The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-17

Mr.. JONES moved TO strike out the s., 900 pro-
posed 10 be paid 10 the Attorney General fur bis au
deaioni but at the suggestion of geadenien around
him. modified his motion so as 10 strike out the en-
Mr.. G. J. INGERSoLI., in explanation Of the
object of the BILL stated that the republic Of Peru
had paid TO the United States, for Spoliatons upon
our commerce. three thousand dollars, which was
now in the treasury of the United States, and had
been There for more than twelve mouths, payable 10
certain claimants for whom this government had re.
ceyed il. In the case OF the reooytries from Spain
from France, from Mexico, mud, II he mist0ok not
from several other powers, tbs method had been TO
organize board OF commlssiouers-thr cominis
sioners, with a salary Of three lhousaud dollars
each, and clerk, with a salary OF two thousand
doliars-forthe purpose OF Indicating these claims
and determining TO whom the money should lie
psid. In this instance il being but small suinthree
hundred thousand dollarsit wus though better econ.
omy that this should be done by the Attorney Cen
erai, by allowing him the compensation Of two
thousand dollars for performing this duty instead
OF appointing three commissioners, with salary Of
nine thousand dollars; and by allowing the clerk Of
the Attorney General thousand dollars instead of
two thousand dollars, the sum paid TO the clerk Of
the board OF commissioners. The very distinguish.
ed gentleman, the Attorney General Of the United
States, had had nothing to do with the business
he (Mr. H. had had no conversation with him
about il. The bill had been prepared at the last
session ofCongress; and then the whole matter had
been arranged between him (Mr., l. and the then
| Attorney General of the United States, and that
without dissenting voice in the Committee on For
| elgn Affairs. IL was necessary that some person
should be qualified with judicial faculties and pow.
ers TO adjudicate 1t. The Attorney General was sup.
posed TO be the proper person. And az 10 the OBJ
lection of the gentleman from Tennessee, that the
Attorney General receives specified salary, he had
TO state that neither by law, by practice by prin.
cpe, were duties Of this kind required Of him as At
torney General. IL was no more part Of his duty,
than IL was of the duty Of the gentleman from Ten.
nessee or OF himself, Mr.. ~ 1t was extra duty;
and a case in point was that Of bill which was
| now on their table, giving a compensation to the
Chief Justice Of the United States for extra business
for passing upon the title to the Pea Patch island
The Attorney General might take fees from any
client; and the United States might as well employ
him as TO employ any else. IL was due that the
government should protect its citizens and re-
cover from other governments indemnites for spoil
atoms committed; and it would be very hard for
| those citzens-who, he would say TO the gentleman
from New York, tMr GoRDosl were principally
merchants of New York-to be at the expense OF
the adjudication. IL had always been customary to
pay the money out OF the treasury, and not make
the fund bear the charges. IL would be contrary 10
every precedent, and to all principle. And surely
| the sum proposed was very small one. Ii was i'm.
possible to procure any qualified person for a small
or sum. He fsttered himself that there was no
reason for the objection and he hoped the gentle.
u.
! Mr. q. s. HOUSTON with reference TO that nor.
ton of the remarks of Mr.. lNGERsoLL, in which he
based the proposed mode of proceeding upon the
precedents in relation to the adjudication of claims
ofour citizens upon Mexico, SPAN and other powers
argued that there no parallel between the cases
Here, the sum Of 100000 had been collected by
| our government from another government, for a
portion of our citizens. The expensee of its collec
uon had already been incurred by this government
The government had protected It's citizens by ex-
tending ITS authority, and the strong arm over them
II had collected the money and the propostion was
now to distribute it, For whose benefit was this
distribution In the case of Mexico the commission
II would be remembered, was appointed for the pur-
pose OF adudicatiDg the claims with her. and not for
distributing the money after il was obtained.
Mr. &. J. lNGERSOLL. That was the case OF
the French and Spanish claims
Mr.. HOUSTON, in vontnuntion, remarked that
he was not as familiar with the preccdents as was
the chairman ofthe Committee on Foreign Affairs
But the case referred to- well as the other cases
as TAR as his knowledge Of them extended, did not
Dear out the gentleman Al his position; and as the
government had been at the expense Of collecting
the money for its ctzens, it seemed to him that the
fund itself should be chargeabe with any other ex-
penses incurred in its distribution. ~.
Mr.. RHETT had no objection To the views Of
MT Houston being supported by the House, in
was proposed by the gentleman from Tennessee,
Mr.. JosEs The bill proposed that the Attorney
General should adjudica,e these Claims and distri-
butte this money, instead of having board of COM
missioners appointed. 1t was no duty Of the At
torney General; the gentleman could not find in
any book, or any law, that the Attorney General
wss bound to distribute, as Attorney General, all the
claims which may be recovered by this government,
for its citizens. This bill imposed tina, duty on the
Attorney General, and the gentleman from Tennessee
proposed to strike out the clause giving him COM
pensation for this service. IL was a new duty and
the gentleman ought to be prepared, when, by Law,
ne put new duties on the Attorney Ger era at least
TO give HIM additional compensation. Whether this
charge came out of the government out of the
funds to be distributed was to him (Mr. r. imma-
terlal. But he objected to this new and extra duy
being imposed upon this officer without any compen-
sation therefor. ... ...
He referred to the preceden,s mentioned by Mr.
lNGERsoLL, Of the adiudications with France and
Spain, and sustained him the fact of three COM
mlssloners, in those cases, having been appointed
with salaries of 80 GOO each, beside clerk If the
gentleman from Tennessee, or the gentleman from
Alobama, preferred this course, let them bring for
ward proposition to adopt il; but it was the opin-
ion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, as he
thought 1t must seem evident to any gentleman who
would look into the subject that the better and the
more economical course in.this case was for the At
torney General to transact this business; and he
trusted that no gentleman would object to his recev-
ing for il this small compensation, however they
might differ as to whether it should be taken from
OF tncIuDu ltSeIr. These citizens
to whom the money was due had been kept out of il
for four years, during which time it had been lying
in the treasury, and he hoped this House would not
do as had been done a: the last Congress, recommit
this bill, but that they would pass Il, so that this
money might 60 TO those to whom u Justly belong
ed. 7ht a t ."F
MIR. HOUSTON moved to amend the bill by stri-
king out, in the 4th section the words land the said
amount shall be paid out Of any money in the treas.
ury not otherwise appropriated. And such contin-
gent expenses "a may be necessary shall be paid
out Of the fund for the contingent expenses of the
Office Of the Attorney General" and by inserting
#9dp %a1d s sAs said ss amour. as
the fund proposed hereby to be distributed
Mr.. J. R. 1NGERSOLL understood the obiec-
ton which was made to the bill to be mainly found
Cd on the supposed improperly of paying the ex-
penses OF this adjudication out Of the treasury Of
the United States, instead of paying il out of the
funds themselves. He had only to remark, in an.
swer to the suggestion that cxtrnvagant and almost
absurd must be the objection, if carried to the conc-
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