The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-03-07
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WIZ EULE8EN1 COnGAALSoa
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Nearly every session of Congress,
Washington City is besieged with a set
of professional swindiers and Hessians,
whose special business is to deplete the
National Treasury. These persons are
generally men of talent, which accounts
fer the frequent success of their schemes.
They Q insinuating in their address,
midland afable, and i .vould not sur
prise us If even honest members from
the g rural districts, behave not been
able to see a vast amount Of justice in
some of the plumber schemes of the
present Congress Members not un-
frequently have been slightly suspected
Of having q small interest in the event
of final success. Be this asst may, but
little can be known of the truth OF fall
sity of such charges. Itrests alone in
the breasts of the PARTIES interested
The fact may neveSbe positively known.
but the Interference may be correct
One Of these projects to relieve the
Treasury, is the French Spoliation Bill
which was passed byla Democratic Con-
gress. President PIERcE, by the wise
exercise, of his Ye to- has saved the peo-
pleo Of this Union many millions of.dol-
dars.HThis Bill on several occasions,
has received The attention of; Congress.
II the claims are just, it is truly hard
that he parties towhom they originally
belonged, never -haye been paid
About half a century has elapsed since
they are claimed to have been due
They are now bought and presented by
speculators- Woyconfess that for q
long time during the present session,
q views were in favor of allowing the
claims, but since reading the able Mes
sage Of President PIERCE, We cannot
now view them ina very favorable light
Wing papers eensure the President for
the iudicious exercise of his Judgment,
and the privilege expressly given him
that if he ssshal approve of a bill he
shall sign ii; if not, he shall return it
to the house IN which it originated, with
his objections. " He has exercised his
Judgment and returned it with his OBJ
jectionG If he has lone wrong, Con
eress has its remedy by -oyerruling his
objections with q tWo-third vote. It is
somewhat surprising that the friends of
this Bill expected the President to give
It his approval, when he expressed his
views on this subject whilst in Con
gress, which are identical with those ex-
pressed IN his Message.
The Bill to indemnify the creditors of
Texas, as passed, does not sufficiently
remunerats them. The claim Of the
Texas creditors is conceded to be just,
and consequently they should receive
every cent The facts are few, and we
think plain soafar as we know .them.-I
Texas at the time Of her admission into
he Union was involved n debt, conse-
quent upon her struggle for liberty
The United States proposed to Texas to
become one Of the States Of this Union.
Although IN debt, yet she had ample
means to liquidate it. The public lands
and duties on imports were pledged for
the payment Of this debt. Texas ac-
eeptsd the proposition, by which the
United States agreed to. pay her entire
debt Of ten millions Of dollars. They
took it not only With q full knowledge of
her indebtedness, but that the good
faith of the State was, pledged to
its payment. BY this arrangement
Texas has been deprived of all means to
discharge the debt. Notwithstanding
these facts, our Government contem-
plates paying only about one half. One
side or the other is bound to pay every
cent neither is there a question in our
mind which side should do it. We can
readily understand why members of
Co1gressHsome of them--are SO slow
to favor . Bill Ike this one involving
the interests of aportion Of its citizens.
In cases Of this kind, Governmen. should
not suffer tito be said, that acclaim hon.
estly due and specified at the time of the
contract, cannot receive that favorable
consideration from our National Legis-
lature, which other claims can, although
they may DO unjust and without a par
sicle Of merit. An honest claim like
his canno afford to 6uy up as much
influence and a many votes as either
he friends Of French Spoliation Bill, or
Ocean Mail Steamers. Itpre-
Us with the humiIiating fact, if
else, that our Government in
lis instancs is generous to corpora.
ms, befOr IL is Jasf' to private indi
luaIa.