The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-01-06
LEGISLATIVE DOCUMENT.

S'at" ot South Carolina against the General
Government.
The Committee on Federal Rclatious to whom.
was referred SO much of tile NIessuge No. . of
his Excellency the Governor 'Itost her with the
accompanying documens.) rs relates to the re-
pSttof JrnessA Black, Esq;~agent of the State
q South Carolina for the prosecution Of certain
eiaihls!aginst the Uniied States due to the STATE.
beg leave respectfully to report that they have
Ind the snine nnt!er consideration, and have as-
cer9ain@tsthe following to he the facia:, That
by n'resolution adopted by the Legislature, N,
tls<aaih, h,day-ofrBsccmber, 1856, the Governor
was authorized to employ some suitable person TO
prepare and prosecute against The General Gay
crnpcnt air such claims. growing out Of the
common deience in any Of the in whic!,
the Umi:cd States have been engaged which
have froih time to time been presented to, and
paid by the Legislature of this State; and for
which she has not been refunded, and upnn
which she may be legally or cqniiaby entitled
10 Repayment; aud that his Excelcncv pay for
such servic.s out OF the contingent fund, such
nmohnt as le may think just. That in obedience
to,ts resolution, thn Governor appointed, on the
I'D Of Deccmbcr, lSj6, Jas. \. Back, Esl
the agent Of The State, 10 prepare nnl r."Sccuic
these claims !3hatshy virtue Of this appoint.
menl, AIR. Elaci forthwith, pr"c-.cdcd to examine
Idto Tic matters i:itrI:sc,l To him. and hv IL pa.
tient aud l,borous invest. CATION Of ",l nine
months. aided hy prrv"us rxrrrsnc" Of eight
Years in the different Offices of this Stat" he was
enabled 10 bring to.-l,"r - mass Of documentary
cyIdencc 1aken from th. records, hirh rstah-
E"h beyond t,nuh tjat vrrv lar sc .ui.i< f money
are stiH due hy th" United States To His safe
for advances made and money p;.:d Ly III" L"g
i>laiure cf This Stn!c for the purposes indicated
inthe resolution Of 1856. That upon hi, show
uig, Mr. Black proceeded 10 Washington, and,
in December 1857. laid before Congress his
memorial OH behalf Of the State PRAYING that
she may he refunded: the claims which had hccn
=" paid hy her. The" claiius ur:..d by
him before the committee dun iu.. tn" las. session
Hs Congress, and, for The n!or,nat"n Of the
Legislature, they may Lc c!as."l fol-
lows:" ~
NFirst. tlai,ns originating in and growing ont
of the Revolutionary war ii would nrIrar hv
the evidence a'!hucrd hy Mr.. Black. that MANY
oi these claims wrr" moi rai,l by the State Of
South Carolina, until after Tie settlement between
the CptcG States and tn" said State in tn" year
17e3, from which r"rm!. up to the Is, Of Jan
uarv, lS:.G, the Legislature Of this Sinlc has in
good Gnith II rcc"gniz''l her liability to pay, anI
as'iu fact paid all such claims ;,s were presented
aud could be established 10y satisfactory evil
dcncc. \ large portion of these claims were -
rs Mr.. Black rxprrsScsit il, 4" for money borrowed
in France and Holland by the State of south
Cpro'ina to carry on said war, or fr supplies
furnished and services rendered. for the payment
OF which 80 provision. other thnn lii" pledged
faith "r the Sta!", specifically made 10y her
until AFTER til" Year l7"@. when the settlement
above mentioned Was n,;!'lu;" and hence they
were not INCLUDED i'll tina: settlement, nor have
AIRY steps hc"n siuc" taken 10 have tn. a,nnun,
so cxpencd Inv tho State refunded TO her as pro-
vl'l"d tnr Ivy the or.linuncrS nr lTS9, and the
tfct OF Congress passed in 100. The lucu.
luentary cvi'lcncc touching these claims has been
pIntcd hy III" sanction uf the Governor as he
STATES in his said message. and these documents
show sum now due the State by the General
Government of 3iG,9i7.1G, being the amount
Of principal only.
