New-York daily tribune., 1843-02-06
Frenc7, Claims.

Fer several years prior TO 1900, the National
vessels and privateers of France under the awlcss
rule of Jacobinism in that Country, plundercd and
preyed upon the Commerce of the United States
destroying or taking American property to the
value of many millions Of dollars. Our Govern
ment made repeated and urgent demand. on France
for indemnity but obtained none. Finally, MIR
Jefferson bought Louisiana of France, paying
$l5,O00,0 900 in cash. and giving in addition "full
satisfaction for these spoatons In other words,
our Government sold the claims of our Citizens on
France and put the money in its own pocket, IN
stead Of the pockets of the claimants, whose pro-
perty had been taken by France and to whom ii
belonged. Our Govcrnmvnt of course became
legally and morally responsible to the claimants
for the amount bu, did pay theml Not the
first cent to this day 1t has bullied France by
threats of War into paying another set of claim
ants for Spolations committed long since; but
those whose property had been put into our OWL
Treasury have petitoned and begged for paymentir
vain They were a few powerless merchants-mos,
Of them of opposite politics 10 the Federal Admins
,Iaions of iS04-l6-and they were left 10 whis-
tie. If they had lad u hundred thousand votes a,
their back, they would have been paid long as
Now most OF them have gone to their graves
others are in the Poor Houses and the sad re.
mainder are old and feeble who cares for them {?
We know one widow who has s. ,O0U u. llesv
claims-enough, If paid, 10 render her indeperd-
ent Tor litc-yet she is living on 500 per year
part the cha,ity OF distant relative; part the pro
duct OF her constant labor. And we see by lho
vote in the House on Friday that Congress never
means to pay iurthlns ot these CLAIMS Why
should they be paid They arc only honest ana
Eeclor to back them Let the claimants subsisl
on charity, while Congress discusses the lepay-
m-nt Of q hne TO Gen jackson
S There is u ricl Correspondence just come
TO light between Messrs Bedford Brown and Rom
aius NJ. Saunders, late candidates for L. 5. Sena
tos oil the rival Van Buren and Calhoun branches
Oh the Democracy i'll North Carolina Mr. Saun.
oefs wants to know of MIR. Brown whether the
ia'ses eVsf sand he would sooner have Federal.
i't elected than HIM Saunders J that he had long
KNOWN h'n ~ TO ee politically dishonest; ana
that MI. Van bursn long since said meao;n,l>
that he ". 81 had long known him (Ssandeysl
and that he IS considered no man in n. G h.,
himself capable OF hling an office 10 these ~,
peculiar inquiries, MIR, Brown respond, severslly
in the affirmative, though he implies he mad. ~.
charge Of dishonesty agans, S. in Pickwick;an
sense Mr. Saunders, in reloinder, is obliged to
consider himself satisfied with the answers of Nh.
B. but he appends letter from MIR. Naa Buren,.
importing that, at the time he WAS telling Mr.
Brown ,ha, he &nsc Saunders, he was writing to
Mr. SIS friends sha, he had a high sense Of the
public and private merits of Mr.. 5. &c. &c. and
would be very happy to serve him. Chs letter Is
of course TO be understood in Pickwiekisi
sense also) Here the correspondence closes,
ard it does look as though Gen. S. had taken
nothing by his motion, as the lawyers say