Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-12-18
ALEXANDRIA,:
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT a. WASH
iNGT0N.
IEednesdnu. December l.. 1917.
THURsDaY, DECE.uBER IS, 1917.


tatiycs, Mr.. Herbert presented bill for
Incorporating an insurance company in
=, Alexandria, which was committed for F,i
day.
Ga motion of Mr.. Lowndes, report on
public expenditures made on the - day
| of March last, was referred to the com.
mittee on so much of the Presidents
Message as relates to the war expendi-
ture.
A resolution to consider of the expedi-
ency of altering the flag of the L. States,
passed the House.
Mr.. Dassett presented a resolution,
that the compensation of Members of
Congress should, until further order to
the contrary, be the same as it was in
1915. The House refused to take it into
consideration.
The House, in q Committee, then re-
sumed the consideration of the Commute
lion Bill-when long, deSultsry and
very interesting discussion ensaet, in
which the topics Of the day before were
introduced anew. On the part o! those
who were averse to the measure, il was,
as before, contended, that the bill would
never answer the purposes for which it
was designed; that it was vain to hope
that it could be SO constructed as to pre-
vent spectators from being the only
| gamers by it-That the purchasers would
easily cvade every provision--That it
would throw open the dOers of the Trea-
sary to set of sharpers, and enable
them at once to drsin our finances and
take advantage Of the poor soldiers
That so far from being beneficial il would
be injurious to the soldiers, who, it left
to 90 to market with their patents in their
own hands, would be now able 70 get at
least as much as this bill Offered them -
That after all, the House was lesis'ating
to little good effect, because for impro-
vident men, who would diyest them
selves Of the whole property without
ITS doing any good.-That if they were
improvident with respect to the lands
which, by the BY, was the ground Of the
bill, they would be much more SO with the
money VIXEN they received THAT the
enormous bounty they had received Tor
entering the service, had soon vanished,
without doing them any good.-That out
Of their pay, which was higher than that
Of any soldiers in the world, they had not
saved shilling; and that it was free 10
| conclude that if this bill passed, and the
large sums it aimed at aPprOpria;ing for
the soldiers, were poured out OF the troa.
sury into their possession, it would still
do them no substantial gDod.--That it ap-
peared by the report of the executive,
| that the sum to he advanced on this pro-
ject would not be betrayed by the sale OF
the lands in less than twelve years.
That it would. after all, place The govern
! nent in the situation of spectators, and
that it was not very consistent with the
dignity of the union to be purchasing
back its own bounty from their own poor
soldiers, and then selling it with view
to profit. Nor was this all:-lt was
doubted whether there was any thing due
! to the soldiers, on the score OF Justice, as
had been insisted upon.--That very many
of them had received extrayagant bounty
in money, and great pay, and bounty in
land also, and had done little for it
That il the House were particularly ar
xious to do an act Of beneGcencc, the OIL
ficers, who received no bounty, and spent
much Of their own property in their e.
quipments, were the proper objects on
whom to exercise it.-And. lastly, that
gentlemen were formerly earnest 10 have
those soldiers planted on the lands On our
frontier, as defence against the enemies
of the country, who were now equally
earne = IN give them moneJ for those lands.