The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-01-09


gle element of either legal moral obligation in any part
Of this claim. The legal obligation i have said, is
confessed to have been fully performed by Congress here
tofore M
The resolution Of $780, as understand it-and if
wrong the chairman Of the Committee on Revolutionary
Claims win correct meproposed to the officers then 10
service that they would continue to the end Of the war;
then upon the reduction TO wit at the end OF all their SER
vice they should receive hapay for life But before the
reducion-beore the time when this resolution weud
any force ahese officers themselves petitioned
for communication Ii not the act OF Congress OF its
own motion II application OF the officers before
time for the performance OF the contract had come at
all They peitioned Congress to commute the hapay for
| M EVANS The senator from Ohio is entirely mis-
taken In December, 1882 memorial was sent from the
officers of the army then stationed somewhere in the State
OF New York. in which they said that their necessities
very great-that unfrendly feeling existed in
some portions Of the Union against the hapay for life
and they proposed to Congress to change into something
which equivalent either by the payment of sum in
hand by changing the halfpay for life into commuta
should be Eve years; but they expressly stated in their
memorial that what they desired that equiv
aent should be given them in different form
Mr. PUGH The correction does not TO to alter
the premises of my argument The proposition which
make s that before the time for the original contract to
be performed to commence Its performance before
the reduction, Congress- upon the application of of
the oicersnot act of Reputation its part but
at the suggestion OF the beneciares different
contract The bene6caries of Them sat
s6ed with the original contract They asked Congress to
alter it and Congress altered it. 1t proposed to the
officers to elect whether they would remain under the
original under the II is complained
that some officers did agree the contract and
they prevented from having their individual voice
the fact that the taken by the line of the army
not know whether the assent was given by corps or
| regiments
Mr.. CAss, and others. By the lines of the States.
Mr. PUGH III there can be any such caseif there can
be the OF single officer produced here and made to
appear to Congress- who dssented from it, who
quiesced in the change of contract and bill be brought
in for that officer he has claim for relief but nobody else
1 of wa uped Inv
the parties They made new agreement; and what was
that contract That they to be paid full pay
for five years 1t made by the parties to the original
contractmade not at the nsgaton Of Congress- but at
| the instigation of the bene6ciares.
Nous sir il is said have not kept that contract The
| a South Carolina Mr. EVANS said in the open
ID bate that these officers imagined that they
wodlO money, That is simply impossible--I say il
with due deeenceor the resolution provided that they
should receive money stocks Congress might deem
proper The very resolution upon which they voted and
quoted in the report provided that they might have
money They might hoped for money but it is in vain
to say Congress promised them money They knew, as
everybody knew, the condition Of the confederation It
had power to levy taxes It depended upon the State
governments. They themselves citizens of the
States They knew that the States would not furnish
Congress with money. They knew that Congress
deavorng during all the period of the confederation to
invent some system for raising money and they hoped to
succeed by one scheme another but not having the
moneynot being furnished with it by the State govern
menis the people not being willing to submit to taxation
Congress offered them this communication in ve-per-cent
stock They received the sock-received it in the very
words of the resolution 1t contract entirely per
formed the part of Congress to the very letter and
what is the objections That this stock did keep its
par valued Does any moral obligation arise from that?
covenant to-day that If man will build house. i
will give him my promssory note payable in five years
He takes the chances of my failure in the time he
takes the chances that he may not realize the money
day Of payment but he has agreed to receive that
nothing else They agreed to receive the veper-cen
stocks OF the government payable at given day; they
received them and the paid every dollar Of
40 IN exubn
the stock to the day of its payment and redemption those
who received the interest and who received the principal
where is the moral obligatonI will go further where is
the honesty of their asking now to be paid again
1t is sadand cited by the senator from New
York the other day--that some officer compelled to
part with his public securities at less than their vaueat
very great depreciation That of hardship but
it was nota case of moral obligation We not bound
to indemnify public creditor because he is not able to
realize the par value Of stocks If it be that peculiar
circumstances oppressed that officer that he could
realize what he ought to have realized what would
like him to have realized and bill be brought in for his
benefit am willing to consider his case but object to
good cases being made presidents for the bad ones
Here is proposition to pay particular class of the Off
of the war; whose only consideration for this peculiar
favor is the fact that they served from 1880 to sl Or
during the last two years Of the war after the hosttes
were practically at an end, to great extent It is not
proposition to compensate those who during the whole
years of the war; engaged in the public
vice It is not proposition to compensate the representa-
OF those who fell except in one Of the sections which
now propose to strike out |
you propose to pay those who suffered in the revolution
propose pay the private soldier if you propose
redeem the continental money make the proposition and
make it boldly but do not let have class of these
pressed forward the ground that they have
particular claim merely to be the entering for
thing else This bill confessedy will grant of the pub
lie treasury nearly three millions of money and to whom
it to be given If the money belonged to these officers
give to the executors and administrators let it 60
pay their honest debnot for the benefit of their child
and grandchildren who entitled to peculiar IA
vor except on the claim of blood
But sir If this is bill to execute contract let it
main contract let the money be given the legal rep
of the party for there is difference in that
regard between legal and moral obligation. If we are
under moral obligation to pay this money we under
obligation to pay 1t to the right mannot to pay it to
the children, but to the administrator and yet you have
cut off the grandchildren Congress- by this BILL under
takes make statute of distribution for the estates Of
deceased personso say that this money which we are
bound to pay moral obligation, shall not go to those
to whom the law would give it. but shall 60 to those whom
| we pick out as the objects Of our bounty.
This bill proposes to do 1t proposes to invaldate
past transactions proposes to reconsrue the resolution
Of 17soto interpoate into 1t persons who
it at ALL What does the fourth section propose have
objection to the fourth section than to the of
the bill. consider 1t all grant of public moneyas
gfatuity founded legal consideration and
moral consideraon-as distribution of public
money to the people, and if agree that the people
the Senate to understand who they They with
in the they not within any
ractconfessedy to ths il is gratuity You have
gone beyond the question of moral legal obligation
you propose to make direct grant of public money
not on any contract at all.
And further the resolution of the gath August $780,
understand it provides that the widows and children of
4 Al M : = M IL