New-York daily tribune., 1849-02-19
Settlement Of Claims-Defeat of MIR. Rock
wells Commissioper Bill.

tomorrow noon
Settlement Of Claims-Defeat of MIR. Rock
wells Commissioper Bill.
Correspondence of The Tribune
WASHINGTON, Thursday, Feb is.
The House worked steadily and efficiently to-
day, repeatedly shutting of debate by the Previous
Question and pushing good many bills TO their
final consammation. l happened to agree gen.
orally with the minority both upon the bills and
resolutions which were passed and those which
were defeated, and 30 cannot praise very heartily
the results bat it is better that good measure
should fail today than that it should stand block
ing up the progress Of legislation for another week
and fail after all.
This view almost reconciles me TO the great dis
aster Of the day, the defeat Of Mr.. RockwePs bill
establishing Board Of three Commissioners to in
vestgate and adjust Claims against the Govern
ment. No one away from Washington can realize
how radically vicious, how incurably wrong, is the
present mode of settling claims against the Gov
ernment--by votes Of Congress. In the first place,
it affords the widest margin for fraud and perjury
on the part of claimants since their testimony is
not cross-examined and none is called on the part
Of the Government but such may chance to be
on file in some one of the Departments. The sim
ole fact that private bills cannot be properly consid
cred and thoroughly understood by those required
TO pass upon them is OF itself ever rpresent in
citement TO the trumping up of fraudulent claims.
All this reacts against just and honest claims
which Congress must pretend to act upon and set
tie, grudging every moment devoted thereto
Members feel that the frequent calls upon them by
-
to look upon claimant as being Of the genus sheep
thcf-yet what is the poor fellow to dol Don't
trust the Government, do you say That is easy
saying but what shall he do whose property the
Government takes by force and consumes or
destroys have such a case now in my eye
that OF (now) poor man whose steamboat was
forcibly impressed by an u. 8. armed force, taken
Off her route where she was earning him large
sum daily and sent full Of soldiers a hostile
cursion against Indians-her pilot, engineer, and
crew compelled to navigate her through imminent
danger by the conclusive argument of cooked and
leveed pistols Meantime, the troops on board
devoured and wasted large quantity of pro
visions ON board as freight, for which the steam
boat-msn, being liable a common carrier,
was compelled to pay ESQ, while bis boat
was badly injured by drunken revelry, her
glass shattered out by firing cannon from her
deck and her furniture consumed for fuel
to warm her rough and-ready passengers other
fuel running short. This happened fourteen
years ago; he must lose so many years interest II
ever paid, must give most probably halt TO his
agent in pressing the claim upon Congress, so
that at last If paid at all he viii receive just one
quarter Of his honest due to-day, and he will be
one Of the lucky claimants. There are claims
older, larger and equally just, that will not be
acted on and there always will be until the settle
ment Of claims is committed to some other tribunal
than Congress. Very likely millions OF dollars
have been paid out on bad claims while this has
been knocking at the gates of the Capitol. The
claimant OF just demand comes here bowling and
cringing like some guilty beggar, and Member of
Congress eyes him as a butcher might a strange
dog looking wishfuy at his mea,stsnd. All this
10 a. wrong as can be. The honest claimant has
quite a. good right to his pay as any Member to
his compensation, and ought TO hold up his head
accordingly, only he can't afford to. IL will be
otherwise when Congress establishes some proper
Board for the settlement of Claims. And yet
grieve to say that such Board was voted down
to-day in the House, (Air. Rockwells bill being on
its final psssage,) by 90 to s4-fourteen majority
against il. The Yeas were mostly Wings, the
Nays rice versa; and yet spprehend there were
some votes cast in the negative from dislike to
giving Mr.. Polk the appointment of the Comms-
sioners. suppose this vote is final tor the session