Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1846-09-02

obligatory upon the goveru......--
stiiuiIng an equitable demand mon 49,
treasury, that those who are conteu,o-a-
neouS with the events which gavg r5sa =,
It,should not long since have done i1z,-~a y, 4
the claImants.Frhe treasury has ore, been
IN condition TO enable the Government =,
DO so without Inconvenience. # The rref-,z f
had been considered Just. SIR. J-tT-rs,,
VINO was fully cognizant Of the early d.
senunns between the Government If the
United States and France, out Of which
the claims arose, in his annual meSsare ID
l0Oo adverted TO the large surplus then 10
the Treasury, and its probable accumuf,-
ton" and enquired whether II should lie.
"unproducuye IN the public vaul.s," and
yet tnese claims, though then before Con-
gfesS, were not recognised Or paid. Since
that the public debt Of the revolution and II.
the war OF 1912 has been extin-ufshsd.
and at several periods since, the Treasury
has been IN possession of large SURPRISES
over the demands upon II. In 1886 the.
surplus amounted 10 MANY millions Of t1l-
lars, and for want Of proper objects In
which 10 apply 1t, It was directei bv Con
gress TO be deposited with the States.
During this extended course Of tine.
embracing periods eminently favorable for
satisfying all Just demands upon the Go
vernment, the claims embraced IN this bin
met with 20 favor IN Congress. beyond the
reports of committees IN one or the other
branch. These circumstances are caIca-
lated to raise strong doubts IN respect 10
these claims, and especially, as all ini1r-
nation necessary TO a correct Judgment
concerning them, has been long before The
public. These doubts are strengthened
10 my mind by the examination I have
been enabled 20 give To the transaction In
which they have originated.
The bill assumes that the United States
have become liable in those ancient trans
actions TO make reparatiOn 10 the claimants
for injuries committed BY France. Moth
ing vas obtained for claimants bv neg0-
tiation, and the bill assumes that the Co
yernment has become MANY WAYS reSpOn-
'le for these clains7. The limited time
vel -e before y-gr adjournment.
s.s -si. iAle & Sa.JeTale the facts
Ea arg rerls by -alch, in preceding
Eongre=- es, ;aese Claims have been SIC
'cessluliy resisted. The present IS 4 pc
rod particularly untavorab.e for the satis-
faction of claims Of 50 large an amount,
and, to say the least of them, Of 50 doab,-
ful character. There i no surplus in
! the treasury. 4 public debt Of several
millions has been created with the lls, lev
years. We are engaged ID a foreign var
uncertain as to ITS duration, and involving
: heavy expenditures; 10 prosecute which
war, Congress has, al It's present session,
> authorized a further loan. So that IN eff
feet the Government, should this bill be-
come a law, would have % borrow money
and increase the public debt 10 plv these
claims. Ii is true, that BY the provisions
: of the bill, payment IS directed % be made
in land-scriPt instead Of mluey. bat the
: effect upon the Treasury viii De the same
| The public lands constitute one Of the
5 sources of public revenue, aud IT these
claims be paid in land scrip, II val, fr1rz
the date OF the issue, TO a great extent, CO.
off from the treasury the annual Income
from the sale Of public lanisi because pay
men;s for the lands sold by the Govern
ment may be expected 10 be made IN script
int it is redeemed. Il those claims Be
: just, they ought to be paid IN money, and
nothing less valuable. The bill provides
that they shall be paid in Iand-scrip,
? whereby they are in effect to be 4 mort
gage upon the public lands IN the neN
States; a mortgage, too, held IN great part,
If not wholly, by nOn-residents Of the
States in which the lands lie, VINO max Sc
! cure these lands 10 the amount OF several
millions of acres, and then demand for
them exorbitant prices from the cIiIzsnS OF
other States who desire 10 purchase them
, for settlement, or they may keep them o..
! of the market, and thus relard the pros
perily and growth of the States IN which
D they are situated. Why this unusual mode
of satisfying claimants upon the Treasury
/ has been resorted 10, does not appear. Il
is not consistent with a sound public poll
Y cy. lf it be done in this case, Il NAV Be
. done in all others. Il WILL form prece-
, dent for the satisfaction Of all other stale
). and questionable claims, aud would IN
doubtedly be resorted to by all claimants
who, after successive trials, shall fail &c
have their claims recognised and pald II
r money by Congress.
}. The bill proposes to pay S5.00O,OOO, iC
e be paid in land scrip and provides aha
!. no claim or memorial shall be received bl
> the commissioners" authorized By the act
MI ''unless accompanied by a release or olS
>. charge from the United States from al
" other and further compensation then thl
\. claimant may be entitled to receive unde
| Il Al, .fssr.