Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-01-08
CONGRESS-.
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FOR the National intsiiiceHc
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

DtCEN BER ~.
On the payment for He, seS or OTHER PROPERTY
lost fa the Seminoie War.
The House being in committee Of the
whole, on the bill providing for the pay
,ueni for horses or other property lost,
captured, or destroyed III Tie Seminole
war
Mr.. JONES, OF Tennessee, took a brief
view uf the occasion which had made il
an aci of justice III The government 10
pass this bill. The number of cases of
losses fhorses, from any cause, would not
exceed 800, aud perhaps not 300. There
was class of cases not embraced i'm the
bill, however, which he thought ought 10
he-namely, that ct horses killed by
forced marches which being made un.
der orders which the owners OF The hoI-
SEES could moi disobey, The consequences
ought not TO fall Oh then, but on Tie gov
'eruRrni. He therefore proposed an
amendment 10 the bill, the object OF which
was TO include this class of cases.
Mr.. CANNON, OF Tennessee, said he
had no objection 10 the proposed amend.
mcnt, though II had been thOHgh, pro
per, by the committee wlro reported the
bill, moi TO introduce such provision
into it. MIR. &. THEN spoke of the general
merits OF The bill. The committee, he
In which these men we're called into
service nor did they undertake TO deter
mine whether ii had been legally or Ile-
gally. II was enough Tor them to know,
that the claimants for losses of this des-
criplon, were, al The lime in the service
oil The u. States, and encountered diff
cullles and dangers, equal, perhaps, TO
those encountered by ANY troops III ser
vice during the late war with Great Bri-
tain. 1t was not TO be supposed, MIR. c.
said, that private soidiers knew from what
source their ord-s originated they
presumed them TO be legal, and that, i'll
Obeyiug them, thew were anSw ering the
call OF their cou+,iry. lie trusted the
house would extend 10 them The same
provision, now proposed, which had III
other cases beeneXtended 10 others. He
should vote IN lavor of the amendment
lie said, because he believed it would
embrace some ust cases, not embraced
by the bill as il stood.
Mr.. SMITH, of Maryland, vas opposed
10 going beyond The parallel 10 this bill,
10 be found i'll the aci applicable 10 sini-
lar losses during Tie late war with Grea;
Britain. He was therefore opposed to The
amendment. He did not mean 10 enquire,
ana he thought the house ought not 10
enquire, INTO lhe nature OF the orders by
WhIch these mounted volunteers were
called into service. They had been In
the service of their country and ought
to be indemnitied for losses sustained
therein.
Mr. SToRRs, Of New York, said that,
IN the course of some examination tie had
made Iuio the documents of former
session, lie had accidentally lit upon a
document, which, perhaps, eight throw
some light on the subject now before The
house. IL was the act supplementary TO
the military appropriation act OF 1913, III
which "as contained an appropriation OF
ninety thousand dollars, for paying these
volunteers Cat the rate Oi 40 cents each
per day for the use Of their Horses. He
asked OF Tie gentlemen from tennessee,
and OF the house, whether tins allow ance
was not equivalent 10 any reasonable
risk OF The loss or lnjuiy of The horses OF
these volunteers. With regard 10 the
claims law of 1916, now expired, Mr.. ).
argued Thai II was gratuliouS act OF the
part OF Congress, winch perhaps never
ought TO have passed, and ought not now
TO be brought IUiO precedent.
Mr. JOHNSON, oil Virginia, ueXI took
The floor. lie advanced with regret, he
SAID, to one question, which he conceived
involved III the consideration OF tins bill :;
but ii The house was disposed 10 pass d
bill Of indemnity, II was first necessary,
he SAID, 90 enquire whether these troops
were legally III service; whether the com
mandiug genera had Obeyed the orders
OF tile President IN calling them out
and whether The Ptpsidcul had The power
10 issue such an order. THIS, Mr.. j.
thought The first aud most interesting
question. Wuai were :dc facts Ihe
Secretary OF War, ia Dee. 1917, aulho
riZed General Jackson, II necessary, TO
call on The Governors OF the adjoining
states for militia he effective regular
force being stated by The Secretary TO
amount 10 500 men. On the 1911 Of
January, 1918, General jackson informed
The Secretary OF War Thai he had appeal
Ell TO the patriotism Ot Tennessee haG
called tor 900 mounted volunteers anu
jOr luis departure from orders, was the
mouse now called Oh To pass blii winch
Wouiu nc ia the nature OF an aci 81
ihuemhliy. The President himself, MIR.
j. sdld, could not have called Tor those
volunteers, because Tie laws giving such
al anth0fiil had expired Of course, he
Gouiu h0i vest suth power in General
ia ks"h' VII. ) argued, therefore, that
ihese Volunteers had been called into
service Without any legal power in The
General to DO so; aud he asked, il the
mouse, duSe palhrtlcaly appealed to
IA t9e name and tor lhcfclief OF the poor
suffering soldier, would, by tie passage
OF ihe bIli before hem, sanction llns
violation 0i authority Ihcre vere 6OU
regular rOops GeD. Gaines had br0ug
lhi0ihe field 1900 inlhdgs and Grofe
ans 9pI i,ensr.l fa,.t-sDy ..,,F,J I guu