Evening journal., 1915-03-06

order that the House is not in order,
Mr.. Speaker. We can not hear that
friendly colloquy down there.
Mr.. MANN. The gentleman from
Virginia says there was wanton de-
struction of property. That Is what
they always say whenever an army
goes through Men conducting war
are not very nice about what they
do. Even when they are not at war
they are not very nice. LanghterJ
Now, is IL proposed that Congress-
90 years after the war, shall deter
mine whether the order of a Union OF
ficer in charge OF an army to destroy
property was a proper order or not?
What do we know about It?
Mr.. FLOOD Of Virginia. Mr.. Speak
er---
Mr.. MANN. / do not yield.
The man in charge was responsible
for doing what he believed was the
proper thing to do. We can not de-
termine that. If he erred, II was an
error which we ought not 20 pay for.
IL is impossible TO pay for all the
property which was destroyed IN the
South by the Union Army.
/ used to hear the statement made
when / was much younger that II the
Democrats got into power they were
likely to pay for the destruction OF
property In the South Well, we just
passed an omnibus war claims bill,
most of the items of which would not
have been considered for a moment
20 years ago, most of the items OF
which the committee would not have
reported at all 20 years ago, and that
was 30 years after the war. When
the Democrats we're IN control OF the
Government before, they did not pass
items such as we passed by unanimous
consent in the omnibus war claims
bill tonight These things become a
matter OF growth and precedent
When we start in on a certain line
we have TO follow It up. DO we pro-
pose to pay for the property which
was destroyed by the armies in the
South by direction of the commanding
officers, no matter what some man
may think now about the order hav-
ing been a proper ono or not2 You
pay one of these claims and every
claim attorney follows up the matter
at once He says, Here is a claim
that has been paid" and he has bill
presented, and pretty soon we will
be paying all sorts of these claims
OF else we will have TO stand very
strong in order TO resist them.
A few years ago some one man
aged TO get a claim paid for church
of a Masonic lodge or a city hall, Oh
the ground that they could not be dis
loyal as organizations. Now we arc
paying those claims by the hundreds
Of thousands of dollars. / will say
TO you gentlemen on that side Of Tho
House who were responsible for logis.
lation, If you start in to pay claims
for property which was destroyed b,
the Union armies in the South, l vii
ring the changes on 1t all over this
country in the North. The war Il
over. We have forgiven and forgot
ten that, but that does not mean tina
we are going to pay for the propert'
which was destroyed as a matter o
war by the armies.
This bill is for damage and destruc
ton by the military authority OF tn
United States. That is the languag
of the bill. And
Il shall he complete and absolute bar
any and all claims for the damage and d
struciion Of the property OF said institute
the armies Of the United States
If II Is wanton destruction, so muc
less is the claim valid one. Blu
the commanding officer of an army /
the man who determines the circum
stances. It is not his subordinate OF
ficers, and much less is IL men bori
since the act was committed. | an
opposed to opening the door for III
payment of property destroyed by tn
Army as a matter of war either II
the South or elsewhere; and IL thi
Congress shall enter on such
course. God pity those who follow u
and who have to provide the money.
Mr.. Speaker, l reserve the balanc
of my time. (Applause.)
Mr.. FLOOD of Virginia. Mr.. Speak
er, l yield three minutes to the Gen
tleman from Washington (Mr. John
son).
Mr.. JOHNSON OF Washington. Nj
Speaker. I should like to take this OF
portunity TO say, as briefly as poss
BILE. that among the pleasant dutiC
/ have had during this Congress Ia
been the one of serving on tho Con
mittee on War Claims. By the ver
nature of things a great many of II
claims that were presented thel
were Objectionable to me, but bl
: lieye that all have had fair treatmen
, and that the calendars of the Hou.
have not been cluttered with imposs
! bic bills. from that committee.
= I al h.. fhaf 4 found ~
> distinguished chairman of that cor
! mittee. the gentleman from Tex
! (Mr. Gregg, fair to degree, and
. also pleases me to state that | foul
! the ranking minority member, q
I distinguished gentleman from We
! mont (Mr. Plumley). careful, pain
Z taking. and judicial in all of his o
p servations. And, as a new MembS
Z want TO take this opportunity
. paying a tribute in my way TO Z
[ older Member, who is voluntarily 7
/. firing as a Representative from VC
I mont.
Mr.. Speaker, 20 me a man Of the sc
. ond generation. from the days Of o
4 fratricidal strife, whose father fOug
in the War between the States, a
q whose forbears bore arms in the W
/ Of the Revolution, il has been plea
ure for me TO have served on th
n committee. II has been most int
e esting TO add TO what little history
have read OF the battles between {
" blue and the gray, TO be able in
Il many of these cases 10 lift the cove
OF that almost closed book and pc
p intimately into disputed points-lo
is without bias as far as l have be
n. able.