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NARA 203

2

under any of the general orders. I take it for granted that you would not have sanctioned such an award, or have issued the order, if the facts have been known.

- I desire to call your attention to a further particular, not shown in the papers referred to. Mr. salter is one of the parties against whom the attachment issued, & if the cotton belongs to him, why was it not properly attached as his property?

- Again, Dr. Dulaney levied on only 14 bales out of a lot of over 60 bales belonging to the firm; & the officer making the levy was careful to leave at least half of each of the several lots, so as not to touch the shares of the freedmen. Thus, the shares of the freedmen were left on the place; & beyond that, an amount of cotton exceeding, greatly, the quantity due them. I presume that these facts were also unknown to your office. But, it is apparent, they have a most important bearing on the question of right; & I am assured they can be proved as above stated.

- It seems to me, Sir, that, apart from recent orders, there must be a mode to redress such an injury, thus caused by a failure to make known all the facts to your office.

- But it seems clear that under Circular 24-supplement to 22, the Board of Arbitration had no jurisdiction to act on the claim of Salter; & that a Board could not be ordered to settle that claim. Circular 24 declares there are two cases "only" in which a Board can be ordered, namely- 1st At the instance of the laborer for his wages, or share of the crop wrongfully withheld- 2d At the instance of the landlord or merchant, who complains, on oath, that the planter has fraudulently assigned to the laborer an undue share of the crop, to the injury of complainant-

- This order limits all previous orders. What can be done under it? Let the order speak for itself:- "The Board will have cognizance only of the claims of the laborer, & the lien of the supplyman upon the share of the laborer, & with award the laborers allowance accordingly— but it will assume no jurisdiction over the conflicting claims of merchant, landlord or planter, against the remainder of the crop, as these parties are to be left to their ordinary remedies at law."

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