The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-22

saved us for the present. Ii has given the people
and especially the people of the new States chanc
TO save themselves in fuure! And IN wise and un
lust to themselves and their posterity they will be
II they do not avail themselves Of this chance to stoI
| forever this new mischief
The names of widows and orphans, and of mer
chants, ruined by French depredatons, are con
stanuy invoked in aid Of these claims The assign
ees, the insurers, the purchasers at five and TEL
cents, are all carefully kept out Of sight, their names
are never mentioned. And so it was when the old
soldiers certleates were funded and paid in 1893
The spectators who had bought them at two and
sixPence IN the pound, were kept in the back
ground; the poor soldier who had fought and bled
for his country, and whose little property had gone
TO ruin while he was fighting the British-ths poor
soldier had his scars and suferngs paraded before
Congress, and all relief was prayed for in his name
while no relief was brought TO him by the bill The
whole went to those who had bought his claims for
next 10 nothing. They received twenty shillings
10 the pound, and ten shngs interest upon the
back OF that, for what cost them two|and-six-
Peneei and all attempts made in Congress by Mr.
Madison, and other wise and good men, to protect
the soldier by making the bill really favorable to
hlm-by making him the payes in the bill, and only
refundlng TO the Spectator his fraudulent two-and-
sxpenee-al these attempts failed. The spectators
were too strong in Congress TO admit a single pro-
vision favorable TO the real sufferers; and so il may
be again. II the question Of paying these claims
could be entertained at all by Congress, Justice
would require four distinct amendments: First, that
no assignee should receive more than he paid;
ondly, that no insurer should receive anything;
thirdly that no claim, standing in the name Of the
original claimant, should be paid to any person buI
the hsirsai-Lalo of such claimant and fourthly that
an account should be stated between the claimants
and the government, charging them with all ex-
penses incurred under Mr. Adams's administration
IN protecting, or attempting 10 their claims
and eredlting them with the hye millions they de-
mand. On these principles only IL justice is the OBJ
ject could the bill be entertained but the fact and
the truth Of the case is, that 1t should not be enter
Aned at all! The principles Of the social system
the fundamental principle which lies at the founda
ZION Of society-uttery forbid it. The generation
ofifty years ago did their duty-ther whole duty
with respect to these claims. They expended, in
their defence and recovery from ten to twenty times
their value-endured greyous internal taxation
incurred heavy public debt-and suffered all the
calamIues Of actual quasi war Of two years with
the French republic. They did all that they vert
bound to do by the principles Of the social compact
and more too and when they renowned further ne
gouation for the claims, they did nothing bur what
they had a right to do, and what their duty to the
rest OF the community required them TO do. They
renounced nothing; and they received nothing The
claims were dead for every species Of government
in France-the convention, the directory, the con-
sular-utterly repudiated and repulsed them. The
treaties OF l776 were all dead and had been SO,
I'm all that related 70 the guarantees, ana the use OF
our ports since the proclamation of neutrality Of
1893. They were just as dead before the treaty OF
1900 as after it. There was more demand upon
US to conquer the French West India Islands from
the British, and from the negroes Of San Domingo,
and restore them to the French before the treaty
1900, than there has been since; and such demand
would have been just idle in the year 1900 as it
would be now in 1886. The treaty made no manner
of difference, either in the French American view
Of the treaty Of Alliance and the idea of considera
ton received, in the release of our alliance obliga
tons, as an equivalent for renouncng The claims, is
mere fgment Of the brain, contradiced by the his.
tory Of the times, and only fit to be told to those
who have not the means or the inclination to study
that history.