Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-05-24

TtVEsi MAY > 1910
The House being In Committee q the
Whole, aud having under consideration
the bill II. K. No. 4l0i) making appropri.
atoms for the legislative, X sutive and
judicial K enses Of the Government for
the year ending June 80, 1873, and for other
purposes
The Clerk read as follows:
For rent OF the four floors Of the building
occupied by the Department OF JUST e,
$4,000.
Mr.. Young-I move 10 amend by striking
out "$li .o0O" and inserting IS ,0C0.' l do
not know whether or not the Committee on
Appropriations have investigated this
matter, but | am u member of q
committee that has had II under
cunsiderati u and | am OF opinion
that 81 900 for rent 10 certainly most
rXnrbitant. No Individual engaged In any
sort Of private business In the city Of
Washington would give nall this rent Tor
the building II was offered a short time
AK ~ sale and the highest price offered
tor Il " about Sl2j .OOJ. The Department
It Justice occupies only the fnur upper
4 ,Ors, the basement and tirst iloor being
used tlr other purposes. Eight thousand
dollars FOR M part OF the building used
AS the & SCgmrnt ~ ample rent, more, |
bell We, tnan II 1, actually worth, aud
more than 1t G u!d be rented Tor to he used
tor any other purposes. Abuses OF THIS
sirt have existed long enough, and ought
to ut corrected at once. see M reason
WAY the Il yvrEmCnt thOuld pay more
rent than private InuIylduais would have
H. pay Tor the same property. | therefore
ash my colleague, the Chairman OF the
Committee ON Appropriations, to &C 'epl
the amendment | oder. We had as well
ptm mp "A unplnl TnfnFm now
Mr.. Atkins-ln reply u my cOlleage
Mr. Iuungl | will say that | think the
rents paid by tie Government are very
high; and the Committee on AppropriA.
tons have done their very best To cut
them down, but II has been almost a mat.
ter " lm%possibility. The building occu.
pied b. the Department Of Justice belongs
to the FreCdmRn's Bank. There has be n a
proposition TO sell IL to tue Government.
That proposition was submitted TO the
COMMITTEE OF which my colleague LMr.
Young 10 q member. aud the gentlem an
from Georgia, l believe, Chairman. They
declined 10 recommend its purchase.
our Committee considered It. We turned
II over to the Committee on Public Build
ings and Grounds. There are various es.
Inmates placed on the building. | will say
that II IL very likely, as this building be-
Ion g to the FrecdmaL's Bank an be-
longs 10 the freedmen-it 10 very likely, |
say, that the Commute rather !ielded a
large rent on that sCa,u1t
The question being taken, there were
ayes 81, noes 100.
So the amendment To The am udment
was not agreed u
Mr.. YOung-l move urwtO amend by in.
scrting 1900, In order u nave an OppOrtu.
nifty to say a wort u the House Ia eX plan.
alton OF my course in reference - this
matter,
am perhaps ju.t as anxious that the
freedmen should have all that justly be-.
longs TO them as the gentleman from ohio
Mr. Foster or any other gentleman In
this nOuse; and If | " assured that the
money would be honestly mi fairly ap.
pr priAted to the discharge Of the debt due
them, | would most willingly join the gen.
lleman from ohio in any lawful effort D
pr0vI.e a fund for that purpose. II the
payment OF this eXtrayagant rent IL in
tended As an act OF National munitcence to
the deirauded 'Teedmeu on the part Of this
Government, why, let gentlemen say 30
and then . may act with them. II the
Government owes the freedmen anything,l
am willing to vote every dollar necessary
to discharge the Indebtedness. II IL is the
purpose OF tue gentleman from ohio Mr..
Foster and OF the Chairman OF the Com
nittCe on Appropriations TO do a humane
aud charitable act tor the freedmen, | will
most hearth J and cheeTfully cooperate
with the ~, But | know Of no reason why
this Government should make an apprU.
priat. ON 10 pay the lOsses sustained by the
failure OF the Freedmtn's Bank more than
for any Other bank that may have failed.
II 10 no more sacred. as far as | am aware,
than any other claim OF similar character.
II the gentleman from Ohio will submit
the proposition fairly and distinctly Tor
this Government ~ reimburse these un.
fortunate people all they have been robbed
OF, and show me any legal warrant for
such action, | will support the proposition
as heartily and as cheertulIy as he will.
But II that Is not the purpose II II Is the
purpose alone 10 fix a fair and Just com.
p~ensatiOn for the rent of this property, |
suggest to my friend from Ohio that It
would be better aud more creditable ~ ar.
que 1t from a different stand. point.
II !he object Il the Committee on APP.
p OPERATIONS Is to determine what Is u fair
rent Tor this building, | beg to say that the
ame idment l tirst offered, In my judg.
ment, ard IN the jl gment OF many men
competent to determine that question
with whom | have consulted, provides an
ample rent for all that part OF the building
occupied by the Government. II were to
y NAANAh ~ - AA1aAhA yum a w a AV 81 Au
Difference 10 the Judgmen Of my colleague,
Mr.. Atkius, aud not because | believe IL
Is worth 1t.
Mr. chalmers - The gentleman from
Tennees c Mr.. Young remarke that be
saw no reason why the G)vernment shOild
pay tails debt to these people. l propose
to tell him why they should pay II
Through my District circular after circu.
lar was seat to these ignorant people tell.
ing them that II they would dep isit their
little earnings which they had q quired
~ hard labor 10 the Freedman's Bank the
security would be as good as the Govern.
ment itself; that the Government was
bound for II. Under tfese promises they
male th, deposits; the sew ng.wOmen, the
boys that earn nickels by ~blackiug boots,
oil the freedmen IN all parts Of my Dis
trict put their little savings In this bank
In the belief tHat they would be held
sacredly tor them By the Government.
The money was lost; and l cay the Gov.
eminent 10 bound in honor II not 10 law to
make 1t good to these people. Much has
been said about the population b. Mi,sis.
sippi Of the Union Bank Bonds In times
past. The Constitution Of Mississippi pro.
hibited any debt being contracted except
by two successive Legislatures; and when
a deb. was contracted by white men who
loaned money to the Union Bank under a
law protesting to bind the State, but passed
by only one Legislature and therefore not
authorized by the Constitution, that State
was denounced because she would not
pay that debt. | say this Gov eminent is
more q reDudiatOf To thnsa friedman than .