The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-04-08

quifea TWO per cent upon the sales OF the prizes anc
upon he salvage OF the recapures TO be appropriated
the purpose OF privateer pension fund In 1914
was passed granting pensions TO inyads and TO The
WIDOWS ana orphans OF those pain on board OF priva
eeis these pensions continued 10 be paid, with some
le modlhcalions occasionally, down TO near the year
| leai Al that time the fund was exhausted.
! ihe acts eianung these pensions required that they
should be paid ou OF this fund, and from no other
/ source lhat was the language oil one act Another
act expressly provided that they should not be charge
upon The treasury OF the United States, In ls44, how
ever was discovered that the fund exhausted and
al uAai lime senator from Maine, Mr.. George Evans,
VINO was Then member OF this body, and chairman OF
an appropriation BILL by which the Senate at dash
appropriated SIS, 900 Tor the payment OF these prvaeeI
pensions Out OF tne treasury OF the United States, con.
vary 70 lhe spirit and express provision OF The acts grant
| ing the pensions.
Subsequently 10 1850 Congress refused to pay these
pensions out OF the treasury There was, however
little balance lett in the hands OF the agents. and il
hnppeFs that OF the pensioners have been paid up
to the Let OF January 1858, the agents not being OF
the refusal OF Congress to make further appropriations
some OF the pensioners have been paid up TO the st OF
January, 1858, while others have We thought il
was well TO put all on tooling and TO make aPpo-
pfiaon which would be sufficient 10 pay all these priva
teer pensions up to the st OF January 1853, but not to
continue the system OF paying them out OF the treasury
II seemed indeed, TO be the duty OF the Committee Fl
nance, whose business is 10 recommend appropriations
10 carry out existing laws, not 10 recommend appropa
lons which were not necessary 10 carry out those laws
but which were in fact contrary TO the provisions of the
| existing laws.
sum mentioned IN the amendment, which will equalize
the condition OF all these pTlvateer pensioners Those
who haye b. not received pensions up TO January ls5a
will II this amendment be adopted, receive them, and be
put upon the same footing the others But it is not
recommended 10 the Senate TO continue the payment OF
these pensions out of the treasury II is for the Senate
to say whether they will The intention of Con-
gess declared in the acts of 1914 and 1918, and other
acts, and pay r Re pensions out Of The treasury
Mr. PRAII, Mr.. President, many OF the conslitu-
enls OF my colleague aud myself interested in the
amendmen, before the Senate feel it, therefore,
10 be my duty 10 say word in regard 10 it, The prnci
pie TO be decided by the Senate 10 the adoption ejec
ion oi this amendment has been correctly stated by my
colleague II is whether the pensions OF this character
shall be exclusively applied TO those in the regular
vice OF the country whether they ought to be applied
TO those who were engaged The prvateer service du
ring the last with Great Britain Tha, is The broad
question, and want il 10 be met
BY the act TO which my colleague has referred, Con
gess did at one time recognise the proprey OF paying
them other pensioners, and for that purpose appropta
ted the sum OF $4,000 beyond the fund which was de-
rived iron their captures, and which my colleague
has correctly said exhausted and which the OIL
gnal pension law IN regard 10 them applied Now, SIR
for myself, If we are 10 allow pensions TO sailors who
fought on board OF our men Of war, cannot why
those who fought on board OF private armed vessels
should not also receive pensions, when they are entitled
TO them, Tor The gallant services, and when they
recognised by the country al the lime they rendered
them as IN the service OF the country We all know
that letters OF marque were issued 10 The pryateers by
which their authority to 20 abroad and fight the enemies
OF The counry was recognised by law; and they fought
galaniiy any part oil those who were engaged in
the No man can doubt that they did much injury
10 the enemy, and rendered much service coun
try as the regular navy did during the Of 1919
do see, then why they equally entitled TO
ceye pensions the reg uar sailors in the war of 1912
therefore prefer the clause 1t stands in The b be
cause il appropriaies a larger amount
MIR, HAMLlN. Mr.. President. can very well give
who last spoke, Mr. PRArTl has raised and upon The
case be has presented IL 10 the Senate am very will
ling vote with him. But, If understand this matter
correctly think my friend has not placed the issue pre-
els on |
both lie and bis distinguished colleague [Mr PEARcEl
labor under error in this matter They certainly are
in error or am and If am IN error, desire 10 be
rected II understand the original law, il provided
that und should be created from the proceeds OF the
prizes captured BY the prIyaees, ou, OF which certain
pensions were 10 be paid Now Il is asserted here that
that fund has been all consumed do not understand
IT, assert The contrary that the pensions paid al
he department IN no year have eqnalled the interest Of
Mr. PEARCE, II The senator will allo y me. will
state the authority.
Mr.. HAMLlN. Certainly. t=
MIR PEARCE. | remember very well the approptia-
ton which made in iS4i, for was then member
Of this body Certainly Il would not have been neces-
sary TO make appropriation out OF The treasury for the
payment OF these pensions II there had been sufficient
amount TO the credit OF the priya pension und. But
here the authority is letter from the Commission
OF Pensions, 10 which, among other things, be says
"Tho oet Of Jons s. 1874, approPriates $4,000 Tor the
pnvsteer pension fund, their pensions TO commence from
The lime they were stopped ~ consequence OF the exhaus
/
Then he says
BY reference 10 the accounts Of The receipts
prndures Of The United States for the fiscal year ending
the 3Oi OF June, lS4l IL will be thAt the prvaee
pension fund then reduced balance OF STA or
This date, therefore, be assumed as that OF the ex
hausiiUn Of the iund'
think the only error Of the statement s that The fund
was exhausted little sooner, because appropriated
at that very session $4,000 to pay these pensions and
there have been considerable amount OF srTeaages
to require that sum.
Wmle am up, | will merely add, IL The senator will
allow me, that the amount IL small think the number
OF pvateeT pensions this time only about nineteen
and the amount OF pensions which they receive is very
small-perhsps something less than 81 900 80 900
year But II Congress adopt the policy sf paying these
pensions out OF the treasury 1t scarcely be doubted
that applications for pensions will be filed and that
seems, all be anticipated by the head OF the
/ bureau.
| Mr. HAMLIN. | do not now understand the senator
| from Maryland as meeting the statement which made,
Ii is thls-and think am justified in it by the facts OF
the that the disbursements will show that they
IN no year equal 10 the interest upon the principal
of this fund My friend from Mary land has not shown
| and think the statement which he holds in his hand
does not show, and cannot show-tbe manner in which
this fund lost Was il loaned by the government
Has the government failed to those loans Has
the fund been improperly diverted from the purposes for
which 1t was originally created So far as this question
is concerned, care not what became OF that fund but
il the government has not annually paid amount equal
10 the interest of il II II has lost II by loanng or "
Congress has appropriated y TO another and different
purpose than that provided for IN the original iaw-in
either case Congress is bound 10 make il good think
the statement which the senator from Maryland makes
fails fully 10 answer the position which assumed 1t is
that the fund originally created by this prize money
to be appropriated 10 pay certain PENSIONS and The gov