Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-08-07
The Conquest fCalifornia-Califo,
MIA Claims.

The Conquest ofCalifornia--Califo,-
MIA Claims.
The opponents of Col Fremont are, BY
assertions of the most desperate and un
scrupulous haracter, endeavoring to deprive
him of the credit to which he is Justly enti-
tied for his services in connection with the
conquest of California; and also. to bring his
name in,o disrepu,e by charging him with
having defr suded the Government, or at
tempted to defraud it by creating Liabilities
in the name of the United States, for his
own benefit. Now the parties who are re-
producing the letters OF Captains, Clerks,
Colonels &C.; with reference to these mat
ters. are very well aware that every charge
and insinualion now made, was officially in
vestigated and passed upon several years ago
and if it were the desire of these calumnia-
tors to furnish their readers with correct in
formation, they might readily have found in
the proceedings of Congress sufficient evi-
dence to satisfy any man of reason or intel
ligence that the attempt to withhold from
Col. Fremont credit for the victory in Cali
fornia was as unjust as the charges of fraud
were groundless. The whole proceedings
with reference to this matter, which occupi-
ed the attention of Congress in 1s4S, grew
out of other officers who were enyious of the
credit accorded to Colonel Fremont for his
heroic and patriotic conduct in that country.
We published some weeks ago the official
report of Secretary Marcy, which gave credit
to Colonel Fremont for the conquest Of CAL
ifornia. The opposition papers take very
good care not to refer to this document, and
the Washington Union, in the columns of
which Secretary Marcy's official report ap-
peared, at the time i: was submitted to Con-
grcss, has, in the hope of discrediting that
document, published recently letter from a
subordinate officer in the Navy, which is re-
marked more for the vanity and sell compla-
cency of the writer than anything else.
But, passing from the official testimony OF
Secretary Marcy, we will now proceed to
shov the light in which Col. Fremont was
regarded by the Senators of the United
States in 1913, when the bill for the settle
ment Of California Claims was under consii-
eration--all the letters and charges that are
now being republished, as part OF an attempt
to injure Col, Fremont, being then IN the
hands of the Government. The letter OF
Col R. B. Mason, published in the Ea-
quircr of Wednesday, was written in Octo-
Der, lS47, while the proceedingsin in Congress
from which we are about to quote, took place
in March and April, lo4S.
n, "a Of N l2X2 NJ r-or,
the Committee on Military Claims, reported
bill for ascertaining and paying the Cali
| fornia Claims which was passed to a second
reading. On the 2slh of March, the SEN
ate proceeded to the consideration of the BILL
on which occasion Mr.. Cass, as reported in
page Sal of vol. ls of Congressional Globe,
| remarked
"The evidence which had been brought be-
| fore the Military Committee showed the ne
cessity or the measure discussed by this bill,
for the purpose of settling claims connected
with the occupation Of California.
He briefly touched o.. the part which Col
Fremont had taken in the occupation of Cal.
ifJrnia, and the conSunimafe skill and coura9:
which he had evinced in an expedition teem-
ig with extraordinary and rorrantic inter-
est"
On the 29th o;March, lS4s. (see Congress
sonrl Globe, l5 vol +. 559,) Mr.. Dix made
an able speech in support of the bill, and in
which he paid the highest compliment to
Col. Fremont We have rom only for Il e
following extract
&" i do not know that any explanation fur
ther than that which has already been given
BY the honorable Senator from Michigan is
necessary to vindcate the propriety o. pas
sing the bill. The pecuniary obligations for
the discharge of which it providas,ivere con-
tracted il good ,aith for the purpose o. sub
DUNG the country, and expclling rom it the
military force of Mexico. In the execution
of these 'bjects, the young and accomplished
officer, Col. Fremont, exhibited coDsbind-
tion Of energy, promptitude, sagacity and Pru-
dcnce whict indicates the highest capacity for
civil and military command, and in addition
to what he has done for the cause of ,ci-
ence. it has given him a reputation at home
and abroad of which men much older and
moro experienced than himself might we'll
be proud. That the country t1iU do justice to
his ualuable and distinguished ssruics, 1 enter
tain not the slightest doubt. X There
Is no doubt that his Ere nont's rapid and de-
cisivo movements kept California out of the
hands of the British subjects, and perhaps
out of the hands of the British Government
1t is in this point of view that these trans
actions possess The greatest interest and i'm
portance; and that the sagacity, promptitude
and decision Of our you hful commander in
California at the time the disturbances broke
out have given him the strongest claim Oh
his counti men. Any falterinr on his part,
any hesitsncy in acting promptly might have
COST US millI IGs of dollars and thousands o:
lives, AMI it might also have cost US con-
test ofwhicn the end is not readily seem
MIR. Atchison, on the same day, (see page
56l Congressional Globe,) remarked as iol-
lows:
"He gave it as his opinion, not only that
the conquest of California was effected by
Col. Fremont, but that the United States
had derived the advantage of his conquest at
comparatively little cost. He justified Col
Fremont in all he had DONE II he had done
less. he would have deserved and would have
received the execration OF the whole coun-
try. lie made some reference to the course
which Col. Fremont pursued-a course in
some instances rendered indispensable for
his own preservation. and aIcays character
lied by skill and promptituae.'
In the Senate on the 25th OF April, lS4s,
Mr.. Crittenden said:
"The conduct of Col. Fremont entitled
him to our confidence, and on him we could
more naturally rely, than on any other per-
with the claims''
On the same day Mr.. Allen said {:
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