Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-04-28
The East Enriched and the West I'm
n0YeriShen hY The Mar.

solution OF their desperate efforts 70 enVenOnl
and provoke the South to eternal resistance, by
threatening them with coniscation and utter de-
struction of their political rights. Mr.. Blair
shows that they can become rich by prolonging
the war-and that the West has to foot the bills
of the war and build the Yankee factories. We
make few extracts from his speech in reply to
Mr. Morrill,, of Vermont, who opposes Western
improvements for National defense:
Except for the burden of the Morrill, tariff, we
would have got along very well. Why, sir, the
Eastern and seabOard portions of the Union haze
made money out of this rebellion The great serer
tiles Of this have fallen upon the people Of the
West The natural avenues of their commerce
To the ocean have been closed by this war, and
while they have been closed. the East and the sea-
board haze enjoyed pr9fts irhich they neoer enjoy
ed during times Of peace.
Ii seems TO me whenever any measure is pro-
posed in this House tor the benefit of the West,
that we find these gentlemen demurring to il on
account of the times. The freight of railroads
has been going up constantly since this war COM
menced. Before the began, the railroads
would take barrel of -four from the West for
h IF dollar, whereas they now charge 50 so.
Yes, sir; it now costs 50 so to get barrel of
-four to the East from the Mississippi river. The
East has taken The entire profit of the labor Of the
West. Yet the West has come forward to sup
ply her products in place of the cotton which
against us. We have relieved the Government
in that and every other way. But the West has
gained nothing by it. The entire profit has gone
in the freight charges to the East.
The gentleman is opposed to every measure by
which the Vest might find relief. He is opposed
to the ship canal with Lake Michigan-the Mich
iean and Illinois canal.
We are, as has been remarked by other gentle
men, engaged in a war out of which will grow
,tba and MIL bav 10 for
them. We can not postpone this ii we intend to
have a connection between the East and the West,
between the Atlantic and Pacific seabOard, which
will be able to preserve our possessions IN the lat
ter. Looking to what it has done, ane what it
has suffered, the W est has right to appeal to the
national legislature. / have spoken of its losses.
| have spoken of its suferngs. have spoken of
its trade destroyed. Yet rhiLe the West has snf
fered the East has enjoyed almost exemption. Your
uictOries hGre been in the West The soldiers of
the West have given their due proportion of the
victories in this They have poured out their
blood on almost every battlefield Yet that peo
Pile have been Disseminated against since this
commenced.
do not see the reason why people who have
suffered so much upon the battle field and in the
destruction of their trade should have this
burden imposed upon them. One of the depart
ments of the Government has interposed to pre-
vent the men of that section who have done much
for the Government from receiving their pay.
Even the laboring man is kept out of the money
he has fairly earned. All these men, after hav-
ing their claims postponed for months, have at
last to accept certificates of indebtedness-pay
in fact, only in part-whe the men from the
East who have worked for the Government have
been paid in full The Eastern railroads were
paid up to December last tor the work that they
did for the Government, and at full prices. The
| Opl mi tod #
the West. They were allowed only half price,
and six months after the service was rendered they
are paid in certificates which are below par.
! There has been discrimination against every
| thing that was Western and we are now asked
| by the gentleman from Vermont to have this
measure postponed, upon the specious pretext
that all the millions of the country must be
/ lavished upon this
| Mr. Edwards would ask the gentleman if
Eastern creditors have not taken these same GER
tihcates during the same time that they were paid
to Western railroads?
| Mr. Blair of Missouri-No. sir the gentleman
is totally mistaken.
Mr. Edwards understand that to be the fact.
| Mr.. Blair, of Missouri-Eastern creditors were
paid long as there was ANYTHING in the treasury
to pay them with, but Western creditors were
postponed by the nterpOsitiOn of this commission
to examine into Western claims. The commits
great frauds against certain parties; and men
against whom no such allegations were made by
anybody-the day laborers who erected the forts,
teamsters, and people of that class, who had
done work for the gOvernment--were also re-
quired to 20 before that commission, and their
claims were thus postponed for six months.
| MEANWHILE the Eastern creditors were all getting
their money although there was just as much
allegation of fraud against them against W est
ern men. Why was not commission started for
them?
Mr.. Edwards wish to say to the gentleman
that these ve.v certificates of Indebtedness were
recommended to this House and first issued for
the purpose of being applied to the payment of
| Eastern debts
Mr.. Blair, of Missouri After the Eastern
creditors had taken all the money that to be
got. they willing to take the certificates but
they did not share with US as long as the money
/ lasted.
| say that the claims commission was inter-
posed, and that all claims were compelled to go
before it, whether there was any allegation of
fraud or not, while there were claims paid at the
East against which there was just as much allie
CATION of fraud as against ours There were al
legations of fraud by committees of this House
against the East just much against the
West, and there was just much fraud commit
| ted at the East as at the West and Just as much
proved. There no difference in that respect;
and yet we alone were subjected to the interpOsi
ton of a commission, and of an examination.
Nobody would have complained if only those
men who were accused of fraud had been sent
before the commission No objection would have
been heard from the West if only those men had
been sent before it, but when the commission was
organized and met, oll claims against the Gov
eminent originating before a certain date were
sent before and were all della ed tor six months,
and then the parties had to take the amounts due
them in certificates below par, when you have
money in your treasury, and are paying it out ev
ery day. WHY. sir, there are absolutely gentle
men from the West who advanced to the Gov
eminent gold. or what equal to gold, and who
are obliged now, after a lapse of six months, to
to come here and take certificates of indebted
hess.
| say OF the West have been treated like
step-children by the Government, and we shall
always be treated in that way. and postponed.
And now the gentleman from Vermont, Mr..
MORRILL, holding the high position that he does in
this house, admitting that this is a measure Of
great importance, that ought to be favorably i
sidered. says that it must be postponed under the
circumstances; alleging that the Government is
in its death throes, when il is really victorious
and victorious. we might claim, il we dis
posed to do so, as much by the efforts of western
men as of any other people. | will MT say more.
will not discriminate against the men OF the
East, even though the West has been dscrimi-
mated against will not say more; but do say
that the West has done its duty in this matter,
and has given this Government the amplest sup
port the field, and everywhere else and il be-
comes the Representatives of the people not to
treat us as step children any longer.
| From the Richmond Enquirer
Jeff. Davis's Consumption Message.
The following is President DAvIs's message,