The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-04-05
BEATS MOST Fiction.
Tales Revealed in Old Claims Be-
fore Congress.
GO BACK TO DAYS OF '7e
Trail Often So Confused That Many
Legitimate Claims Are DisaIlowed
How Long and Short Term T.
( Senators Were Chosen.
By GEORGE CLINTON.

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington - Readers of Mark
Twain will remember his story of the
great beef claim and the course OF
the proceedings before the lawmakers
In Washington. When a man does dig
ging after truth in the records OF con-
gress he can find some things which
are stranger than the romances of the
fiction writer's. There are claims to-
day before either congress or the court
Of claims which have their origin back
In the Revolutionary days. The trac-
Ing of the right to recompense from
the government for sacrifices made by
ancestors of present day people is
one Of the hardest tasks known to law
yers. The trail gets confused after
time, and so it is that some people who
may have legitimate claims against
Uncle Sam are unable to collect them.
Only the other day an adverse re-
port on a Revolutionary claim was
ate committee which has charge of
such matters The claim was for the
payment of 80 loan certificates alleged
to have been issued by Richard Ralph
Randall, May Is, 1779 which certifi-
Gates were for $500, continental
money, specie value, $47.73. Congress-
was asked that these certificates
should be paid with interest to a very
remote descendant of Randall, who
died In 1890. He left a son, William,
who, when he was an old man, adver-
tised for the lost certificates and me:
morialized congress for their payment.
The lawmakers refused to pay any at.
tontton to tho matter. Others have
presented the claim but without sue
tebs, Fl:
Civil War Claims.
Claims growing out Of the war be-
tween the states are, of course, more
numerous than those growing out o.
the war of the Revolution, because the
one war is nearer to us than the 9th
or, and many of the active claimants
are living. The senate has just given
the Shawnee Indians of Kansas the
right to go to the proper United States
court to have their claims adjusted for
indemnity for losses sustained by
them during the Civil war 1t is claim
ed that these particular Shawnee In
dians remained peaceful during the
trouble between the states, did not
commit depredations, and yet on the
hot hcl
Union soldiers seized the Indians pro-
visions, household goods, cattle, horses
and hogs and used them without rem
dering any payment therefor +"
1t has been said that the Civil war
is nearer to us than the Revolution
ary war, but the length of time that
1t takes to have a claim adjusted or
even to start it on the way to adjust
ment may be made known when it is
said that this Shawnee matter has
been pending in one way or another
for As years.
There has just been issued by order
OF congress pamphlet called Pro
ceedings of the Senate Relating to
the Classification of United States SEN
ators Under the Second Paragraph of
the Third Section Of the First Article
of the Constitution of the United
States" The contents of the pamph-
let are taken from the journals of tho
senate. ~ - "
The material which has been gath
cred contains information as to how it
was decided which of two senators
elected at the same time should serve
the long term and which the short
term. Take the case of West Vir-
ginia, for instance, which was admit.
ted into the Union during the war be.
tween the states. The case cited will
show how the question Of the long and
the short terms where two senators
were elected together was answered
in all instances where it was raised.
How 1t Was Done. e. %..@
In the West Virginia case it was or
dered That the secretary put into
the ballot box two papers of equal
size, oise of which shall be numbered
one and the other shall be blank,
Each of the senators of the state Of
West Virginia shall draw out one pa.
per, and the senator who shall draw
the paper numbered one shall be in
serted in the class of senators whose
term of service will expire the Sd
of March, 1869. That the secretary
then put into the ballot box two pa-
pers of equal size, one OF which shall
be numbered two and the other shall
be numbered three. The other sena-
tor shall draw out one paper. If the
paper drawn be numbered two. the
senator shall be inserted in the class
of senators whose terms of service
will expire the Sd day Of March. 1865:
and if the paper drawn be numbered
three, the senator shall be inserted in
the class Of senators whose term Of
service will expire the Sd day al
March, 1867.
"The secretary having put into the
ballot box two papers, one Of which
was numbered one and the other 4
blank, the Hon. Peter G.. Wrinkle drew
the paper numbered one, and is ac-
cordingly in the class Of senators
whose terms Of service will exn;ra -