Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-12-24

complied with, person should have a
| right to be placed on the Pension List.
without reference to any discretionary
| power in the Secretary and, being rIa-
ced there the Law gave him no authori
| ty to displace him. Are these men.
said Mr.. L. dependent for their s"hsis
tence on the will Of the Secretary oil
War? When we have required GER
tain forms and soIemnitics tn place per-
SIMS on the Pension List. is he, With
out form and without shlcmnity. merely
on the information of some friend in
whom no has confidence, justified in
striking any one of them from the list !
Mr.. L. thought NOT. lie wished nut to
be understood as maniiesting any want
of confidence in the virtue Or talrnt Ut
the Secretary of War; of which no
man had higher opinion; but no vir-
h, nor any talent, was proof against
misconception, orerroneons Information
&c. Mr.. l.. made number of other re-
marks of a general nature, on the sub
iect of the Revolutionary Pension Law.
He knew, he said, that some persons
entertained strong impressions against
this law, and that it had become odious
to some on account of thu number OF
persons whom it embraced. But Mr..
l.. said, ought we not rather t" rejoice
that so many who served their conn-
try in critical times. yet live, and that
the nation possesses the means of SIS
tanning them when M longer able to
support themselves? For his part, he
said he rejniced that the number was so
great; and so far from desiring to see
it diminished by the lapse of years. had
he the power, he would say to each Of
them, Soldier of tho Rcvolution-Live
for ever
Mr.. Whitman defended his motion to
lay the resolution on the table. Among
other things he said he was sorry to
differ in opinion from the gentleman
last up, with respect to the power said
to have been exercised by the Secretary
of War must have this power, because
such power must symewhere exist
If he had been imposed upon by fraud,
he certainly had, u, ought to have, the
power to revoke the act which was foun-
dcd on fraud and false representations.
There could be no possible danger from
the exercise of such a power by the Sc
crctary of War: it was a power exercI-
scd at Ills PC il, 4 which he would in no
case exercise hut upon conclusive evil
denrc. If any injustice, howeser,
should be done to any indi> idual, he
might come to this House for redress,
and if aggrieved. he could obtain it.
The question on laying the resolve
on the table was decided in the mega
tive.
Mr.. Hill Of Mass. said he had no OBJ
legation to the first part ofthe resolves,
but lie had to the latter part (being that
added on motion of MIR. Strother) which
he therefore moved to strike out.
MIR. Stroller opposed this motion. for
which he protested himself unable to sec
any adequate motive. If fraud had
boen committed, it was proper to en-
uuire into all the circumstances con-
nected with it, and into the quarter Of
the country in which it occurred.
Mr.. Rich moved to postpone the fur
ther consideration of this resolve to the
first Monday in January, on the ground
that the subject was already before a
committee of the House, OIL his motion,
and to pass this resolution would he to
indicate want of confidence in their
disposition to enquire into the facts con-
uectcd with this subj
The notion fer postponement was
negatived; as also was Mr.. Hills no.
tirn, after some debate, in the course OF
which Mr.. Taylor, of New York. sup
ported, and Mr.. Strother opposed the
motion. The latter gentleman inciden-
tally expressed the opinion that the
power does belong to the Secretary of
War, which he is represented to have
exercised, of striking from the pension
list those who have often there by the
means of fraud.
On motion of Mr.. Taylor, the en-.
quiry was extended by Incorporating
in Mr., Strother's amendment the words
sand the lime to chich they belonged,
and their rank"
On motion of MIR. Storrs, of New.
York. the resolution was further amen.
| IL H., ,Ld;,, m III, a ,of IN <ho ,,,n,J, kxo,d