The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-03-26


to establishment for lie and did. hat account 90.
cit ofther haitpay or an equivalent in
Of the modes above mentioned, Ia order
all subjects Of dissatisfaction from the minds OF their fellow
citizens
And whereas Congress are desirous well gratif
ing he reasonable expectations OF the officers OF the army
as Of removing ali objections which may exist any part
slmeni or which Tie aiih 81 he United States hath
been pledged persuaded that those objections only
disposition compensate those whose services. sacrifices
and saternes havs so iast tile to the appreciation and
rewards oi their 1untfy Therefore, e. saN+
Resousd, That such officers in service and
ana shai continue therein 20 The eed q Ioe ws shall BE- en
or securities on Interest, al siA cent annum, as
Congress shall find convenen Instead of the half pay
promised iof life by the sonan Of The 2st day Of Octo-
be 1850; the said securities 70 be such as shall be given
zoe epson o. me nes OF the respective Saies and not o
oeess individually in those lines, refuse tho
fled Congress Through The commander-n Chief from the
lines under his immediate command. within two months"
That The Communication shall extend the corps not
belong % % the lines o. particular States and who arc en-
tled 70 hslpay lite Aforesaid the acceptance
fusa 70 be determined by aud be signied in the
same MANNER and within the same time"
Those who were originally entitled 10 half pay for life,
and who afterwards had the option Of accepting 10 lieu
Of IL the commuaton OF five years full pay, as they pre-
sent themselves to the Senate now, consist OF two
classes The FIRST class is composed OF those who have
never received anything and whose representatives are
now petitioniDg to be allowed ha, TO which their ances
tors would have been entitled i they had applied for it
themselves. In relation this class OF claims have
very little TO say Whenever such has been made
out Congress has passed private bills for the relief of the
parties; and | find, in the volume OF Revolutionary
Claims" which | have before me, about one hundred
cases OF that description which special acts have been
passed to provide for those who received The COM
mutation or the half-pay No explanation, therefore, is
necessary in relation to ,hem because these claims have
always been recognised; and the only difficulty has been
to make out the proof and get both houses Of Congress
10 act upon them at the time The large class prn-
cpay provided Tor BY this bill are those who received
the Communication. a
gather, from the means OF information which have
been IN my power. that when the army was dsbanded in
November 1884, Congress sent paymaster for the pur
pose of dischargng all these obligations The paymaster
repaired to the army carrying with him certificates made
out for all the officers and TO each who was present,
and who would receive ii, be delivered certificate tor
his Communication for five years full pay, IN lieu OF the
Now, to the number OF this class and that is
sderalion that some gentlemen seem TO think important
find, in report made by Mr.. Burgess, on the Rhode
Island Claims some twenty ago. that 1t Is stated as
iact capable OF proof that the army when it was dis
banded consisted Of Two thousand four hundred and eighty
officers who entitled 10 the commuiation. have
made inquiries at the proper office here's and the Third
Auditor has informed me that ii appears from the books
in hs Office, and from those in the Pension Once that
two thousand two hundred and ffysx did receive the
Communication Now. adding TO that number the one
hundred for whom special provision has been made, and
The number OF applicants before Congress- and you will
have over two thousand three hundred AS will appear
hereafter, when come 10 that part OF The case the pro-
posed provision for this number OF persons will amount
2 very large sum Of money! and with some gentlemen
beleve II will be considered conclusive against the bill
that II does appropriate large amount OF money
But sir the question which arises lie, are We not
bound to pay this sum OF money. however large 1t may
be! do lot mcaa 10 say that in a court OF law 1t would
be regarded as legal obligation Congress, upon the
petition OF potion Of the officers, at least, offered to
s, ts Yeas a pay y % s & o. s 10,
was probably discharged by that; but, then, what were
the ae,s in relation TO the maters The officers had the
certificates OF government that it owed them so much
money; but the government was nsolvent. Under the
confederation Congress had no means OF rainng
money, There debt oil S1oo. 100000 and upwards
which had been coniraeleaduFng the revolution. The
ofbcers bad retired from the army-mos, OF them IN
state OF poverty and des,tuuon They had nothing but
esss certificate % L they bad property sss'sss s when
emy before The conclusion OF the war and thus they
were thrown upon the world with nothing bu those ce-
uheaes, which hadno apae eeabe maIketyane whatever
Most Of The petitions before the committee set ouand all
who are convefsani With the history oi the times know
the fact very weil-lbatey deprecated finally down to
twelve and half per cent hsihe TO whom the gov
eminent bad promised 20 500 received only Sl2 30
and a captains communication Of FIVE years full pay,
amounting TO s24oo bad market value greater than
$500 aud in The larger portions OF The cases, according
10 The best information can collect upon the SUBJECT they
were sold al that rate
Now, sr, what was the promise The promise was,
hat they should be PAID "a money; ha IN consideration
OF their remaining IN the atm5 until the end oil the war,
they should receive halliday Tor liie which was COM
moied ot hve yesrs n cay 10 be paid IN money Or at
the option OF Congtess, certificates bearing six per
cenum interest," which should have been considered as
equivalent TO so much money The contract the obliga.
Uon really was 10 Vay oi i've years
pay in money. Did they receive IL Every man here
who has esga,ed the matter knows that they received
hardly tenth part OF II. Whose fault was that Was
II Their fault II was not persaps the faalt OF the Con-
gress at hat time, but Il was necessary result IRON the
situation in which placed. Congress could not
pay them Although had achieved our Independence;
although Great Britain had acknowledged II, what was
our situatonl Had we any government Was there
central government having power to pay those debts
There sir. Was there any certainty that the
discordant materials of which this country consisted al
that tme-tbe State governmens-would ever coaesce
and form federal government so as TO provide Tor these
debts No, sir II WIS very uncertain, indeed
In this state of things, the officers were thrown upon
the world with these certificates which deprecated
daily, and had market value They received next to
nothing for them. la this view, the committee thought
and shall ever believe they thought coHecuy-tnat y
would be right 10 put them back IN the condiuon wh'cn
they would have occupied because Congress mas not
kept in good faith the consideration upon which they
agreed 10 give up their half-pay ior lfe When say
Congress has not kept the consideration IN good fah
do not mean say that has been guilty OF any want OF
good intentions for the performance OF the contract, but
simply say that it has no, been performed, and they
have no, received the hali-pay for life to which they
had legal right In the State OF Virginia, under like
circumstances, the officers upon being allowed to sue the
State, recovered the amount for II was considered that
legal obligation. For this legal obligation 10 pay
them half pay for life they have received little or moth
log
Then, ought we not to pay them The committee
thought we should The only question on this point
and that OF the greatest difficulty, was, whether we
should not upon proof that they had been obliged TO sell
these worthless certificates which had been given to
them for ten twelve cents the dollar, allow them
the difference between that amount and the par value of
| 49, tH thu