The daily union., 1854-12-19

some early day thereafter ask leave to introduce bill
amendatory of and supplementary TO- approved 4h
August 1854 entitled IAN act to graduate and reduce the
price OF public lands to actual settlers and cultvators
ORDER
On motion by Mr. FITZPATRICK, the bill TO authorize
The OF certain claims for depredatons and spoa-
Indians in 1886 and 1887 taken up and made the
special order for the 10th of January next
DkPARrMEST or LAW.
The bill to establish department Of law to prescribe
certain duties Of the Auditors and Comprollers of the
Treasury and for other purposes taken up and
sldered as in committee OF the whole and on motion by
Mr. ADAMS, several amendments were made in it; after
which, the BILL amended ordered to be printed and
Its further consideration was postponed until Wednesday
next '4J
PRINTING DOCUMENTS
Mr.. SEBASTIAN submitted a resolution, which was
agreed to, providing for the printing of two thousand
copies of the last annual report Of the of In
dian Affairs with the accompanying documents for the
use OF the Indian department.
eas g PASSED.
The following bill was considered and passed
Bill for the relief of II. F. Thornton Lawrence Talia-
erro and Hay T. Taliaerro surees of d. NJ. f. Thorn
ton late purser in the navy of the United States.
CLAIMS
On motion by Mr.. BRODHEAD the Senate proceeded 70
the consideration OF the bill to establish board of
mssioners for the examination and adjustment of private
claims; and Mr. B. addressed the Senate as follows:
In the few remarks propose make in explanation of
weary the Senate with useless
detail 1t proposes to remedy evil which has been
crying for the last twenty twenty-five years have
carefully considered the subject and have examined oil the
bills which have heretofore been submitted in either branch
of Congress- and the now under is the
result OF my abors 1t has received the sanction Of the
Committee Of Claims to which it referred and Of sew
eral OF the most experienced gentlemen connected with the
government in and of Congress and the primary con-
sderation i not whether this that objection can be
made to but whether it is not the best and least obec
tionable which be devised. am quito certain and
feel justified in asserting that If does not do great good
il is free from constitutional objection and win do harm
II is certainly proper as an experiment IN preparing it.
have cndeavored to omit all provisions which have hereto
fore been seriously objected to.
It may be said that II does not go far cnoughthat it
anything more we may interfere with the right of petition
the machinery be too complex members may not take
time to understand It's PROVISIONS fear that it will not
work well in practice, aad hence will break down it's
predecessors have done II may lie said too that has
wrong name-tha boards of commissioners have become
unpopular But the proposed board is differently organ
under the treaty Of siS The proceedings Of that board
were, In measure private; its decisions final and
conclusive and money paid upon them Its opinions
not pubshed, and the government not represented
Not so With the board contemplated by this bill Its pro-
ceedugs will be public, both sides win be heard lawyers
Of high character will appear before it. its decisions will
not be final and It's opinions and decisions will be pub
lished and placed before both houses of Congress.
The proceedings before the board will be- courts of
law or equity In some measure adversary and upon dis
pued questions OF fact testimony will be taken upon notice
to both sides All lawyers know how difficult It is make
correct decisions upon pde statements and evidence
The members of the board will have enemy in the
no elections coming on documents to send home, no
Buncombe speeches to make. They will have the same
motivestor correct action that judicial tribunal would
have They will feel the responsibility of their positions
Members of Congress do not They are seldom If ever
called to account at home for their action upon private
bills.
Now 10 the epiis complained Of But few facts need
be stated because they decisive and clearly prove the
necessity for legislative iuterpostion. q
Population doubles in this country every twenty-hree
twenty-four The business before nd
especially that of private character increases in the
same ratio Twenty-Five years ago Congress appro-
to carry on the government Now appropriate over
sixty millions Two days of every week. Of the
time TO say nothing of the time spent by committees
apart for the consideration oprvae bills and reports and
yet not much than half acted on and the people
complain that our sessions are too long Want of time
Justice Those who have honest claims are postponed for
years, justice is cheated by long delay and yet
who retains money belonging TO the is treated
as felon and prosecuted in the criminal courts The
pressure of business of private character prevents us
from considering great questions in way becoming
men representing this great people and this extended
pre Our time is too valuable to be occupied in discus
sing the merits dement's of private BILL Frequently
we dispute about the facts Of the presented in
Par way the truth of which could be better ascerained
by a tribunal differently constituted. Besides
never done with private claimants and their agents
torneys and private claims either passed pressed
into the appropriation bills on the last nights Of
sions contrary to the rules of the Senate and in way
injurious to the character Of Congress In lS38more
than sixteen years agohe House Of Representatives pass
cd resolution with provso, declaring that "the private
business far exceeded what could reasonably be attended
to- and instructed the Committee of Claims to take the
subject into consideration That committee did so and
Mr. Whittesey their chairman who before and since has
rendered such good service to the country and so
high character for unyieding integrity made report
and submitted bill, to which shall have occasion to
aude before take seat In l848 the subject again
investigated by Mr. Rockwell then member Of the House
Of Representatives from the State of Connccticuta gen.
ueman we all know and admire for his many good quail
tics OF head and heart He also made report from the
Committee of Claims, strongly urging the establishment of
board Of claims In these reports will be found the
statistics of private caimsshowng their increase and the
necessity of establishing tribunal to relieve members
of Congress from labor unbecomng their positions and
unsatisfactory to honest claimants But need enlarge
upon this point The facts that have stated to
me- conclusive and the experience and observation Of
members will suggest many The present system is
ment The most difficult task remains; for it is much
easier to point to the defects Of system than devise
remedies to demosh building than convenient
substitute.
Three forms of relief have been suggested, viz
First To enlarge the powers of the accounting officers
Second. To enlarge the powers of the Judiciary and
Third To establish board similar to the proposed
in this bill,
The idea of allowing accounting officers exercise
discretionary power-o allow damages for breach of
contract for instanceto dispense with the rules of law
and evidence-is pretty much abandoned and need not
discuss IL All admit that executive officers should be gov
erned by law They exercise their functions in private
They now have as much they attend to, and to
large their powers would be dangerous experiment
Congress would not know how much money, for what
objects to appropriate it, The executive officers could not
furnish us with estimates they by law required
to do.
To enlarge the powers of the judiciary would be equally
1anU nd IL ;c Ixr,o<