, 1859-05-06
SPEECH
HON. |. |. STEVENS,
OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY,
Delirered in the House Of Representatives.,
February 81, 1859.

The House being in Committee of thu
Whole on the state Of the Union-Mr.
l. STEVENS said:
At the last session Of Congress, Mr.
Chairman, l presented some observations
in reference to the war debt Of Oregon and
Washington In those observations, en-
deavored to show that the calling out Of
the volunteers, by the Governors of these
Territories, was matter Of public and i'm
perative necessity. l also cndeavored tC
show that their operations were, as a gen'
eral thing, managed with judgment and
economy did not, until comparatively
recent period, expect that should trouble
either the House or the Committee with
any further observations on this ques
ton. But Congress, at It's last session
failed to take any action in tho matter ol
these war debts, and tue Committee OH
Military Affairs did not even make a re
port. During the present session there has
been action to q certain extent; for during
the recess of Congress an examination was
made of these claims by one of the audit.
ing bureaus of the Government and re.
pert upon these claims has been made by
the Auditor, submitted to this House, aud
referred to the Military Committee. The
Military Committee, founding their action
on tins report, have adopted resolutions
which have received the sanction of this
House, referring the whole matter back
again to the same Auditor, with iustruc.
tions to reaudit the accounts, to reduce the
prices for supplies, transportation, &C., to
the cash prices Of the country, the pGy Of
the volunteers to that of the regular ser
vice, atd in no case To allow more than
5000 for the value Of horse lost or killed
in service, no matter how much its ap.
prised value on the muster rolls, or its
cash value in that country, may exceed
that sum. The Third Auditor is to asccr,
tain the amount due under these reductions,
and is directed to report to Congress at
the commencement Of its next session. -
Before entering further upon this ques-
ton, | wish to say that ! congratulate that
distant country, that congratulate my
own constituents, that we have made one
step forward in this businesS-for it is gen.
orally admitted that there was war rag
ing in Oregon and Washington, and that
that war spread from the forty-second to
the forty-ninth parallel, and from the shores
OF the Pacific to great distance in the in
terror. This fact has been admitted gen
enerally by members of the Committee on
Military Affairs, BY members of both
branches Of Congress- by the officers of the
Army, and by the civil officers serving in
those Territories that the war threatened
the very existence Of the settlements, spread
rapne and massacre over many districts,
and could only be checked and ended, By
the prOmptest organization, and the most
decisive handling Of the citizen soldiery Of
the country.
There is, indeed, one notable exception
The gentleman from New York, (Mr.
Olin,) the other day, was bold enough to
take ground very different from that and
In the remaks which he submitted TO the
House, he stated that, if certain facts were
known, Congress would not pay one cent
Of the debt incurred. These are his words
az wish to say that have had an opportunity tc
examine this report, and can state from my own OBJ
servation that it contains such an exposition of IN,
origin and nature of these Oregon and Washington
claims that II 1t were placed before the House, they
would in my judgment, pronounce a judgment q
condemnation upon the whole transaction"
' The gentleman, in making that remark
has outheroded Herod. He has outwooed
Wool-Gen. Wool himself has recommend
ed, in his official reports, the payment Of d
portion of these claims. Gen. Wool has
not denied that there was war in south
ern Oregon, which made the service Of vol
lunteers indispensable nor has he denied
that there was war on Puget Sound, which
made it the duty of the authorities to cal
out volunteers. On the contrary, he ha,
admitted, as l understand, that both il
southern Oregon and on Puget Sound, The
services Of the volunteers were indispen
sable. The gentleman from New YorE
has a certain memoir in his mind, OF
which he relies to establish his con
clusion-not a single memoir, but a to
Pographieak memoir-the memoir of Cap
tain Thomas Jefferson Cram, of the mr.
my. lie has stated that, if that mcmoir
warn npblieba1 20 ,yo,ll oo,,;,,aa al -