The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-04-07
De generalization in Washing ION


The Washington correspondent of the New
York Tribune makes the following startling
statements:
Since the passage of the Nebraska bill, the
work of Generalization has been going rapidly
on in Congress, and not the least alarming fea-
ture of the case is that the influence of that
canvass has not been confined to those who vo-
ted in its favor, nor to measures Ubiquitous in
themselves.
svice is monster,o SC.
But to show what progress has been made.
will give one or two recent illustrations. The
great part of Monday and Wednesday of the
present week was spent by the House in the
consideration Of a claim under the specious
heading Of A Joint Resolution to carry into
effect the stipuations of the ninth article of the
treaty of 1919 with Spain"-a claim involving
about as much justice or propriety as there
would be in voting indemnity to Great Britain
for spOliations committed on her army during
the war of the Revolution. The stipulatiens
referred to were to indemnify certain individu-
ais for property destroyed by General Jack
son = invasion of Florida, when she was Span
ish colony, and according to the decisions made
over and over again by the authorities who
were contemporaries with the treaty itself. would
include claims amounting to only some $780,
coo; but in consequence of some unguarded
subsequent legislation, the amount was swcled
to over S1,00O,O00.
Claims for hundreds Of thousands Of dollars
were allowed and paid at the Treasury, not for
property actually destroyed, but for crops Of
cotton at so cents per pound, which the claim
ants alleged they were prevented for raising,
and for other property which might have been
destroyed had the claimants been so fortunate
as to have possessed it. Yet these same claim
ants now come forward with the modest propo-
sition that Congress shall pay them interest on
the whole sum, at 5 per cent. for 2! years.
amounting in the aggregate to about $780,
600. There are rumOrs, of course untrue, that
promises were made of dividends of no incon-
siderable portion of that 81, 500, 600 to secure
the passage Of the resolution but certain it is
that most unaccOuntable conversions were
made. One of the most active members in
"putting it through" was Nebraska Demo-
crat, who during service many years in the
House, has been notorious for opposing every
proposition to take money out of the Treasury
whether to pay an old soldier pension of six
dollars month, or for any purpose whatever;
who has even boosted that he has never voted
for general appropriation bill. The matter
was so adroitly and quietly managed that all
the conversations were made that could be made
beforehand without alarming the others, and
Oh Monday last the House suspended the rules
Ny u FOte Vi tUFcc W one, anu LOOK up the res
OlutOn which they would have passed at once
under the previous question, if the dinner hour
had not arrived little too soon. When the
matter came up on Wednesday, members who
We're not to be bought, had had an opportunity
to look into it, and so outrageous a case was
shown that it was laid Oh the table by a small
majority.
But the most fragrant instance of manifest
bribery and corruption is in reference to the
measure now pending before the House,
mean the Collins Steamer Appropriation; and
it is the most humiliating because the measure
itselfis one of great national Importance. No
one who witnessed the drunken orgies on board
the Baltic. when that ship was brought here in
1852, who watched the developments aftcrward
in Congress in securing an additional allowance
of S38O,O00 year to the Collins line, who has
marked the arrival within the last week of
scores of Collins paid agents. and more than
all, who has watched the progress of events in
the House for the last two days. can come to
more than one conclusion as to the kind of ar
guments upon which Mr.. Collins relies for his
success here. The principal manager in the
business is Mr.. Edison b. Odds, of Ohio. men,
Der of some years landing, but whose reputa-
ton has been made principally during the pre-
sent Congrcss-frst, as the only man who could
be found inscriptions enough, as chairman of
the committee of the whole, to pilot the Nebras-
ka bill through in utter disregard to the rules
OF the House; second, as the mover of propo-
sition to terminate the contract Of the govern
mcnt with Collins & Co., followed by speech
of the most denunciatery character toward the
aforesaid Company; and third. as the mover of
the proposition now pending before the House,
to make the $4,000 a year now paid to Col
Inns & Co., perpetual. followed by speech
highly laudatory of the same aforesaid COM
pany.