The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-01-08
CONGRESSIONAL.
DEFERRED DEBATE.
REVOLUTIONARY CLAIMS.
liz srsarr, DrcnnHra 20, 1856.

REVOLUTIONARY CLAIMS.
In SENATE, DEcEaBER 20, 1856.
The Senate as in committee of the whole, resumed the
consideration OF the bill III No. lb4 TO provide for the
settlement of the claims OF the officers OF the revolutionary
army and of the widows and orphan children OF those who
died in the service the pending question being on the
amendment OF Mr. BAYARD to insert the words or grand
child in the eleventh section, to make 1t read The
issue of any deceased child grandchd taking among
them the share OF their deceased parent"
Mr.. EVANS. merely desire TO repeat what said the
other day. that the effect of this amendment will be TO send
the bill back to the House OF Representatives. and whether
they will get it up their calendar do not know.
Originally my motion favorable TO the scheme which
this amendment proposesto wit to give the fund to the
descendans but when the was considered In the
House. the bill having been reported In the form presented
here motion made to amend it in conformity with
the amendment proposed by the senator from Delaware
and it was there rejected The House having decided
aainst the bill be back there 1t win probably be
decided again. if they get 1t up for consideration
hope the Senate will take this bill as 1t 10, rather than
the risk OF its entire loas by senaing 1t back to the
House OF Representatives.
The amendment was rejected. es
Mr.. TOOMBS. Mr.. President, when this bill was under
consideration at the rs session OF the present Congress-
in the act of presenting some objections to its pas
sage, when motion made by some senator that II
should give way to other and important public bus
ness and be postponed until this session. had then said
the of what Iapurposed saying in opposition to it
but had not presented all my views. propose now to
occupy the attention Of the Senate for few minutes in
presenting my views against this bill in its totay
shape In any form, or for any amount
The bill is based upon principle whatever; neither
upon contract nor upon any sound principle OF gatu
portion of the report made by the honorable senator
from South Carolina Mr. EVANS appeals to the Senate
the ground that this is national debit but the bill dsa-
VOWS that it is question er c0nracu or even ez lifaa-
one jast and puts solely the ground of gratuity
The very limitation which the honorable senator just
opposed shows that he puts principle of
debt because if it be debt withheld by this government
not only the descendants to the remoest degree but the
and administrators the personal representatives
ought to have the fund. stE
The BILL therefore, goes the principle that the money
which it proposes to pay is not debt but is gratuy, to
be given to supposed meritorious services be
gratuy say it is faulty for it is too limited 1t is grossly
outrageous and unjust 1t is unjust in the first place. be-
it is confined solely to the officers of the revolution
the exclusion of the mertorous who fought for the
country 1t is unjust in the second place. because it dis
eliminates between the officers themselves by giving money
to an important class of officers who did the least mer
orous service or no service at all under the resolution
of $780,
are patent its face First it gives to officers and
cudes the men second, 1t dscrminates between the Off
GERS and gives to the least instead of the most merto
rous in many 1t totally excludes from the national
gratitude great body of the soldiers Of the revolution
If this debt If it obligation of the govern
ment my argument would be answered but it is avowed
in the report and it avowed in the provisions of the bill
that il is not debt The idea of its being debt is dsa
vowed If it is debt you have right to limit its pay
children grandchildren; but the personal rep
resentatvesthe administrators and executors of the
es-have right it and above ALL the linea descend
ansthe atgrandchdren well as the children and
right to the fund You choose by
this bill however, to limit it. say, them that you have
in this BILL departed from every principle of national JUS
ce and national contract and therefore account
is entitled to the consideration Of the Senate II is
bill that is gotten up by claim agents here and by the
progate of worthy fathers who fought for the lib
critics Of this country to plunder the public treasury
Sir no pensions were paid to the men who won your
revolution The first pension act for any service however
great meritorious passed in 1918 and the benefits
Of that act which justly created great camor in
publican country, as this was were given exclusively to
nd had frc that bab ba1n
of livelihood beyond two hundred dollars before he
could receive any pension under that bill Even that act
stringent it was created such clamor in the country
tnat the Congress still further restricted it, InI628
when half century had passed over the heads of the
men who fought your battles when their generation
was gone when tories and jobbers could be dis
tnQuished from her really meritorious the agents
here and then they were listened to with willing
by the representatives of tbose who had public
liberty They attempted to ntimidate public menand
believe great extent have done it-on the idea
that would be dangerous to refuse to give ouceu
give the public money those who the independ
of the country. Here you doing such thing
The bill in that aspect is raud 1t makes merit
for the bounty Of the government it makes service
no reason for the bounty of the 1t makes
tract no reason tor the bounty o. the oas !.
class could take many illustrations; but will take the
old mother of States that my illustration may be sup
posed have improper bearing for it is the State in
which my father enlisted in the of the revolu-
tionthe State of Virginia For forty years this
class whose claims Virginia resisted Her were
thrown open 10 cUzenS VINO claims against her
She was suabe in her own courts Actions were COM
menced against her in favor OF this particular Glass; by
which this government has been involved to the
of two millions of money. Probably preliminary re-
mark is necessary to explain the case.
When Congress passed the resolution OF $780, giving
the officers who would remain the end of the half
pay for life Virginia passed similar resolution for her
State line and many other States did the same thing BY
the assumption Of $780, Congress assumed the obga
tions Virginia and the other States which had enacted
the legislation There class of the officers
of Virginia who in active service but who
tended that they waiting the orders Of the
men and they claimed the benefit of this resolution Suits
brought and finally in ls28 under decision of the
Virginia courts, to be found in Hennng Munfords
por the discovery Of evidence Virginia was
mulced in 100000 $500 0OO She came to Congress
and in 1882 Congress assumed the debt the principle Of
the assumption act Of $780, and has continued pay these
people until this day. know that within the last four
years. several hundred thousand dollars have paid for
that class of II pretended by these officers
themselves that they rendered any meorous services
not pretended that they had been called into the
active service Of the country after their enlistment in
Of the resolution but ii contended that they
had made contract and they averred their readiness to
perform it. The courts at first secuted the claim but
faaly the discovery of new testimony they al
lowed IL the ground that the parties were entitled to 1t
by contract Virginia paid the commutaon and Congress
| assumed the debt and reimbursed her.
say hen that this bill Is for class of men who do not
appear have rendered metorous service II includes
all the officers coming under the resolution of October
1880 That resolution applied to the officers then in the
army who should continue until the end of the war or m
til their reduction by the government Many OF them