The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-12-18
ONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.
THIRTY-FlFTH CONGRESS--SECOND SESSION.
SENATE.
The Senate was not in session to-day.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Dec. II.
The Senate not in session to-day.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
A number of petitions were withdrawn.
Mr.. STEPHENS, of Georgia, moved that the House
90 into Committee of the Whole upon the private
Calendar, which was carried.
The SPEAKER called Mr. SHERMAN, of Ohio, to the
Chair.
The subject before the Committee was the bill to
revive the examination and payment of certain
claims of citizens of Georgia and Alabama, on ac-
of losses sustained by the depredations of the
Indians in the Creek wars of 1886, 1887 and 1885,
and for the subsistence of the United States Army.
Mr.. SHORTER, of Alabama explained the cir cum
stances which had led to the introduction of this
bill. The policy Of the United States Government
had been, early 1924 to obtain the removal of
the Greek Indians west of the Mississippi. To carry
out this plan, surveys of the public lands lying
among the Indian reservations ordered, and
white settlers ocked in. Thus for the first time in
the history of the country the white man and
the Indian found living together. The
whites having settled thepubllc lands commenced
buying of the Indians their reservations, and,
consequence, many of them became
reduced to yagrancy and starvation. portion OF
the Indians thus impoverished. after squandering
the proceeds of their sales, commenced plundering
the whites for a subsistence. There n small
garrison at Fort Mitchell, and the whites anticipa
ting outbreak, petitiOned Congress for addition
al troops. The gov ernment however instead of
responding to this demand, removed the troops
already at Fort Mitchell to Florida, and then the
depredatiOns commenced, houses were burned,
crops destroyed and cattle driven off These acts
were only committed by portion of the Greeks,
majority of the tribe being friendly. To suppress
he disturbances. the United States sent General
Jessup there with command of troops who enlist
ed brigade of friendly Creeks, and in three weeks
suppressed the difficulties. General Jcssups army
Subsisted upon the people of Alabama and
Georgia, and impressed property for which moth
ing was paid. The constitution provided that pri
vate property should not be taken without just
compensation, and that compensation should be
rendered now, and payment made for the depreda-
tions of the Indians. Mr. 5. argued at lengeh
and eloqucntly in favor of the justice of these
claims, and showed that it had been recogniz-
ed by General Jackson and repeatedly by the SEN
ate 1t was disgrace to the House that it had
heretofore taken no action.
Mr.. WASHBUWNE, of Wisconsin, opposed the bill.
He said this subject had come before the Committee
on Indian Affairs OF the Saith Congress, and after
careful examination of the question, that Commit
tee decided that the claims possessed no merit
whatever. He therefore surprised that they
brought up. The treaty of 1925, by
which the Greeks were induced to exchange their
lands in Georgia and Alabama for lands in Arkan-
eas, was a gross fraud and had to be annulled.-
The Government, however, in 1892, yielding to
pressure from that section made another treaty The
Indians could not be induced to exchange their
lands but persuaded to divide them up, each
chief receiving section, and every head OF iami-
ly half section. The result was of course,
pected. The whites bought up their lands from the
imprOvident Indians for mere song, and many of
them were reduced to beggary and starvation As
a consequence, war broke out on the I'd of May,
1886. Mr.. Shorter had recognized the correctness
of the principle that no Government could pay for
depredations committed in war, but had denied that
this was war in the general sense of the term
He replied by showing that Congress had appropri-
ated $500 600 for the expenses of the war; and that
the Legislature of Alabama had spoken of it as ga
war; in their mem )rial to Congress
referred lnVeStlnatlOnS
made by Mr.. Whttlesey of this subject, from which
it appeared that Of the ,O03 claimants only 10 had
purchased their lands, consequently the balance
were squatters and intruders. He also quoted the
action of Congress in the of the claimants for
depredations sustained in the Black Hawk war, in
which the principle was affirmed that the Govern
ment could not pay for losses sustained in war; He
spoke at length and with force against the passage
of the bill
Mr.. STEPHENS, of Georgia, moved that the Com
mittee do rise Negatiyed.
Mr.. SHORTER, of Alabama-'I understood the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Washburne) to
say that the people of Georgia and Alabama who
had fled from their homes before handful of hos
tile Greeks, were now here asking pay for their
JrGUery. Is that correct|
Mr.. WAsHBURSR.-'I believe | said something of
the sort"
Mr. SHoRrER.-"Then sir, pronounce the bra
rery part of the gentlemans statement to be false
and sanderous-that is all have to say"
Loud cries of "order, ORDER" which rendered
reply from Mr.. Washburne inaudibe.
Mr.. JACKSON, of Geo, addressed the Committee
in favor of the bill. He confined his remarks prin-
cipally to the legal merits Of the case, cOnending
that it was the duty of Government to protect the
lives and property of the people and that the de-
predations for which indemnity asked,
not committed in a period of actual war. tie
cited numerous precedents to sustain his position
and advocated the passage of the measure as
mere act of justice to the claimants.
Mr.. STANTON, of Ohio, contended that these
claims could not be paid inasmuch as the Govern
ment had always refused to pay for depredations
committed by Indians either in state of incipient
or actual war.
The Committee then rose, and the House adjourn
ed till Monday.
The total establishment of paid police in England
on the 29th September, 1857, was returned as com
prisng l9,lS7 officers and consables of all ranks
viz. 3Ol county cOnstabulary, 5,25l borough po-
lice, 60S3 metropolitan police, and 552 city of Lon
don police. The total cost of this oluecoated force
for the twelve months ended at the above date was
81 ,265 579 in which sum the metropolitan police
force figures for f442,2l2, and the city police for
f43,945. The tables refer to 57,273 offences com
mted to 81, ,03l persons apprehended, and to l7SSl
persons committed or baed for trial. In 1851 there
altogether l20,372 persons of the criminal, or
Dangerous class in the hands of the police, inclu
ding "a ,2S2 prostitutes. There a decrease of
2064 inquests, or 94 per cent on the previous
year S56). 1923 deaths arose from excessive drink
ing The total costs of the inquests, including all
fees, expenses and charges, was fGl ,54l.
The Louisville Courier OF Wednesday says: The
rain storm of yesterday appeared to prevail every
where, all telegraphic communications were cut
off in every direction, and we have no dispatches
this morning. All the railroad trains were behind
time yesterday from some cause. The rain, which
has not only flooded the water courses, has in
vaded and obstructed the railroad tracks. We eX-
pect to hear of tressel work and bridges being
swept away.
Hon. Truman Smith, formerly United States
Senator from Connecticut, in long article in the
Journal of Commerce, Zealously asserts the claims
of Horace Wells, of Hartford to be the discoverer
of the anasthetic properties Of ether Mr.. Smith
sustans his case by the atidavits of Drs. Nalen-
tine Mott, John w. Francis and Willard Parker.
TRADE OF THE PACIFIC.-Chi has been for many
years, except occasionally when there has been a
deficient harvest, the great granary of the Pacific,
but recently California has shipped more or less
grain there. The last intelligence announces the
arrival at Valparaiso of full cargo of barley, which
paid freight and nearly so cents per hundred pounds
net profit. A cargo of beans from California also
sold at fair profit A letter says, 'next year Cali
fornia wines will be introduced, and her sparkling
California Angelica and champagne will be all the
rage"
The shipment of coal from the Pittsburg mar kei
during the recent rise in the rivers is estimated by
the correspondent of the Cincinnati Price Curren
at S,50O,0OO bushels, the largest shipment evel
made from that market.
| Nicholas H. Mcguire A. NJ. has heen choseI
| Principal of the Philadelphia High School.