National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1878-03-12
History and Memory.

The history of legislation in this country
does. mot produce parallel TO the bold at
tempt made in the House of Representa-
tives on Friday last TO secure double pay
for some if not all the Confederate mail
contractors in the South during Il. "Icly
period of the war. But for the shrcwlnesS
and industry of Mr.. WILLErs, of Michigan,
the bill would undoubtedly have been re-
ported to the House and passed in that body
before the close of that session. When Mr.
CoNGER closed his hostility to the meas
ure and yielded the floor to his colleague, the
Confederatcs were in the high glee Of
achieved victory. They thought the battle
won in that House and the fraud an &c
complished fact, for they had no fear of the
| Senate.
Mr.. WILLErs staked out his battle-ground
with shrewdncss and tact. lie had secured
! from Mr.. REAGAN, the late Postmaster
General of the Confedcracy, certain inn
portant admissions relating to the changing
of the character of the bill by him in COM
mittee. For instance, Mr.. REAGAN con-
tossed to having stricken from the measure
/ lut NDTuS, una UtJUTt SHtN TtNVtti-
ircly engaged in rdr against The United States"
and also the following proyiso: " Proridcd,
That any such claims ichich hare been paid by
the Confederate States government shall not be
paid again." With these points stricken
from the resolutionthe Con(ederates fancied
that their dip into the Treasury would be
to the extent of S375,O0O and no questions
asked. Mr.. REAGAN had repeatedly de-
clar, that not one dollar of these claims
had ever been paid by the Confederate
States.
With this groundwork for his contest
Mr. WILLErs armed himself with the arch
ives of the late Confederate government,
and opened raking fire upon its repre-
sentatives in the House, by showing up the
pretenses under which the changes had beer
made in the character of the bill lie thcl
proceeded to convict the Confederate Post.
masterGeneral of misstating the facts when
he declared that not one dollar ofthese claim!
had been paid by the Confederate govern
ment. Without following Mr.. WILLETs
through his magazine of facts and terribl,
cannonade upon the shrinking hosts of {
crusade of robbery against the nationa
; Treasury, we will let him speak for him
self
Thus tho gentleman from Texas has, by hi
own reports as Postmaster r General of the Con
federate States, shown that the COnicdCracy
actually paid on these very contracts the sun
Of 1864, 5H.22. The other reports made by tn,
gentleman, if he ever made any more are no
among the archives or were not discovered by
mn "a a.
fcourse | cannot say Perhaps further invCsti
. cation will demonstrate full payment. TIL,
report May 2, 1864 does not give details. $,
that for the intervening time between Decem
Der = 1868, and May :, ioGi we have no re
port Of what was paid on these claims butwt
are authorized in assuming that a considerable
portion of the balance Of these claims was paid
As we have no report after November :, 1864
and as that report does not puTpOrt TO give eX
plantations later than the first quarter of 1854
I we have the right 10 assume that in the inter
, vcning ten months the balance of the claim
, was paid, aud that the 100000 50 apprOpri
l ated was applied SO far as necessary, in tn
liquidation of these claims.
> ! have but few words further to add.
is proved beyond question that the COnteder
ate government did undertake to pay thes
claims, did appropriate 100000 for that pur
pose, and that they were audited and largel.
IL not entirely paid by or under the super
vision of the gentleman from Texas himself
1t is clear that the striking out of the proyis
= to the act Of March 3, 1877, would very mate
y, rally change the terms and scope of it.
have no comments to make on how IL came I
be stricken out ! make no charges. ! impug
= no mans motives, much less those of the gen
- tleman from Texas; | simply state the facts u
, find them, aud leave thus the whole subicc
j to the considerable judgment of this House an
0 the country.
= Since the terrible roasting given thes
: wOuld-be dcpredatOrs upon the nationa
= Treasury by Mr.. WILLErs on Friday, the
= have been busy getting up GiiJis, pleas {
: ignorance, loss Of memory, and irrespons
t bility, through conversations, editorials, an
n dispatches to the defenders of the Demo
J. cratic faith throughout the country, Br
e it is no use, They stand convicted by I'll
e light of their own history. We notice thu
d the Baltimore Gdgette attempts to blan
IS this thing upon tho negligent Governmcr
: clerks" but it fails to tell the publ
e whether the Aforesaid derelict clerks a
3, tach to this or the Confederate government
The truth il that Mr.. WILLETs has place