The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-04-18


The Payment OF Claims.
The late heads of Departments left for
the adjudication Of their successors nu-
merous claims upon the Government.
Some of them involved legal questions
the adjournment of them saved trouble.
Some of them involved the payment Of
large sums of money-the adjournment of
them avoided responsibility, and kept
down disbursements. All these claims
were to be acted upon by the present
heads of Department. Their adjudication
was part of the duties which they were
sworn faithfully to perform. The cases in
volving large amounts or legal questions
were referred, very properly, to the Attor-
ney General, whose duty it is to advise
the heads of Departments when they call
upon him for his legal opinions. Some of
these claims have been disallowed and re-
jected; others have been recognised and
paid. We have no doubt whatever that
the Attorney General, in all cases, whe-
Their of rejection or allowance, has given
wise and honest opinions; and we have as
little doubt that the presses which are now
assailing him and the Administration in
this behalf neither know nor care whether
these opinions were sound legal opinions
or otherwise.
II is not true that the present heads of
Departments have re-opened claims that
have been rejected by their predecessors,
except upon Congressional direction. All
the charges, therefore, that are based upon
the idea that any claims have been re-
opened under other circumstances, are
without foundation.
We are not sure that we perfectly APP
preciate the morals of some of the writer's
who are figuring in the public journals on
the subject of government debts. Quite
as much in the dark are we as to the
morals OF some Of our Legislators in this
connexion. II seems to be taken for
granted by many of them, that man who
calls upon the Government to pay him a
just debt is contemplating swindle upon
the treasury. They assume that the Gov
eminent can never contract just indebted
ness and they are disposed TO repudiate
all demands as prima facie frauds, to de-
nounce all government creditors as so
many knaves, and all government officers
who recommend their payment as plum
derers Of the treasury.
We are of the opinion that very un-
fortunate, if not discreditable, morality
has prevailed in this respect in the con-
duct of our affairs; and if the present Ad-
ministration has adopted and pursued a
more liberal, honorable, and equitable
policy in this regard, so far from being a
just cause Of complaint and censure, il
entities them to the highest commenda-
ton of all just and honest men. While
the Government is pursuing the claims Of
our own citizens against foreign govern.
ments, even TO the issue Of warts il 10
drive away the same citizens from its
own bureaus when they appeal to it for
ng-delayed justicel Is debt any the
less debt because il has been due for a
series of years-years Of anxiety, NORTH
cation, and pecuniary distress, probably,
to the poor and meritorious CREDITOR Is
debt any the less debt because there
is no mode of bringing the Government
into court, and compelling il to satisfy
just demandsl Is debt any the less a
debt because the creditor is de6ed by the
bureaus, or denounced and traduced by un-
rejecting men in Compensation il is not
disrespectful to assume that such men
may sometimes find their way into Con-
gress, as well as any where else.
We beg our contemporaries to refresh
their consciences by study Of the great
principles Of law and morals that lie
wrapped in the gospel precept, that Jhe
"laborer is worthy Of his hire" We are
not aware that there is any thing in this
precept that justifes the withdrawal Of
laborers in the public service from the
sphere Of its benefcent operation. The
man who renders service to the Govern
ment is entitled 10 his fair reward. The
man who sells his property to the Govern