Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1822-01-19

| the house, and in lieu thereof offered the
following
Resosued, That each Of the U. States
has IN equal right to participate in The
benefit Of the Public Lands, the COM
mon property of the Union.
! Re,oJued, That the States in whose
favor Congress has not MAIDS appropria-
tions Of Land for the purposes of educa-
ton, are entitled to such appropriations
| as will correspond in q just proportion
| with those heretofore made, in favor OF
the other States.
Resotoed, That q committee be ap.
pointed with Instructions to report dill
| in pursuance Of the foregoing resolu-
| tons.
On motion Of Mr.. N the same were
| referred to the committee of the whole
on the state of the Union, and ordered
to be printed.
On motion of Mr.. Tracy, the house
then agreed to take into consideration
the report of the COMMITTEES of the whole
! on the petition of Eli Hart.
The question before the house was
| upon concurrence with the committee
of the whole, in amending the report
of the committee on Claims by eracing
therefrom the word not. so as to grant
the prayer of the petition,
Mr.. Tracy supported the amendment
made by the committee Of the whole, and
reviewed the facts and principles Of the
case. By referring to our report OF this
! subject. when it was under discussion be-
| fore the committee of the whole. il will be
seen that the following are the prominent
outlines of the case: that in the year 1914
| Mr.. John G Camp, the Deputy Quarter
master General, on the Niagara frontier,
being destitute OF public funds applied to
Mr.. Eli Hart, then merchant al Buffalo,
i for loan: that Mr.. Hart loaned to him
the sum of 10000. dollars, which he, Mr..
Camp expended for forage, &c. to supply
the northern army. That stterwards-in
the year 1915. the principal of the loan
wa. repaid 10 Mr.. Hart in Treasury notes
land the present claim was tor interest
upon the loan-indelnnity for deprecia-
ton Of the treasury notes-and the inter-
est upon that depreciation Mr.. T.. con-
tended that it was 4 case OF that sort
| which required er quo ct bono that the U.
ST les, being party which bad received
benefit from the liberal and patriotic
loan of the petitioner, should refund, to an
amount equal TO the loss v hlch the latter
| had sustained. The loan was made at a
! period when the credit of the government
was al a low ebb, and when many seemed
disposed rather to retard, than to aid, the
operations of the government At this cri-
| ticaI hour the petitioner came forward and
opened his purse to supply the exigencies
of his country Ii was transaction which
as between indiv duals, would not atmit
of even doubt, and he hoped the govern
cording TO the same rule OF right that it
prescribed to others.
Mr.. Williams of n. C. opposed the con-
currence, He entered at length into IA
exam nation of the various considerations
which the case presented. The committee
he observed, had not deemed it necessary
to examine the testimony in the case be.
cause they denied the principle to be in
correct, admitting the facts SET forth to be
true, on which the claim of the petitioner
was founded. He urged with much force
the necessity of establishing general and
uniform rules in the admission of claims
against the United States, which were eS
tablished upon testimony not ordinarily in
the power OF the government to controvert
or examine; and thought the present did
not present case of such pure, clear and
unquestonable patriotism as could warrant
deviation from those rules which had
been found necessary to guard the Trea-
ha nf
individuals.
MIR. Smith, of Md advocated the
claim, and enforced the reasons that had
been offered by the gentleman from N.
York, (Mr. Tracy.) He thought the
government, by paying the principal.
had affirmed the loan, and the interest
followed as a necessary consequence;
so that rule that should authorize the
payment of the one, could not refuse
the discharge Of the other. He also
thought the patriotism of the petition
err in coming forward at such a crisis,
entitled him to more than an ordinary
share of consideration.
Mr. Tracy replied, when
W.T.. I1droiD tOOk Tue HOoT, ana spoke
for halt an hour in opposition to the claim.
He commended, that when the loan was
made by Camp, the faith ofthe govern
ment was not pledged he had no right to
pledge il. The gentleman from New
York Mr.. Tracy. few days ago had
coEtended that even the Secretary Of War
could not pledge the faith of the govern
ment for the sum of 70 900 dollars for the |
Indian Department.; and would he now
say that John G. Camp. a deputy guar