Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-04-29
CALIFORNIA CLAIMS.


ceIs examine the claims, &c.
Dir. BENTON rose and said The amendment reported
by the committee proceeds upon the principle that the claims
California heretofore ascertaiped and allowed by the Off
under whom they originated shall be forthwith paid and
thoseot ascertaned shall not be paid until examined and al
lowed by the officers Mr.. Fremont and his staff oi
allowed those which asceraned The officers,
by the ndment allow the remainder before they
be paid This is the principle Of the amendment. ap-
points nobody do any thing 1t only the persons
without whose examination and allowance the unadusted
claims shall be paid They officers of the battalion
under whom the claims originated and settled Ear
that has been don and whose legal capacity pass upon the
claims is revived and continued if the Government chooses
have the claims examined before they paid chooses
the parties from coming from California Washington
solicit payment individually from Congress That they
the proper persons allow reject these claims, and the
only who do it with justice to the United States and
to the claimants, manifested from the deposIons where
Hensey commssary and quarcfmasieS Major Reading
paymaster Both cegnizant OF the claims one in
doing the which originated them the other in settling
them far he could. The deposition Of Capt Hensey,
Ca gentleman of character and intelligence with whom the
committee became well acquainted establishes this fact and
shows that he and Major Reading, from their respective posi-
tons in the battalion, best acquainted with the caims
and called by their offices make estimate Of their
amount before he left California page 81 Of the docu
ment Of dispositions, he teses thus, in question
from the committee
As you commissary and quartermaser and there
fore intimately acquainted with the supplies obtained by the
troops and with the general expenses the conquest
of California from the beginning, under the flag Of ndepend
in the north, to the suppression Of the insuTecon
Los Angeles in the SOUTH you form opinion of the
whole which the just claims upon the United States would
amount TO. Will you state that amount
9ns1ue Previous to leaving the city of Angeles Major
Reading acting aymaster, and myself made estimate
of the due IN that country From the best nioma
ton which could obtain made the total amount
hundred thousand dollars Major Reading operating in
the north with COL Fremont and myself with Com Stockton
in the south. -
From this answer of Capt Hensley to the committees
question: well from the of other deposions and
the very Of their places the battalion, clear that
he and Major Reading the proper persons be associated
with Mr. Fremont IN allowing rejecting these claims. They
know every Transaction and cannot be deceived They know
every claimant, and cannot be imposed upon. They know
the from the false in every instance both Of and
transactions They do justice, and that upon their
knowledge Their characters concerned in rejecting
false accounts and preventing their names and acts rom be-
ing made the Of imposition upon the United States
AT pages 35 and SO of the document Capt Hensy shows
that all supplies and DEAR and the deae because
necessarily obtained without money! there being fur
nishsd by the United States. He says:
After the city Of Angels was taken by the United States
forces Capt Gillespie left in command, and acted
assistant quartermaster TO the troops stationed there After
supplies of all kinds could only be obtained at the
tvagant prices the whole surrounding country being in the
hands of the enemy"
And he gives statement of prices, fully sustaining this
declaration
g Horses and mules from. .... S25 to SIS
Saddles, complete, from. m................. 80 to 40
Brides ......-....,.--............ TO 10
spurs. oto 10
Botas NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 4to
Rifles, from. $50 TO 500, very scarce
Powder. .................. So per pound
Lead. d.........,..- .,....... 31b cents per pound
Percussion caps. 10 per thousand
Beet cattle. IS TO $40 per head
Flour. Slo per hundred pounds
Sugar. S57 To $50 per hundred lbs
Coffee $50 per hundred pounds"
At such prices these, except for the horses and CATTLE
which below the price Of the in the United Sates
me IN nay N
but still small for the great results produced conquerng the
country, and pacyng it, before the United States troops
arrived.
great prevails in the minds Of some Senators as to
the authority for ncurrng these claims The Senator from
Virginia (Mr MAsoS) classes them all unauthorized is
great mistake. The claims arising from Unauthorized oper
atoms limit themselves to about thirty days Of time, and the
expenses of force Of less than three hundred They
limit themselves TO the operations under the flag Of ndepen
dence-om the first week ia June the 10th Of Julywhn
the flag Of Independence abandoned that Of the United
States adopted and the battalion service with the
navy From this lime forth ell expenses duly auho
rzed the naval commanders acting under special orders from
the President 10 conquer retain, and govern California
These orders began in October 1885, in anticipation Of the
war; and continued by orders Of the
gent kind Those Of July l2 1916, though they did
rive until operations over issued in the very time
that Mr. Fremont in the Of joining the forces
and show what the intention Of the Government that
time They addressed to Commodore Sloat and said
Previous instructions have informed you Of the nstruc-
tons OF this Government pending the with Mexico,
take and hold possession Of California. The object
OF the United States is under rights beigerent nation
possess itself entirely OF Upper California The
object Of the United States has reference peace with
Mexico aud IT, az thar Peace the basis OF the nh bossis
shall be established, the Government expects through your
forces be found actual possesson Upper California.
This viii bring with Il the necessity OF a cirI adj
ni'usrao Such government should be established under
your protection"
These instructions positive in themselves and refer
previous instructions. They correspond with all the previous
orders the navy. That branch Of the public force
charged in advance and in anticipation Of the war; with the
conquest Of California whenever broke out They
10 conquer the country they hold possession Of ill
peace and they 70 establish civil government for its
temporary administration. The naval commanders do
this and did do it. Commodore Stockton took commend In
july Immediately after Mr.. Fremont came Monterey and
under his orders all subsequent military operations
red and the civil established the expenses Of
which remain TO be paid Commodore stockton received
the thanks Of the Government for prosecuting the conquest Of
California Commodore Sloaf censured and recalled for
not doing IL and Mr. Fremont and his battalion part
Of Socktons forces and acted under orders from him
The very day this letter Of the 18th OF July written
Washington Mr.. Fremont his way 10 Monterey, 10
ad Commodore Soat 10 do the very thing which these rete
ated instructions required him do He fulfilling,
the letter that day. the orders which emanang from
Washington AT the distance Of 5000 miles, and without
orders, be doing what the Government wished done and
what the naval commanders could not have done without
land force.
The letter Of recall 70 Commodore sloai dated August
is46, shows not only that the naval commanders
qurcd to conquer RETAIN and govern California, but that
they would be censurcd and superseded Tor not doing H.
Here s that order dated have said on August 3 1876