Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-12-25
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

Mr.. BROWN, of Mississippi, in pursuance of notice,
introduced the following resolution:
Resoeed That the following be added the rules of the
House Of Representatives:
There shall be appointed standing committee of the
House Representatives, to consist Of fifteen members to
be called the General Committee Claims, whose duty Il
shall be TO report bill at each session Of Congress making
for the payment Of private claimants 1t shall
be the duty Of the other committees Of the House. when
have prepared written report favor of any clam to trans
NIT their report together with the evidence which
based TO said General Committee Claims and If said
mittee altar due examination shall in said report
they shall insert item for the payment Of said claim the
bill for the payment Of private claimants and thereupon
init TO the House the report and evidence aforesaid 70
printed or otherwise disposed Of as the House may direct
And upon the demand OF single member a separate vote
shall be had any section Of said bin designated by him.
the previous question have been
and seconded.
Mr.. BROWN said that it was admitted that the present
mode of disposng of private claims insufficient and
ineectye and all of them doubt thought that II ought
to be in some manner changed For good many years
there had been proposition before Congress establish
Board Of Claims At first he was strongly inclined to
sustain the proposition but reflection had satisfied him
that It would not answer the purpose for which 1t
tended He thought that his proposition would the
end he had in VIEW and he therefore hoped it would
ceive the sanction Of the House y
Mr.. SWEETSER thought that the amendment to the
rules now under consideration would effect good 1t
would place al private bills upon common platform and
combination would thus be created that would carry
them all through, whether just unjust He would
gve his vote for the purpose Of increasing the approaches
before the House would have that effect IL would be
dangerous not only for fair investigation Of claims but
would be dangerous to the Treasury TO submit claims
en- dsse for the action Of the House He would throw
the courts Of justice and let every who had
honest claim ngainst the Government find redress in
court Of justice t9 0t t,.r
ar. SrbPHENS, Of Georgia, could see no possible in
na. could result from the adoption of the PROPOSE
Won o. tne gentleman from Mississippi The proposed
committee woud not by any means be conclusive upon
tne house Any member would then have the same
gnt 70 record his vote against any claim and would be
IN tne same position to guard the Treasury and keen II
1t from beng robbed he had now The present system
oil adJudcatng claims certainly very oye
and some remedy was needed He referred "a the so
attendance Of members when private vas
consideration, and Of the opinion that the
OF the Government and the rights Of claimants voud he
better protected by the proposed amendment than under
the present system. u ~''i A1.s'
Mr.. CLEVELAND believed That all would agree ,ho
some better mode than the they had shold IA ~
vsed for the purpose of doing justice to claimants b,
he did not think that the proposition pending wcS
accomplish the object in view. He stated at length M
objections TO it. and thought that they could remedy te
present evil by assembling Fridays and Saturdays And
attending to private business. TX
Mr. STUART opposed the resolution, believing that ts
practical effect would be submit the entire system Of
paying private claims to fifteen gentlemen whout appeal
Mr. TIL 0MPS0N, of Illinois, spoke in favor of the re-
soluton rcarkng that the great objection which had