The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-01-17


been made assgnable and being assgnabie is perfect
y obvious that if the original holder has privilege
spectng the claim, it will not pass to his assgnees.
The warrant in his hands, becomes lessened in value.
II he wishes to SELL and you do not allow him to sell his
right. with all the privileges pertaining to it, you dmn
sh in his bands the value of what he has to dispose ot
and prevent him from selling it TO advantage Therefore,
in your anxiety to preserve from speculation the original
holder of such claim, you do him positive injury by
diminishing the value of the thing you allow him to
| sign. Now was question whether you would allow
him TO assign; but having allowed him TO do So 1t seems
to that it positive benefit to the holder TO allow him
TO assign it, with all its privileges, because enables him
TO get better price And every restriction falls heavily
upon the owners of these claims. 1t diminshes the
value, doing injury to the holder and doing good TO
Mr. BREESE remark ed that he understood the sena-
tor from Florida to say that the act of 1913 the first
law OF Congress authorizing entry in legal subdivisions
prove that the act OF 1877 contained such provision,
| Mr. WESTCOTT. had no idea of exciting the sem
ator did not suppose was treadng on his toes, or
that he had SO much feeling with respect to the bull but
objected to the bill reported, because regarded as
wrong in principle Sir, if the senator Is right, and If
am wrong. the proviso offer but carries out and con-
firms his views of the act of 1913, in which differ with
him. and it meets my objection fully did not refer to
the act of lsl7 he supposes, and give it the consuc
ton he supposes but it is the act of 1913 that contend
allows the entry in legal subdivisions without the cond
ton of being in body.
Mr. NILES said that he knew nothing about the case,
excepting what he had gathered from the explanation
| but from what he had learned of it, he believed that the
bill ought not to pass. Taking the view OF it presented
by the from Illinois, the bill ought not to pass
The legal operation OF was bad Originally these land
warrants were issued to the soldiers the form OF scrip,
to be used only it would seem, after the warrants had
been issued. The law of the last session gave them a
further capacity for the benefit of the officers and soldiers
Their widows and heirs, III relation to the purchase OF
lands above the minimum price. Now it was proposed
to extend this additional capacity and value TO assgnees
The effect OF IT, he conceived would be In great measure
to take away from the officers and soldiers their widows
and hens the advantages given to them 1.-THE law passed
at the last session The larger portion OF the warrants
were now in the handso assgnees, who had taken up all
of these lands far as they could and by the operation
OF this law the benefit accruing to the soldiers from the
act of the last session woud be taken away His lands
were gone, his means were gone, and that law would be
of no practical benefit to the officers and soldiers for
whom il was originally intended. 1t was certainly I'M
desirable to shape laws that these warrants shall
constitute the entire currency of land sales Ii there
were portions of land in the market from which money
would come into the treasury, this provision would pre-
vent this result
| They might expect for several years that they would
receive little or nothing to be paid into the treasury be-
cause the lands would be procured by these land war
rants, which could often be purchased at large discount
that the whole OF the revenue should be cut off for few
years. il better that the loss should be spread
series of years For these he thought the bill
should not pass Why should these assgnees come here
to ask for any special legislation give them any pecu
liar privileges any benefits, more that those TO which
they were entitled by the law as Il existed at the tune
that they purchased the warrants This for the benefit
OF assgnees, purchasers, and perhaps might say specn
| lators.
Mr. DAVIS Of Mississippi. think it is very much
to be regretted that introduced the system of bounty
land warrants all Ii designed originally for the
benefit OF the soldier who had served in the battles OF the
country; and repeat, that is greatly to be regretted
that the grant not restricted, to keep long
possible in the hands of the original grantee. Having
departed however, from this ruehaving permitted the
warrants 10 be transerable-the question now Is,
whether shall allow the assgnees of the warrants
the benefits that are given to the original grantees
To this decidedly opposed and the arguments OF
the senator from North Carolina Mr. BADGER have not
| Of my vlaws IN
look upon it increasing the value OF the warrants
at all They have generally been sold, or hypohecaed
and in the few where the have not passed
from the hands Of the soldiers either by hypothecaton or
subsequent SALE they are held by those VINO intend TO
hold The little tract of land relic of their mill
tary services, and be expected to be in the
market For this reason, intend to oppose the motion
| to amend
Mr. WALKER rose for the purpose of propoundng an
inquiry TO the chairman, which he hoped he would
answer. The senator from Connecticut MIR. NlLEsl
had very appropriately said that likely to make
these land warrants the entire currency IN the purchase
of lands. His question was, whether it not better
to recomm this bill, for the purpose of making pro-
vision for allowing some compensation to the land OFF,
Mr.. BREESE. So far as the remarks of the senator
are concerned, cannot reconcile that with anything in
the report The report says that the land office last year
brought into the treasury three millions of dollars These
warrants are located IN 100 acres IN body 1t Is the
small settlers, who with view of settling por.
tons of the land in tracts OF 50 or 40 acres, or Less and
we have received upwards OF three millions of dollars
Mr. TURNKEY Mr.. President, think the senator is
entirely mistaken as fact. He supposes that the
warrants have already been transferred from the hands
of the soldiers. know that this is not the with
regard to those who went from my district. large por-
ton of those soldiers applying for their war
rants No transfer has been made, and none can be
made until the issue OF the warrants; nor have they
been hypothecated, in any manner transferred This
know to be the in relation TO the soldiers IN my
section and presume II is generally so throughout the
State In my Judgment this bill IS necessary IN order to
prevent the depreciation OF warrants The soldiers pretty
generally will wish to sell their Warrants and IT they
should fail TO bring high price, the loss is upon the SOL
der My Judgment would be that II is better, both for
the soldier and the assignee to pass the bill; and shall,
therefore, vote for it.
| Mr. DAVIS know something of the gallant fellow
citizens of the gentleman from Tennessee; know that
almost all the volunteers, when they discharged in
New Orleans, selling their claims for $50 500,
hypOthecang hem they sold their discharges to
agents. with powers OF attorney to receive the war
| rants.
| Mr. BORLAND The bill seems to me- sir, to be n
tirey for the benefit of assgnees other words for the
benefit of spectators take occasion here to say that
while there may be many honorable exceptions, the his
tory OF this country all its transactions, whether IN
fraudulent, transactions have dssraced the country in
the purchase and assignment OF these land warrants
Fro n the time of which the senator from Mississippi
speaks when the soldiers discharged at New Or
leans there was set of land sharks pirates hapiesl
know of no terms too harsh apply 10 them-rsing up
in every portion of the country TO deraud and cheat the
soldier out of his hard earned grauy from the govern
men In the Pension office sir, for the last three
or four weeks the business has been suspended for the
purpose of ascertaning the extent of these fraudulent
transactions and of the clerks of that Office
in the country hunting for these hapes that have been
engaged in thus defraudng the government The whole
business of issuing land warrants has been suspended
until they can devise by which TO put stop