Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-16
WASHINGTON.
Enough Claims TO swamp the Ship
of State

10 lue Sill
of state,
WARRINGTON, Feb. l5.-The Hous
Committee on Claims have 4S2 cases upoI
their docket, about l20 of which have
been acted upon fsvorably, $50 unfavor.
ably, and the remainder not reached
Even this large number does not include
all the claims introduced into the House.
Nearly every committee has some in con
sideratiCn. The Pension Committee have
more than 500 claims the Military Com.
mittee about 5, 600 war claims, the Com.
mittee on Private Land Claims, Naval
Affairs, Foreign Affairs, POstOfice,
Patents, Judiciary and Appropriations
have each large number. A moderate
estimate puts the number of claims filed
in the House during the present Congress
a. over 5000, probably. There are
10000 more in the Senate. The estab-
lishment of the Court of Claims for
the express purpose of relieving Con-
gress of this business of private claims
has had no apparent effect in lessening
the tiO7d of demands for relief which
pour in upon both Houses.
Canby's Conduct in Virginia
Representative Booker, of Virginia,
appeared before the House Judiciary
Committee this morning and presented a
memorial from citizens of Virginia ask
ing an investigation into the official con-
duct Of Gen. Candy while in command of
that State
= The Committee agreed to report bill
dividing Kentucky into two Judicial Dis
triCts.
TIE North Carolina Senator Elect
Senator Abbott, of North Carolina, as
heretofore stated, is persisteUtly working
to prevent Senator elect Vance from tax
ing his sea-, Abbott's purpose being to
procure It for himself. The Senate will
not give him the seat as the minority can
dictate, as is well known. But Abbott al
leges that Vance was illegally elec.ed,
and that the North Carolina Legislature
was aware, at the lime it elected the lat
Ter, that ne lab0red under political disa-
biliiies, and therefore should not have
chosen him. On this ground Abbott
claims that there are several pre-
ceden's in English parliamentary
usage, which makes his a clear
case, and shows that he is entitled to the
seat not as the minority candidate, but
as the eligible candidate receiving the
largest number Of votes. A case setting
the precedent involved in this is that of
Shields, elected 10 the Senate from Hi
nois, aud who had not been a resident Of
the United States nine years, as is re.
QUirC' b. the Constitution. That qUes-
ton b.ing raised, he was sent home, and
in a few mon hs, the nine years having
elapsed in the meantime, he was again
elected by the Legislature. In Shields
CAS- it was not claimed that the candidate
receiving the highest number of votes
was entitled to the seat in the Senate, but
il was conceded that the minority Csndi-
date had no clsim. Such is the principle
now Acknowledged 10 be settled by the
Senate OF the United States.
Presidential ucsSage-sGront wants
the Loyal Relieved of the IRON
clad.
WAsHINGT Il, Feb. - To the Senate
and House Of Representative have
this day transmi ted to the Senate the an
u0uncgm n tia, the Senate bill No. 2IS,
an &C. present. NJ an .afh If Office 10 be
taken 10y persons who participated in the
late rebellion, and who are not disqualified
from holding Office by the fourteenth
amendment Of the c institution of the
United STATES, has become lazy in the
manner prescribed by the Constitution
without the signature Of the President.
If this were a bin for the repeal of the
test oath required of persons elected or
appointed to offices OF honor or trust it
would NEE. my approval. The effect Of
the Law is to relieve from taking the pre-
scrib 4 oath all those persons whom II
was intended to exclude from such office,
ami % require it from all others. BY this
law The soldier who fought and bled for
his country is sworn to his loyalty before
assuming official functions, whilst the
general who commanded hosts for the
over brow of bis government is admitted
q place without it. l cannot affix my
name 10 "a law which discrimaates
against the Upholder Of his 1vernmcnt.
| believe. however, that it is 1ot wise
policy to keep from office, by an cath,
those who are not disqualified by the
Constitution aod are the choice Of the
legal voters; but whilst relieving them
from an oath which they cannot take, !
recommend the release Of all those to
wh-m the law has no application.
L. 5. GRANT.