The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-16
lcoaauscArxDl
PUBLIC BENEFdCTORs AND PUBLIC GRAT-
ITUDE--IS THERE NO REDRESSl-- THE
CASE or HAYjf NJ SALOMON



Ilas often fallen o the lot Of the upright and hon
s,ttlinkng to admire with uulnitci approba ion,
hs actions and OF those noble hearted aud pub
Ne spirited Je vino ready ia great emergencies,
10 aks with equal promptncss liio OF fortune ia the
tsle Of their country good and then to view With the
,esf ornsure the selfish negecs aud cold indere &C
which marks the appreciation of that people who
have derived the greatest benefit from the SACRIFICES
made and suffering endured by those beneactors who
had the essential aud the heart to bestow il III
There ie amy such honest thinkers among now
We would syise them 10 read the very able and elabo
rate report from the Senate Committee ON Revolution
ary Claims made by GeneaI Shields. their worthy chair
m 10 expressing the unanimous voice OF the committee
on the 25th o last month for the relief OF the only
yiyag son. the ely bcncfctor, whose stands at
the head OF this column.
We have teen handed a report OF this interesting
D q by the aged claimant, who is fast filling up his
t,urscore yeals and who has pursued his hereditary
llhis r asar halt that time. with the request that
would read IT, which have carefully done aud such
the convictions OF gross ingatitude ana injustice
manifested the patt of Congress in SO long ncslecnS
proper indemnity to the heirs of Haym Solomon, that
do choose to pass the subject over in silence
Though We never have do not mean TO make 1t a
practice to discuss the subject of private claims other than
to notice the steps taken in thein yet there Is certain
class of which is eveybodys duty to give atten
ton TO and demand the payment Of and this Is one OF
them. Such not, strictly speaking, purely private
claims but national camsare standing debts upon
the national gratitude To show how far correct
in this position, in the present had made some
extracts from the report submitted by General Shields
om the Senate committee which, it will be seen, is but
a substantial reiteraion with additional vericl-
ois of number Of preceding reports from both houses
Congress- and leave 1t to readers TO judge for them
selves We think they will il is far from being bW
for .'new appropriations, but is rather bill to pay
deficiency of the expenses incurred to carry ON and main
tain the and Of the revolution hitherto ne
elected.
The report proceeds thus
Your committee have carefully reconsdcred the facts
l.1t f,f
his prayer or relief and have compared the with
the conclusions arrived ut by the various preceding
mtee Of both houses OF Congress whose duty it has
been to perform a similar aboras summed up in SEN
ate report No III lst session of the 3st Congress
after due consideration feel warranted in asserting that
the said reports well sustained by the facts and fully
ene the petitioner to the relief asked for and to that
end do adopt the bors OF then predecessors as the
basis OF this report.
from the many documents and papers before your
committee it is shown that during the first session OF the
30h Congress- the Committee Revolutionary Claims
in the House Of Representatives, consisting OF Messs
King, of Massachusetts,; Smart of Maine Outlaw, OF
North Carolina Morris of Ohio Butler, of Pennsyva
MIA Iyerson of Georgia Newell, Of New jersey Tai
madge OF New York Bowdcn OF Alabama to whom
the House had referred memorial similar to that which
has been laid before this committee behalf OF Haym
H. saiomon native OF Philadelphia and legal rep
resentative of the late Haym Sllomon merchant and
banker there carefully inquired into the allegations OF
the petitioner and unanimously agreed to report, from
which the following Is extract
.. That they have fully examined the OF dceu
aensaiy evidence submitted by the said memoiilist and
having satisfied themselves of its authenticity do regard
it sustaining the claim advanced 10y the memoralist,
which they Therefore recommend the favorable
sderation Of the House Of Representatives. (Rcport
No. ,,0l.)
During the first session OF the 29th Congress the Com
mittec Of Claims in the Senate, consisting OF Mtssrs.
Pennybacker Of Virginia Morehead of Kentucky
Clayton Of Delaware johnson, of Maryland Dickin-
son, Of New York. unanimously agreed toa report smi-
lar to that adopted by the House committee but too late
for present .tion During the second session another
port drawn up by Senator Bradbury, placed file,
and is mainly as follows
..lhat it appears from documentary evidence submit
ted Ly the mcmoliast that Haym Solomon, his father,
Contributed largely vi his pecuniary means towards
Tying tue of the revolution aiding the public
treasury by frequent loans of moneys and advancing lib
eray of his to sustain many of the public men
engaged in the struggle for independence at time WI en-
Ghe sews Of essential to success. Ii turt er
appears be satisfactorily established that the confidence
OF Mr. Salonon great in the good faith OF this
government that he parted with his money relying
that good faith for its letnm
ale died suddenly after the conclusion of peace, and
the inventory OF the estate contains list of treasury
and other evidences of Indebtedness of the government
of very large amount. viz;
Loan Office certificates --Sll0 233 50
Treasury certificates ---------. lS244 81
Continental liquidated dollars --------- 1924 45
Commissioners certificates 1870 81
Virginia state certificates s,lGG 90
353,729 43
FROM the names of the distinguished members OF both
houses cited above having often arrived at the same
conclusions coneurrng in similar reports and now again
asserted by the present committee ought IN all reason
and fairness, to put the matter OF ft at rest leaving
nothing but the measure of indemnity to be inquired
Of.
Considering this view OF the subject, most impressive
state of facts is exhibited Not only do these commit
tees all mite ia establishing that Haym Salomon died
seized OF the above named amount of revolutionary in
debtelness but they found father, upon positive proof
that ss advanced to the government It's public
age to amount equal 10 the above sum. The report
says,
,lhe Jay book and ledger of the Bank Of North
Americ, a. appears the statement authenticated by
Mr. Hockey de cashier, May |, 1916, exhibit the
seceipt by Rob,~t Morris superintendent of finance Of
nearly s2oO.oO :, specie, commencing January /,
1852 and continuing III 1884, when Mr.. Solomon was
seized with his fatal Illness The same records show that
the only cash deposites made by Morris to s asH credits
received from Mr. Solomon wase account Is GaFB9l
with the exact deposited by Morris n the days said
depooites made by and credited to him a. The bank
'No evidence be found to show that Hayni Saio-
mon, his widow, his children received payment
OF the above $500 000 Of upwards OF another $780,
600 advanced by him during the contest to RoquebDG
DE la Forest, Holker Bibe Marbos DE Ia Luzernc and
Others accredited ministers otherwise acting agents
tor foreign powers IN open secret alliance with America
and France and the probability owing to Mr.. Haym
Solomon sudden death without any relative OF
ton capable OF taking charge o his estate and the un
settled character OF the times Is that tho greater part
paid but the memoiialist, at this late day
mas relraned asking the United States ior the above
enumeration and confined himself to demand OF in
einnity 6~ the revolutionary paper on evidences OF debt