Mr. DOULITTLE. When this matter was before the Military Committee it was referred to me to look into as a member of the committee, and I made some inquiries on the subject. The bill as imposed conferred upon the QuarterMGen and the Commissary General the power to hear and determine these claims throughout not only the loyal States, as they are called, but. the States wherein the rebellion had existed. From information which I received from the Commissary General and the QuarterMGen, and also at the War Dept, I became satisfied that the cases which had already been thrown upon those Depts, and upon which they have been called on to act, have been so embarrassing and so numerous already that it was impossible for the officers at the head of those bureaus to give their personal attention and upon their personal responsibility to assume the at of hearing and determining these claims; and it was deemed altogether unwise and danger ous to throw upon a bureau a vast number of cases to be heard and decided when the head of the bureau must of necessity trust. the decision to mere clerks in the Dept under him, and that therefore it was necessary that some other tribunal should be created (if the Court of Claims itself is not empowered to hear and determine these claims) where both sides could be heard; where the party claiming dam ages upon the ground of his loyalty could appear, and where the Government could also appear to crossexamine the witnesses and investigate the claim, so as to know that the Government was not to be imposed upon by mere expark statements coming here from all that section of country over which our Army trav ersed, for supplies furnished to the Army, or pretended to be furnished to the Army.persons will, as a matter of course, be tempted to assert their loyalty, and perhaps produce some evidence to show their loyalty in the absence of anyone appearing for the Government. We should thus open a door into our Treasury which would take from it 100s upon 100s of millions; and therefore it was that the committee, upon my reportin the facts, were satisfied that this duty should not be imposed upon these branches of the War Dept. It is true, as my honorable friendfrom WestVirginia has stated, that I suggested to him that it. would be a propermatter to be considered by the ComJudiciary whether any tribunalought to be created, and how it. should be created, so that these claims would actually be heard, and both sides be heard and properly passed upon with safety to the Government, and yet Without doin injustice to the claimants. That was the groan substantially upon which the ComMilAffrs acted and upon which they instructed me to make the repoIrrt.