Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1856-06-04
r e I'll a r X S

OF Mr.. SuITu. of Cambria. in the House
of Representatives, April DIST 1856, On the
Fill entitled 4sAn Act to provide fog the
payment of certain. Claims against the Com
znonweaith."
Nh. SPEAKER This is 4 bill in which the
honor of the Commo0 wealth is st stake 1t Is
q matter ia which all her citizens are con
cerned. Let us then act in such manner, as
10 give character to this body and credit to
&he Common wealth, by passing approprla-
zion to pay of these old debts, and not act in
an ungrateful manner towards citizens holding
honest claims against her
The objection urged against the pay ment
OF these claims, that some Of them are fraud
tIleut, is an unfair objection This objection
Is more snjust than the most unjust among the
claiurs These claims are honest, but admit
ting that in the first place some Of them may
have been dishonest, the State by her own act
has made them honest, and made herself re-
sronsibJe for their payment.
To protect the Commonwealth from the pay
ment Of fraudalent claims, by an act of the
Legislature, providing for the ordinary expen-
ses Of the Government, the repairs OF the
Public Works and other general and special
appropriations. approved the 9th day Of May,
1854, Commissioners were appointed to eX-
anime, allow, and certify to such claims, as
in their judgment were found to be correct
and Justly due from the Commonwealth to the
respective claimants.
To enable these Commissioners to arrive at
just and equitable conclusions, or decisions;
they were invested with full power to send for
persons and papers, and to administer Oaths.
These gentlemen at once entered upon the
discharge of their duties, holding sessions at
Ill 4ba |
of our Public Improvements, and after
amining all the claims presented to them, and
certifying to such of them as they found to be
correct, made their report as far back as the
fall of 1854
The appointment of this tribunal was hailed
with delight throughout the Commonwealth,
as it was supposed that all the old debts
would through its ageacy be brought "a light
and those which were found to be correct and
certified to by these Commissioners would be
promptly paid Certainly there is a binding
obligation on the part of the Commonwealth
to pay all debts these Commissioners pronoun-
ced to be correct, for the tribunal was that OF
the State alone and the creditors had no
voice in its erection, but We're compelled to
go before it, and by its decisions were bound
to abide.
Now how has this great Commonwealth
maintained her part of the contract? BY
leaving thousands of dollars OF the claims
passed by her own tribunal to remain unpaid.
These creditors have time after time APP
pealed to the disbursing officers of the State
for the pittance due them, but the chilling
answer has invariably been. :" THERE IS no
APPROPRIATION" How unjust-how disre-
putable! With ovcr one million of dollars in
the Treasury, as shown by the report of the
State Treasurer, and boas.ed of as an evidence
of our prosperity Pennsylvania permits her
poor laborers to remain unpaid. Men who
have toiicd for her day and night, through
summers heat and winters cold, whose claims
are certified to BY the States own tribunal as
being just, and to whom the amount, su, Ill as
it is, would be god-send, cannot get sin
gle cent.
That great. populous and wealthy State
should so treat her own citizens, is most dis
graceful, and that in consequence OF such
treatment much pecuniary embarrassment
yea, physical suffering has resulted is most
certain. In consequence of this treatment,
many of the employees of the State, who by
rigid frugality. had secured few acres of
land upon which to place their families, in
consequence of the non payment of these
claims, have had their little all sold from them,
and have heen thrown upon the world home
save their property from sale, and to procure
the means to purchase the necessaries of life,
would sacrifice their claims at one half their
value, but these claims cannot now be sold,
for there being no appropriation and no GER
talnty about there being an appropriation,
speculators viii not advance money on them
at any shave that can be proposed Now, is
it not disgraceful that the poor laborers of the
State should be reduced to such IN extremity.
] have stated nothing but the truth. and could
state much more without telling all the truth
Common honesty, common honor, common
decency demands the payment of these claims,
and [ trust the great wrong that has been
done these poor claimants, will be speedily
corrected I appeal to the members to do
justice in this matter.
But Mr.. Speaker, there are other principles
tban that of mere justice to those claimants
at stake. The gentlemen opposing the pay
ment of these claims, are governed by prin-
Sip!es so at war with everything human and
dlvlne-so repugnant TO the principles which
should be the standard of our government,
shat Justice and duty impels me 10 refer to