New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-31
Nfwpprk DAILY Gibnne
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
PRIVATE CLAIMS IN CONGRESS

IL ns Editor Of he y. l. T,1.s>
SIR: The United Sts:es Government enters annus.y
into about .htythree thousand contracts with lie et
zens. When aby difficulty snses in settling ,he claims
under these contracts before the Executive Depas.-
ment. the psriee sie liable 10 be compelled TO seek
relief in Congress IL addition 20 the claims ayiing
under contracts there are numerous other claims
tnusDy growing cut OF the muarous usns sctions Of
the Government VII icb none oi the Executive De-
psrtuen.s have any power authority TO settle and
which for that reason, are necessarily thrown before
Congress for adjustment Under these circrmstsDces
it il lot strange that formidable array of claims
should annually appear on the private calendars Of
Congress.
That i, s the solemn duty Of Congress either to act
upon there claims or to delegate - some other tbl-
nal the power 10 finally decide them, is se.fevdent
proposition. Yet private claim may be pending be-
fore Congress for quarter of century or more, and
duriog that time may be fsvorably reported upon by
an appropriate Standing Committee of every success
sive Congress- without ever coming TO final decision
or apparently approaching any nearer that consumma
ton than it did in the first Congress TO which il vas
pre- sented To the unintiaed this will doubtless appear
mysterious but it is nevertheless true. propose to
explain, briefly how such things happen.
Under the rules OF the House, every Friday and
Saturday said to be get apart oI the confederation
OF private claims but as It requires a vote OF the
House TO take up the private calendar on any one OF
those days II seldom happens that it is taken up at all
be placed upon the private calendar, it must have
been referred to some Standing Committee, and re-
ported upon favorably hy such Committee, unless 1t
comes before Congress from the Court of Claims, with
q favorable decision by the Court in which case it
goes upon the calendar, whether the Committee con-
cur with the Court not. Whel claim Is once
placed upon the private calendar il can only be taken
up in its regular order when the private calendar
uncer consideration. Two Fridays in each month are
" objection days" or days on which-if the private
calendar hsppens to be taken up-such claims, and
such claims only, as DO member objects to- are taken
up and dsposeG Of Members often object to claims
without any reference TO their merits demerts and
without knowing anything about them A will object
to claim in which Is takes an interest, merely be-
cause Il may have objected to some claim which lie
desired TO pass. The fact that claim may happen ID
go through without objection, is evidence Of its
superior merit over those doomed 10 fall under the
veto power Of single director.
few objection days" devoted to private claims,
al each SESSION. may enable Congress to ego through
the calendar" and pass all such claims 30 for
tupste TO escape objection, which is often the result
of mere accident But as to all other claims on the
calendar, scarcely any progress IS ever made IN their
copside ration. On calendar embracing from SIX TO
eie hundred claims, perhaps dozen, standing at
the beginning of the list may be taken up and dis
posed Of on discussion days, but all the residre
must be continued AT the end Of each Congress
the private calendar falls to the ground and any claim
upon it. before ii get upon the calendar OF the new
Coz eress must be again referred to Committee, and
reported upon, in the first instance.
From the foregoing statements 1t will be seen that
70 private claim can ever pass Congress, If any one
member objects to it, unless it happens TO get place
very near the head Of the calendar. One claim In
fifty perhaps, in each Congress, may, IN consequence
OF its position the calendar, be acted upon, not
withsanding the objection of single member but as
to all the residue they liable to be indefinitely
postponed from year to year and from Congress to
Congress- at the will or caprice OF any one member Of
the House.
That this state OF things is most dsgraceful to the
Government is undeniable. Many remedies have been
proposed but efectual one has ever been adopted
few We rs ago. when the Court OF Claims was estsb'
shed il was understood throughout the country that
some remedy would be attanable through the medium
OF said Court. II turns out, however that owing TO
the mar in which decisions Of that Court treat
cd BY Congress it operates as positive a a
of prosecuting his claim to judgment in said Court at
the necessary sacrifice Of from one to two years tme
if 70 fortunate as to get decision in his favor aud
that decision is reported to Congress- the claim is re-
ferred to Standing Committee, to be examined and
reported upon precisely if it had never been before
the Court at all. And when reported upon by the
Committee il takes its place upon the private caen-
dar Just like any other private claim, where it is la
bic to be thrown over from year to year, and from
Congress to Congress, by the veto power OF
single member. In fact, experience has shown thst
clam which comes before Congress indorsed by the
Judgment Of the Court of Claims, is more certain to
meet with objection, on objection days, than any
other class Of claims. Not only does Congress seem
to attach weight whatever to the solemn decisions
of said Court but the party who goes into that Court
for relief subjects himself to positive loss Of time, at
least equal to the whole time his csse IL pending there
without the possibility of gaining anything.
The law Of the last Congress, giving members
yearly salary in lieu of per diem compensation ser
ousy dimnishes the few chances which claimants be-
fore had OF ever getting contested claims passed upon
for has been demonstrated by the present Congress-
that when members are paid an annual salary they
will only remain in session long enough to discuss
mere party questions to their own satisfaction and
vote the necessary appropriations to pay themselves
and other officers of the Government No other sub
ect interest enough TO keep them together
single day. unless indeed il be some scheme to raise
the necessary funds 10 meet the appropriations for the
purposes aforesaid. CROMWELL.