New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-03-02
CONGRESSIONAL DELINQUBNCIEs.

CONGRESSIONAL DELINQU bNtlEs'
Mr. MACE. of the House of Representa-
tives, took occasion the other day to ask to be
excused from further service on the Committee
on Private Claims, on the ground that Congress
would not act on the business that that Com
mittee had prepared for it by diligent and
efficient attention to their duties.
Congress has so many shortcomings TO be
reproached for, that the adding of one or more
TO the list, does not seem to increase the weight
of its sins As when man has been con-
victed of highway robbery, il does not highten
the public sense Of bis turpitude to accuse him
Ofpetty larceny.
There is no fact more notorious, than
that Congress does everything else before at
tending to the public business. Ii is crying
evil that il is so but the fact is beyond dis
pute And among those who suffer from this
failure TO attend TO business, the honest private
claimant is passed over with the most remorse-
less Indifference. The mode of treating prl-
yate claims on the Government needs thorough
revision, and demands radical reform. AS
things now go, one mans case is about as good
as another's. The prospect OF any given claim
ant getting his case attended to, is just about
as great as that of his being struck by light
ning. And as for essential justice we believe
that if the names of the whole crowd OF claim
ants, fair and fraudulent, were put into hat
at the beginning of the session, and then GER
.ainnumber drawn out lottery-ticket fashion,
and TO those given what they asked, that 1t
would nbserve the ends of fair dealing just as
truly as those ends are now subseryed by the
action of Congress on such claims
The whole thing is managed scandalously.
II man has got an honest claim against the
Government, he might just about as we'll abaii-
don il as to undertake to prosecute it. A
really good claim is not worth in the market
over twenty-five per cent, and there is hardly
any plausible swindiDg scheme that is not
worth quite as much. And hence there are
lust about as many bad claims as good ones
before Congress, all the time 1t is notorious
that all the great forays on the Treasury are
swindles. Some are put through in one way and
some in another. Some go through amid the
hurry and hustle and darkness Of a closing SEES
sion, when nobody knows What IS done, aud
ssme boldly push their way straight through,
as whale might dash through the brush fence
Of aherriDg weir. But nothing thar snot Of the
most urgent necessity gets on az ali Congress,
except it be BY some private machinery or in
fuence. And unless man can make an inter
est in certain circles or certain influential quar-
tiers, he might stsrve TO death, with fortune
in the breeckes pscket of Uncle sam.
The French Claims are case in point
Here is an honest debt long due which is thrust
over into the future year by year, till the very
outrage of procrastination is converted into a
reason why they should not be attended to aud
paid. Then there are innumerable cases OF
obscure claims which fare no better, simply
because Congress does not do ITS duty. IL hos
been often suggested TO establish a Board of
Claims for the especial purpose of examining
and deciding upon all such cases, We do not
know that better plan can be devised. But
the Mexican Commission has LEFT such an IN
pleasant odor in its track that tie proposition
is not held in high regard. But thar some plan
should be mstu,ed and put in operation is just
as clear as that honest claims exist to which
no attention is paid, while at the same time the
Government is annually swindled out Of hun
dreds OF Thousands of dollars