Secondly. Your Committee woull refer TO
claims arising out of the late war with Great
Britain declared by the United States ISL June
1872. On this head it would seen, that the claim
ia entirely one Of interest. The Act Of Congress-
passed in lS33, provided fnr the adjustment AMI
settlement Of the claims paid by this State, but
under the terms of :hn Act, Il question was rails
ad by the Treasury Department, as TO the pro.
per mode of computing The Interest, by which
means the State was prevented from receiving
The full amount to which she WAS Justly entitled
-" in consequence Of which this State lost tie
difference between the result Of The mode con-
tended for and that adopted" This question
was urged by Mr.. Black, in printed argument
OH the attention Of Of the Committee Of Claius
Of the Senate Of the United States, which in
dnced n favorable report To- that body where after
the debate. the claim allowed by II very de-
cdcd majority. Tho House Committee Of Wavs
N"u says NlF. loHtChr u WHOM tie BttI
from tho Senate was referred agreed unanimous
'Iy to recommend concurrence at their meeting
saturday. bnt Sunday intervening hefnre lhey
wore able TO report the bill TO the House, tho
Committee oil Monday changed their recou,,ncu-
dati"n and required the Secretary Of the Treasury
to report the amount due to the next session Of
Congress; which change was made nj the in.
stancc of the Secretary Of tho Treasury himself.
owing to The exliaustelc condition Of the Trcasur.y
This claim, says Mr. Black, may be regarded
cas- sure Of being ultimately recovered" and
lie reports the same together with the Florida
cent computation Of the Secretary Of the Treu-
sury to the large OF S202, ,!3O o. These
war claims OF the State ns amounting by n re-
claims, as your Committee understand the qucs.
tioI, are for interest only which has bccn paid TO
other States OH similar claims and 10 which this
State is equity entitled.
Thirdly. Your Committee would consider
claims arising out Of the Mexican war On this
head Mr.. Back, i'll his.rcport to Ills Excelency
the Govrrncr, SAYS: "As to tho advance made
ny this State in raising. subsis,ng an,l transpor-
ting volunteers 10 the Mexican war, have TO
soy that could not find The vouchers for the
same on file in ourState offices although Com.
ia'ltee bad reported in 1897 that the same had
heen fully vouchcd by the Hon n. II. Envcs
PaymaSi"r to tue Palmctt" Regiment, aud !, part
"f them II would seem had been placed in the
hands Of G"vernor JohsOn under resolution of
Decrmhcr, 1913, authorizing him to receive from
the United States the sums advanced. The
vouchers of Major Eoycs was fortunate enough
70 find in his possession, as he had retained them
after their being investigated by the committee
Of The Legislature, and these vouchers, covering
something over seN,0OD, have filed in the
Third Auditors Office, where they nrc TO under
gqpn examination and will he reported on, to
HIe. at il,c convenience Of the Department and
such Of them us come within the provisions of
tbe Act of. Congress of second June, lS4s, for
rttunding to States corporations aud individuals,
nasanees7 f"r Huch purposes III sui,l war will be
allowed the State, tho rejected vouchers setmrned,
together with report thereon, which 1 shall,
,"lienstectived, promptly forward to your Excel
ssncy.""c Thus would, ,apper, that there are open
claims on these several accounts still due 10 the
StaLe Of South Carolina Of nearly $780, 600, moi
onS to1 stsSst OH tho Revolu ljonary cnms.
bringing the fac,s forward for the Information OF
tAesLsgisIalure.' -, ~
AZ sRlaeknew has in charge, rs the agent Of
'ne stale, these several matters did has also en-
pidFed eonnscI nj the cityor W Arlington. to mid
i,Yp.ln their prosecution, who will he paid bv
Hr: Black, from whatever sum the Stale NAV
allow kin Ms her agent. The G;oveff1or Inns. 50
'nts sSisnnced 70 Mr. black but $500, md in his