Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-07-07

the QeStlny OlaH IlluisA Au" ,.tt, self; but point of order isvery, giluly inaue and sustainel against the weak' whist 'ne great power of the States can ioad oowh the appropriation bills. The rules of order prevent our putting upon the appropriatioh hills a private claim; and think the prin- ciple fthe r,le equally excludes this amend ment. These claims have been paid to a certain extent; and paid according to set clement whsh was satisfactory to them at tbe time. do not believe 1t is just to re- onen them now. do not feel that 1t IS right. Itr,st that those who have support ed this measure under these circumstances will permit a vote of a full Senate upon 1t; ond then. if the deed be done, all that is left for those who do not agree to 1t Is to sub- r,;t tbev have no power longer to prevent if and they must yield. l am utterly op- nosed to this repetition, taking two chances, when the proposition has once been repu- d;ated by full Senate. For what purpose ;s # to be done? 1 understand It IS sald that Virginia claims nothing tor the 9ohh Brown raid. Very we'll; do not care whether she does or not.
 Mir. HUNTER. 1 am not aware that any representative of Virginia has claimea anything for Virginia on account or the John Brown raid: ,r
 MT. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. The Senator is entirely correct; have not heard any representative of Virginia say so' make no such charge as that; and ii l could have been understood to mean that such declaration had been made by any one rom that State on this floor, ot course l take oreat pleasure in correcting 1t and exclud- ing the possibility of any such bellef. have. however. heard rumor of that sort aAoat. and 1t was to that simply that al lhded The million claimed by Virginia IS as iustlv due to her as the $15,O0O or S2o,- OOO that may be claimed by some other State. However, 1 shall not speak any more of the merits of the case. l only ask that we may be permitted to have vote take on this question again Tn full Senate
 Mir. INVERSION Mir. President, do not propose to make speech in reply to the very impassioned speech which the Senator from Arkansas has made do not think there is any good reason for any passion m the matter. I certainly have no feellng.- So far as my own State is concerned, as l said on the day before yesterday, It IS very small matter, and 1t Is doubtful wheth- CT she is entitled to anything at all. It does not weigh with me feather. But the Senator says that these settlements have long since been made and according to the computation of interest that was Tn prac- tice at that day, and they ought not to be reopened; yet, in the next breath, he says that this is a debt to Virginia. It is only due because of an improper calculation. MT. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. That l said what?
 Mr. INVERSION. That this large sum was due to Virginia.
 MT. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. did not say so.
 Mr. IvERSON. I understood you to say so.
 Mr. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. l do not think you will find it reported in that way, if 1 understand myself.
 MT. IVERSON But, sir, the Senator | is mistaken, and number of other Sena- tors are mistaken, about their being old settlements. To be sure, they were settle ments for advances made in the war ot 1872; but, in looking at the statutes, you will | find that no statute was passed allowing interest to the States on advances until | 1925. That was the first statute passed in the case of Virginia; and then they are found to be scattered along the statute book from that time on. None of these settlements were made prior to 1880. Most of them | have been male since 1S40; and how were they made? Made by the general govern ment, having the power in its hands, and the States could not hel p themselves. South Carolina, as I said the day before yesterday, entered protest in writing at the time the | first settlement was made. Only few years ago her settlement was made, and she entered protest in writing against the manner in which the government made the settlement She insisted that the compu- taton was not legal and just one, and en- tered her protest in writing against 1t; but what could she do? She had no power. The general government, the officers ot the treasury, were omnipotent; and they settled it according to their own notions of pro- prietv, and South Carolina had no means of appeal except by coming to Congress, which she has done.
 The Senator says this is brought forward in obedience to lobby agents. The Sena- tor is mistaken. The States have agents here, but they have been appointed by the States themselves. For instance: South Carolina passed resolution, through hel State legislature, authorizing the Governor to appoint an agent to be sent on here to prosecute this claim. Virginia has done the same thing. Sovereign States have spoken, not through their lobby agents, but through their regularly appointed agents, sent here by their governments to present their just claims to this government, and to ask for settlement.
 If it is just debt, l ask, why not pay it? Why not pay it in this form, as well as any other? Although l am not partl- cularly interested for my State, do feel some interest for the Old Dominion. Sir, if this debt is due to her, you can never find better time to pay it to her than the pre- sent She has paid out, as l am informed, S3S0, 1000, recently, in sustaining her honol and vinlicatng her rights from the attack of John Brown and his confederates-and she has a much larger sum, even, than thai to pay, understand. The probability i: that the amount she will have to pay vii not be less than $500, 900; perhaps larger sum than that If this debt is due to her if it is a matter of justice, could you eve find better time to do justice to that State or any other States, than the present time
 Now, sir, in relation to the fact that thi vote has been taken this afternoon, wheI the Senate was not full, the Senator doe' not know as much about that, perhaps, a. do. Let us look at the condition o things. The day before yesterday fifty -fou votes were cast on this question. To-day there have been forty Live votes, and ther are six paired, making ffty-one in all an' that is within three of the number of vote cast the day before yesterday.
 Mir. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. Wer there any pairs yesterday?
 MT. VERNON There were none, tha I am aware of, the day before yesterday.
 Sir, 1 am not afraid to take this question in open, full Senate. There Is no doub about the adoption of this provision. is just and true, and ought to be passed The debts ought to be paid; and the on