The republic., 1851-01-27
THE REPUBLIC.
SPEECH OF HON. THOMAS HAymosD

Delivered in the House Of Representatives
on the 23d Of January, 1851.
MIR. RAYMOND (who was entitled to the fioor)
said: Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Indiana,
(Mr. RoRrNsoN,) in his remarks Of yesterday
spoke of the want of system in the Pension Office,
and said that there is system in that Office what
ever, in the disposition OF its papers or the regua
tion of the clerical force; and that they conse
qucntly very much deranged. He aso speaks of
the incompetency of the Commissioner of Pensions
for the proper discharge of the duties belonging to
his office. He said that he did not go to that officer
to make his inquiries, but that he went to the clerks
to get his information-that he did not have any
conversation with the eCommissioner-that he asked
him no questons--that the Commissioner did not
intrude upon the committee by telling them what
they ought to do, or what they ought not 20 do.
Taking all these things into constellation he con-
cudes therefore, that the Commissioner has no ca
pacity for business. This is the whole Of his argu
ment TO prove that the Commissioner of Pensions
is unfit for the duties of his Office. shall not at
tempt to reply to an arrument like this. will,
however, say this--that If Mr. Heath had intruded
himself upon this committee, under circumstances
of this character, he would have lesseied himself in
my estimation very much.
MIR. ROBINSON. | did not state that the corh-
| mittec had not called upon him. The committee
did call upon that officer and got all the nforma
| ton they could from his clerk
| Mr.. HAYmoNp Did understand the gentleman
| from Indiana Mr.. RoBINsoN) 10 say that the com
| mittee had no conversation with the Commissioner
Of Pensions?
Mr.. ROBINSON. did not say so. The committee
| had several conversations with him.
| Mr.. RAYMOND. The gentleman from Indiana,
(Mr. RoBINsoN,) in speaking OF the delay in issu
ing these warrants, to attribute it to the want
of capacity in the Commissioner of Pensions A
stranger coming here, and who had heard hespeech
| Of the gentleman yesterday, without knowing
any thing facts, would have supposed that Mr..
Heath had been in the Pension Office for the last
three years and that all the delay in that office
| occasoned by his wantof capacity. Any one igno-
/ N regard the matter. would have stlDDO5eQ
| from the gentleinans remarks, that the present
Commissioner held his appointment at the tine the
law passed. and that if Mr.. Edwards had been
continued in Office the business would ali have been
| properly conducted. But what the facts i'll
ation to this matter? Mr.. Heath, the present Com
missioner, entered upon the duties of his office since
the meeting of Congress. He had only been in his
| office few days when the committee made their
| investigation. Mr.. Edwards, the former Commits
| sioner, in regard to whom another gentleman from
| Indiana (Mr. GoRMAN) passed such high eulo-
| gium had charge of the Pension Bureau up to
within few days of the time that the committee
1 made their investigation If the papers and busi-
fthe Pension Office in that miserable con-
diton as represented by the gentleman from In
| diana, MIR. RoBINsoN,) let me ask, who ought to
be held responsible for it? Certainly not Mr..
Heath, for he has been in office but a few days.
| have nothing to say against Mr.. Edwards SO far
as have had any business to transact with him in
his office have uniformly found him attentive and
obliging, and he transacted il to my entire sats
| faction
| Sir, it will not be necessary for me TO speak
much of Mr.. Heath or his qualifications. do not
| know what object the gentleman from Indiana
| (Mr. RopINsoN) could have had in making the re
marks he did about this officer for it seems that he
had but very little conversation with him. and con
scqucntly could know but very little in regard to
| his capacity. Let me say, however, In regard TO
that gentleman that in the State Of Virginia, it is
! unnecessary to speak word in reference to MIR.
/ Heaths capacity and qualifications. have been
acquainted with him for thirty years, during
| which time he has been the First Auditor OF Vir-
| ginia,) and know something about his business
habits. His capacity to discharge the duties of the
| responsible office which he held for SO long time,
was never questioned in that State, by either pCti-
| cal friends opponents He has also been dis
| tin gushed member of the Board of Public Works,
| and has discharged other important public duties
in that State to the entire satisfaction OF the peo-
pie. They have yet to discover, that the man in
whom they placed much confidence Ia not COM
peent to discharge the dutieso Of almost any office
in the disposal of the Federal Government Yet
the gentleman from Indiana, (Nlr. ROBINSON y who
had 40 brief an acquaintance with him, and who
spent but little time and had but little conversation
with him, comes to the conclusion, and proclalms
it TO the world that he Is incapable OF dlschnf slng
properly the duties of the Pension Office The gen
ileman from Indiana (Mr. RoDISsoN) is the first to
discover his want of capacity, or TO mpeach II IN
any manner.
MIR. Chairman, whose fault is it, let me ask, if
papers and every thing relating to the Pension OF
flee in the miserable condition represented by
| the gentleman from Indiana How is 1t that they
were IOunQ In SuCn Wy suo Soh-
mittee the time of their Investigations Mr. Heath
had been in Office but few days at the time Of their
examnation and he had had no time To arrange the
papers of his department. Ii they were IN Disorder
| they must have become under the admlnlstra-
| ton of Mr.. Edwards, the late Commissioner oil
Pensions, who left the office but week or so before
| this nvestigation
| have made some inquiries in relation TO the
! manner of conducting the business in the Pension
Office within the last few days, and since this mat
has been discussed in THE House, and the result
| of that investigation is, from all the Information
which have been able to obtain, that the clerks
are all actively engaged. More than one thousand
declarations received in that Office daily, and
distributed to the various clerks, who have to make
an examination Of them. | understand that appn-
cations OF Mexican soldiers for bounty lands 70
| which they entitled, applications Tor invalid
| pensions, and other applications, come in IN great
| numbers daily. The letters thrown together,
/ and the clerks engaged daily in asserting and
| sending to the Third Auditors office such papers
| as required to go there TO be examined ana
| compared with the muster rolls. Yet some OF the
| gentlemen here to think that there is nothing
for the clerks do, and that there Is necessity
for an additional force of clerks. They seem to
| think that only one clerk be employed at
time in examining these papers.
! The gentleman from Indiana (Nlr. RoBiSsoN)
appears TO be impressed with belief that ent his
report was made this House, there was no desire
on the part of the Commissioner OF Pensions to car
ry into effect in good faith, the provisions oil tpe
| Bounty Land law. He seems to think that hisreport
have commenced issuing warrants that they have
gone really to work; that the plates arrived from
! Philadcphi Immediately upon the publication oil
his report and that to him. therefore, belongs the
credit of warrants beng Issued at all. The gentle
man also ntimates that the Secretary oi the lute-
rior and the Executive, are hostile 10 the enforce
ment of this law. This error on his part aflses,
doubtless, from what took place short time alter
the adjournment of Congress. 1t was said then
| that some defect in the Bounty Land law had been
discovered. The next day teiegnphic despatch
was sent To Baltimore stating that the Executive
was going to suspend the execution oil the law un-
I'll the next meeting OF Congress. was here Tor
two or three days after the adjournment OF Con-
gress mado inquiry, and found that there was
no truth in the report that the Executive was IN
tending to disregard law OF Congress- and to poet
ponc it's execution. This idea, that the Secretary
OF the Interior has made this delay Tor the purpose
Of retarding the execution OF the law, is gross
| fabrication of the letter writers.
| The gentleman from Indiana Mr.. RonIssoS)
complains about the strngency OF the rules and
regulations adopted by the Secretary OF the lnte-