Speech #640032693

We have had a contest over that matter for many years in the House. as to whether Congress would provide for the payment of .claims where the Indians were at war. There was in these Indian depredation cases. thousands of which were filed in the Court of Claims. large numbers which were dismissed because the Indians were at war. There were large numbers dismissed because it was ascertained that many of the men who had claims. and had gone into the frontier country. were. in fact. foreigners. and never had been naturalized. although they treated and considered themselves as citizens. In the last Congress we passed a law removing the disability of citizenship. so that a man who had a claim in one of these Indian depredation cases. and it turned out he could not prove American citizenship. would still be entitled. to prosecute his claim. That law was passed because there were numerous instances of men who held high office. who had voted for years.. who- had supposed they were American citizens. but where it turned out. they had not complied with the law. or that something was the trouble so that they were not citizens. and hence their claims were dismissed.