The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-03-05
From the Ne,D York Tribune, March 2
Conversational Deliunuencias

DIR. Mace, of the House of Representatives, took
occasion the other day to ask to be excused from
further service the Committee on Private
Claims, on the ground that Congress would not
act on the business that that committee had pre-.
pared for it by diligent and efficient attention to
their duties
Congress has SO many shortcomings to be re-.
preached 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 convicted of high
way robbery, it does not beghten the public sense
of bis turpitude to accuse him of petty larceny
There is 10 fact more notorious than that Con
gress does every thing else before attending to the
public business. 1t is a crying evil that it is ao
but the fact is beyond dispute. And among those
who suffer from this failure 10 attend to business
the honest private claimant passed over with the
most remorseless indifference. The mode of treat
ing private claims on the Government needs tho.
rough revision, and demands radical REFORM As
things now go. one mans case is about as good as
another's. The prospect of any given claimant
getting his attended to- is just about as great
as that OF his being struck by lightning. And as
for essential Justice believe that if the names OF
the whole crowd Of claimants, fair and fraudulent,
were put into hat at the beginning of the session,
and then certain number drawn out lottery.
ticket fashion, and to those given what they asked
that 1t would subserve the ends of fair dealing Just
as truly as those ends now subserved by the
action OF Congress on such claims.
The whole thing is managed scandaousiy Ifa
man has got an honest claim against the Govern
ment, he might just about as we'll abandon it as to
undertake to prosecute it. A really good claim is
not worth in the market over twenty i've per cent
and there 10 hardly any plausible swind cheme
that Is not worth quite much. And heEce there
are just about as many bad claims as good ones
before Congress all the time. 1t ia notorious that
all the great forays on the treasury are swindes
Some are put through in one way and come in an
other. Some go through amid the hurry and bus.
tie and darkness OF closing session, when nobody
knows what IS done, and some boldly push their
way straight through, as a whale might dash
through the brush fence of a herring weir. But
nothing that is not of the most urgent necessity
gets on at all in Congress, except it be by some
private machinery or influence. And unless a
man can make an interest in certain circles or Ger
tain influential quarters, he might starve death
with fortune IN the breeches pocket of Uncle Sam.
The French claims case in point Here is
an honest debt long due which is thrust over into
the future year by year, till the very outrage oil
procrastination is converted into a reason why
they should not be attended to and paid Tber
there innumerable cases of obscure elaine
which fare no better, simply because Congress dee,
not do its duty 1t has been often suggested te
establish Board of Claims for the especial pur.
pore 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 unpleasant odor in its track that the pro.
position is not held in high regard: But that some
plan should be matured and put in operation is
just as clear that honest claims exist to which
attention is paid while at the same time the
Government ia annually swindIed out of hundreds
of thousands of dollars