New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-29

topic Gov. Wise expresses himself a. follows:
These unsatished claimants now complain that
this is rot the construction by the Secretary of the ln-
terror His construction seems to be that when a war
sfiouoI fesfimoHvr OF what That any warrant
thus surrendered was fairly and justly Issued ~ D4r
suonce OF the laws of said Commonwealth This ia
ready made not, but it is imperative on him to re.
rise The proof and If need lie TO examine additional
testimony He must be satisfied in one way the
other alone by revision Of the proofs by additional
testimony In other words, the act commands him
to examine and adjudicate these unsstisfed warrants
dc moro. And | regret to say that do not see how
the Secretary Of the Interior could escape this con-
strr ctol The act and not the executive officer
mits the wrong Of questioning the nsy OF the adl-
diCet OILS of the Virginia tribunals.
Governor Wise does not seem to believe in the
old maxim that "beggars should not be choosers
On the contrary he insists that Congress shall pass
a new law for the satisfaction Of all outstanding
warrants, without stopping to inquire whether
they were "justly" issued or not. He even puts
on great air OF offended dignity, as if it were an
insult 10 Virginia to give her q halfloaf when she
wants whole one:
State laws and State decisions upon them, in such
cases, control even the Supreme Court of the United
States. cannot conceive why Congress should thus
have assaied the dignity and even integrity of Nir
ginia's forum Of conscience in matter where graft
tude and grant combined TO grace statute with better
manners and better morals too. Can anybody tell
what this flight Of rhetoric means The General Gov
eminent could hardly deliberate on this act without
remembering a gift of great value and donor of un-
bounded generosity; without knowing that these war
rants were adjudicated' y Virginia and that Viz
cina was the ojgor who adiudicated against herself
that if assumes to pay debts for b, may well look
to that debts unhqdated or not confessed due
or not, but he cannot dispute Bs ackHorledg-
Doris or judgments against B. Here Virginia
adjudgcd against herself, in the highest form o.
acknowledgment and confession, by her laws and
her tribunals of last resort. The case would rather
seem TO resemble that of spend-thrt son who freely
gives notes which nobody" il expected to pay.
Fraud alone mistake in a material degree ought to
be allowed to question such judgments, confessions
and Acknowledgements in case of even strict right
But here is sovereign State dealing in revolutionary
bounties debts of gratitude for services above and
beyond all pecuniary prc'. Here Is faith TO ind
viduals, and above ALL faith between States AMI Gov
ernments involved. To assume TO pay Nirgina's
debts to her revolutionary patriots, in consideration Of
Virginia gratuities, too, to the General Government
and then to say to Virginia: You have acknow-
edged and adjudged debts to be due to citizens
which You did not owe is to say to Virginia: You
ask pay what you would not have paid lad the
onus remained upon you. Congress could not have
meant such construction yet the act operates by
its express terms, and no mputation on Virginia
could be just, for she made these adjudcations
her obligations.
HWhy should Congress 50 distrust Virginia tribu-
mails They defy all imputation Of any corruption.
They may have been imposed upon by fraud or been
mised by mistake. There is no objection, but a
desire to correct any fraud mistake But obec
ton is TO examining the original merits of these
cases, independent of either fraud or mistake
Now, begging the Governors pardon, it appears
to us that these two admitted exceptions of fraud
and mistake will cover the whole ground. If war
rants have been issued not in pursuance of the
laws of Virginia, they must have been issued
either through fraud or mistake-mstake as to
facts or mistakes as to time; and the cases which
the Governor puts as illustrations of warrants i'm
properly rejected seem to precisely of this kind.
The Governor falsely suppOses that the United
States assumed L" Virginia's debt to her revolution
cary patriots" not only her legal debt but her
L" debts of gratitude" also The United States
never assumed any thing of the sort When Viz
GINA ceded her pretended claims TO the lands north
west of the Ohio she was allowed to reserve, and
was confirmed in the possession of large tract
out of which she undertook to pay her own reyolu
tiOnary obligations That tract running short, she
came begging TO the United States, and they, to
get rid of her impudence and her opportunities,
undertook to satisfy all such warrants as had been
legally issued under her laws; and now Mr.. Wise
turns round and insists upon the satisfaction Of all
that have been issued, whether legally or not
Nor is the ground upon which this impudent de-
mani based any less impudent than the demand
itself:
at is needless to recapitulete to you the liberal
promises which Virginia made to her officers, soldiers,
seamen and marines in the Revolutionary war. She
then S0reTelgn ~ an eminent domain ample
enough to pay officers and men to fight the armies Of
Kings. To cement the union of the States, TO harmon
ze and strengthen their confederacy, she afterward
ceded, Tih more han generous derOtiOn, the whole
of her northwest territory h the General Government
rese0ing only what was called the Virginia Military
Land District, bet VCen the Miami and SciOto rivers
in the State of Ohio. That reservation emsar
rassii TO the State, and il not large enough
10 satisfy her revolutionary pledges to her army and
navy. She was arbitrary mistress of the contracts
with the officers and men of her defense made them
independently of all other States or Powers, AMI
settled for herself the amounts and rates of pay AMI
tie mode and manner OF adiudcating claims upon her
bounty Her resources of lands large enough for
her TO be generous Us well just TO add gratuities
10 deJs due TO h heroes if she chose to do 10 her
sovereign good will and pleasure. No crOrH>i and
jtrecd mistress Of knights Tds more bOHHfu[ 10
her offenders size had right 20 be So for no knights
rere trer more r0rtLy Of Queen than he sons Of
Virginia rere r0rthy Of their mother STATE in the
War of the Revolution Her first son, the first of all
mankind given to the Continent and to the Liberty
Of the World and Hercr took any Pay. Tia serrice
Of Freedom, Tree Of charge, should compensate for
every bounty that may he orerDaid, to c-ery other
hCrO, brother Trg'Hian Of Fash'HgtoH.'
Because Washington served his country without
pay, is every other virgiuian to be tolerated in
sponging the United States to his hearts content
Gov. Wise confesses that the gratuities promised
by Virginia to her officers, in lands TO which she
IA A., ~, .;,,a bnt ,ba sba1o,r of . 81 49,.