Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1817-01-01
ALEXANDRIA.
WEDNESDAY, JAsuaaT /.
OUR CORRESPONDENT
AT WASHINGTON.
December 81.

n w AOlafINuI oANs
1 December 81.
The House Of Representatives in a
committee of the whole yesterday re-
Isumed the consideration of the Bill
| for amending the act of last session
lanthorising compensation for proper
lty lost. captured or destroyed. You
|may remember that two amendments
were proposed to it: of. these two a
amendments, that of Mr.. johnson,
(which purPorts to enact that the COM
missioner should still continue to de-
eide on the claims Of the sufferers /;
but that his decisions should be reyis-
led by the secretary Of the treasury;
ISL o shonld on the next session report
them to the house, was debated till a
5out four o'clock witI,out the commit
lee coming to any final decision upon
lit The debate however was very in
lteresting. and it Was pleasing to see
same OF the ablest men on both sides,
lhe champions oil liberal compensation
to the claimants, and prompt to do
Justice to Mr.. Lee. Mr.. Clay, the
Speaker. was uncommenly animated
and rorcibie, and distinguished him
self by the bUidness Of his animadvcr-
sions on the committee Of claims, and
the apathy of the house on the petit
itiOns Of poor claimants. Dir. Yancey,
Sir. Rautdph, MIR. Calhoun and lir.
lTuCkcr were in iat0r Of the repeal
and throwing the making of future
decisions Oh the House OF ncprcScn-
jtatives thro' its committee of claims:
while Mr.. Robcrt,on. Mr.. Sheity,
Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Grusvcnor, sup
lported Mr.. Jphnson's amendment.
All those who were OH Mr.. John
sons side denied the possibility h
cases which, like the present claims.
were matters of evidence and sub
I.jects for the Judiciary, being eXa-
mined fully, and justly decided by
a Legislature. The 0ycr-argcd
economy Of certain members. aid
particularly that displayed by the
committee Of claims in their de-
lcisians. was glanced at with much
hpnest'. Il petite severity; and thr
trcpidaticn and alarm occasion
led by this business. on the score
IF The national pulse. was touched up
iIap with same pnnsS9ry: Er. Whole
lE the claims, allowing them TO be
treated with full hberaiity would not,
lit was asserted, am0unt to a million
OF dollars: ard for the paying of this
isum TO meritDriOus citizens to whom
Ut was ,,s @gca Gwine as L the money
had been given out OF their pockets.
such an alarm lad been raised. that
one wcald suppose (said Mr.. John
lson) the treasury oil The u. States was
ia danger Of being exhausted. Re-
{ ring upon Mr.. Il. AN expression Of
his respecting the ayidity of the claim
ants. MIR. Grosycrnnr said. Of the
committee Of claims that they had de-
cided Il dashed The cap.J from the pareh-
ched Ups sf tho uahap,g ss5erers by
Tie 1rar.--" On tile Niagara frontier.
{said he) widows have lost their hns-
|bands--o,phans their fathers--and all
lsot their property but the committee
rigid in their economy. would fain
lock up the treasury and throw the
key in the ocean" Mr.. Shelly said
that repeating the act, against which
no charge had been laid, was no re
medy for the errors of the commits.
Isioncr, against whom alone any fault
had been ailedsed. But if the act
were even a bad one, it was better to