seeks
to recover 1900 acres of land due the
state on the apportionment of land
to the agricultural college, under the
act of 1862 which provided land to
states for agricultural colleges based
on congressional apportionment
Kansas, having one Representative
and two senators, was entitled TO w.
900. while, as a fact, 1t did not re-
ceive this amount by $500 acres.
The University of Kansas claim, as
signed to the regents by the new
England Emigrant Aid society, con-
sisting of $4,000. and which Senator
Long has strong hope of securing IN
the omnibus claims bill now pending
in the senate, is also another matter
in which Mr.. Nicholson is Interested,
and to which he is devoting portion
Of his time in interviewing members
of the claims committee. Senator
Long thinks there will be good
chance for this appropriation.
Mr. Nicholson has been state claim
agent for several years. having oeen
appointed by Governor Bailey In 1913.
In his term of office he has settled
numerous claims of the state, large
and small, and when he gets the ones
referred to above cleaned up, he will
have disposed of practically every
thing of Importance.
A peculiar circumstance occurred
the other day when A. A. Richards
of wellington took his oath of office
as assistant attorney in the depart
ment Of Justice. He was given me-
morandum showing the list OF special
attorneys, examiners, clerks. steno-
he %
him in his new position. Almost
heading the list was the name OF John
S. Mosby, of Virginia. Mosby Is an
indefatigab1e special agent of the de-
partment of justice. and has done
some work in his line in connection
with land frauds in Kansas. He has
won much fame and renown as such
an officer of the law department.
But his title to fame does not lie in
his civil life and efforts, but rather
in what he did during the war of the
rebellion. He was at the head OF
what was known as "Mosby's Guer-
rillas" a band which spread terror
northern Virginia, West
Virginia, and Maryland, and south
ern Pennsylvania. He overran that
country much as John Morgan did
Kentucky and Ohio. He was dash
ing, daring, impetuous leader. In the
latter part of the war of the rebellion,
John Richards, a strong, forceful un-
ion man, was living Just OH the Po-
tomac river in southern Pennsylvania
near the Maryland line. He had
been a STAKEHOLDER in the antebe1-
lum days, and had moved from the
eastern shore of Maryland to Penn
sylvania. He became a union man,
freed his slaves, and stood high In
that section of the country. In the
Der time and again of the Pennsy1-
vania legislature, and died only last
year at a ripe old age. But in the
latter days of the war, he was a hunt
ed man. Colonel Mosby set an offer
of $4,000 on him. dead or alive, and
younger children, lay many night
out in the woods, with his mother
and sisters, trying to protect them,
while his brothers and father were
away. So it was with considerable
feeling that Mr.. Richards saw the
the list of employees of the depart
ment of justice Immediately under
him, when he took his oath of office
the other day.
Representative Reeder is trying to
amend the pension laws. He would
make it possible, in view of the trouble
many soldiers have. through loss of
records, family Bibles, etc, in proving
their age under the McCumber, or age,
pension law, for everv soldier who is
otherwise entitled, to be considered by
the pension office as having been 81
years of age on January 1. 1865. Mr..
Reeder would also in his bill, scale
down the age at which soldiers may be
relieved under the McCumber law by
granting them $12 at so years instead
of 81; SIS at 81 instead of 70; and $40 at
20, instead of 75.
The Kansas delegation at it's recent
caucus selected Representative j. NJ
Miller of the Fourth district as the
member from Kansas Of the Republican
congressional campaign COMMITTEES,
which conducts the campaigns for the
election of a Republican house of~rep-
resentatives each two years.