Evening star., 1923-03-10
us. BILLION dollar
|. CLAIMS UP IN APRIL
Suit Against Germany to Be
Tried Here Largest in
History of World.
By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

History's biggest law suit. involving
rouhoiy d billion dollars, is about to
De tried in Washington. 1t concerns
the claims of American citizens for
damages and losses caused by Ger
many during the world war. Round
~, 10000 individual cases are in
vowed. Hearings of them-in the
hrst instance, selected test cases
VIII begin early in April.
The United States is ready now TO
proceed before the mixed claims com
mission set up for the purpose but
matters are temporarily in allegiance,
pending the return from Germany of
the chief representatives Of that
country. DR.. Wilhelm Kiesselbach,
Won Lewinski. the agent of the Ger
man government for defense of
claims, and his assistant, Herr Q. G..
kiep, left for Europe on February 81.
Private affairs and desire to con-
suit the government at Berlin in
spired their trip. They are expected
back in Washington about April /.
Then the mixed claims commission, of
which the American member is Judge
Edwin B. Parker of Texas. and on
preme Court justice. sits as umpire,
will proceed to tackle the voluminous
material which has been pilng up
virtually for the past eight years. The
rights of American nationals to re-
cover from Germany date from July
81. 1914, when the world war Of
ficially began. and not merely from
the date Of our belligerency In April,
1917.
"Agent" mt Work Here.
Robert c. Morris of New York. the
|sentation and prosecution of Ameri-
can claims, has been quietly but rest
lessly at work in Washington for
many months mobilizing his forces
for the gigantic proceedings. The
mere filing and indexing of the docu-
ments in evidence was herculear
labor Today the legal impedimenta
on which the American claims rest
overflow two entire floors of a big
office building on 18th street. With
the aid of his chief assistants. Mar
and an expert staff of filing and re-
search clerks. MIR. Morris Is now
ready for the fray. He has three
classic" test cases prepared for IN
stant action. and a score of others
in just as advanced stage. The trio
of initial test actions concern "se-
uuestration" of the personal prop
erty of an American citizen in Ger
many at the very outbreak of the
war, in July, 1914, and the exproprla-
tion of American industrial property
in German territory occupied by
the German armies in the earliest
stages of the campaign. The decision
of the mixed claims commission on
these test cases will be of direct In
fuence on an innumerable batch of
other claims more or less identical In
character.
So-called "Lusitania cases" bulk
conspicuouSly among the claims we
are asking the Germans to liquidate.
They comprehend. as the title implies,
damages asked by survivors of Amer
lean citizens who lost their lives when
d German submarine torpedoed the
famous Cunarder in May, 1915. The
sum total of sitania reparationS de-
manded of Germany is very consider
able.
Marine Insurance Cases.
Another category of. claims des-
tined to cost Germany dearly includes
those which ask compensation for
the excessive costs OF marine lnsur-
ance on ships that had to traverse
of the seas by U-boats. American
ships and shippers had to be insured
at extraordinarily high rates. In
surance premiums sometimes were
the most expensive feature OF a NOy-
age. Profits of American exporters
and navigation companies were ac-
cordlngiy affected. Now we're ask
ing Germany to pay the piper
The American officials of the mixed
claims commission have thus far ex-
perfenced the most satisfactory re-
suits from their dealings with the
German members. Mr.. Morris and his
colleagues feel that the trip to Berlin
of Messrs. Kiesselbach, Won Lewinski
and Kiep will do good by priming
them with frst-hand information
from their government and by avoid
ing delays that otherwise might have
been necessitated while hearings
were going on.
Mr.. Morris, Americas counsel in
the claims proceedings. is an expert
in that line He was counsel for the
United States before the United
States-Venezuela claims commission
In 1903. He has been a lecturer on
International law and procedure at
Yale: Mr. Morris is a member Of the
family and Is a namesake Of the great
American revolutionary financier,
Robert Morris of Philadelphia. 1t
probably Is only an accident that the
kinsman OF the patriot whose claims
against the United States have never
been honored should be Americas ad-
vocats in the most stupendous claims
Transaction OF our republici
Copyright, 1s3s.)