Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-02-07
? ALEXANDRIA:
SATURDAY,, FEBRU8RY 7, 1878.
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT Al WASH
INGTON.
Pr.aay. February 6, 1918.
ISGTON.


declaration that he would vote against
the amendment proposed by Mr.. Forsyth
because it supposed that something WIS
due to general st. Clair, which he con-
scientiously believed was not the case
and that he would vote against the bill in
order to open the way Tor proposition
he intended to offer for pension to the
general for lie. If it were within the
scope of my scheme of reporting to give
in detail all that succeeded that declara-
ton, should find it scarcely possible to
carry the business clearly through the va
rous windings it was whipped thropghin
the course Of the day. Mr.. Forsyth's a.
msndment was, Of course, negatived, and
the bill, you will readily conclude, was
reiec;ed--or rather, believe, amended,
as it is called, by the proposal oil SUBJ
stitutiOn Of something not so good--the
grant for life of an annuity Of 900 dol
| lars: motion was made to make it 1000
dollars, which was carried. Mr.. Mercer,
however, actuated 10y just sense of the
honor of general st. Clair, opposed it,
saying that he could not regard man
who called for justice, and who had, in
his opinion, well founded honest claims
on government, as an object Of compass
sion; at the same time affirming that he
had, the evening before the last, left the
house overwhelmed with the most poign.
ant emotions, and his blood c1rG!eu in his
veins, at the speech OF the hon. Speaker,
who stood forward On that occasion, a
gainst general St, Clair, as the champion
of the poanded honor of the congress OF
1910. Mr.. Mercer then gave the house
a perspicuous lucid relation of all the
transactions, relative to those claims, be-
tween general st. Clair and congress,
through which l cannct follow him fur
Their than to say that the effect of the
whole was TO our conviction so clearly
demonstrative Of general St Glars risht,
as a lender Of his money to the United
States, in its utmost need, that do not
wish to bring stronger evidence before
the judgment seat of heaven to testify to
my pretensions, whatever they may be,
to mercy. He was thus anxious, he said,
upon this part of the subject, because he
felt much greater solicitude for the rePu-
tation and integrity of general St. Clair,
which, till this suggestion was made,
stood uninpeached, than for the pittance
the house could bestow upon him. Mr..
Mercer then entered Ato vind!catiun
of the generals character on the subject
OF the generals defeat by the Indians,
stating that the articles Of villain caluu-
niators had made such an Impression en-
the public mind, that congress took ltup
in committee, and after the most full and
deliberate consideration, both times re.
ported that his conduct both before and
during the engagement and after the de-
feat, was, as it had ever been, deserving
of praise, and that he had displayed the
utmost skill and intrepidity.
Mr.. Irving of S. Carolina, thought that
the honor of the country, as we'll as OF
general St. Clair was at stake, and urged
the passage Of the bill. BIT that was put
at rest by a negative. A motion was
then made by Mr.. Taylor of N. York, to
sse general ST. Clair pension of 30
dollars a month-out of this rose sevcpal
propositions-for 80, for 70, for 60 dol
lars month, which last was voted 1.-THE
question being taken by ayes and noes)
by 1872 to 40.
The bill was ordered to be engcossed
and read a third time this day.
Mr.. Clay having successfully opposed
the claim Of general st. Clair as a right,
pushed his interests with warmth on the
proposition for pension. To acknow-
ledge the justice of general st. Glars
demand would have placed The conduct
of the congress of 1910 in a very disad-
vantageous light-that was, therefore, at
all events, to he sgot rid of; and it vas