Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-04-22

during the early part Of next week.
On motion of Mr.. Kenna, of West
Virginia, a bill was passed fixing the
second Tuesday in October as the
time for the election of congressman
from that State.
The House proceeded to the con-
sideration of the special order, being
the bill to afford assistance and relief
to Congress and the executive de-
partments in the investigation of
claims and demands against the gov
ernment. It empowers either the
House of Congress or the head OF
the department to transfer claims to
the Court of Claims for the ascer.
tainment of facts, for such claims,
after such ascertainment, are 10 be
reported to Congress.
Mr.. House, of Tennessee, dwelt
upon the necessity of relieving Con-
gress from the consideration of
private claims and advocated the
adoption of a substitute for the pend
ing bill, providing that every person
having claim against the United
States in respect of which he des
sires relief by special act OF Con-
eress, and OF which the Court of
Claims could not, under existing
laws, take jurisdiction, may before
applying to Congress for such relief,
file petition III that court, stating
the facts on which relief is sought
and the court shall find the facts as
established by the evidence and re-
port the same to either House of
Congress.
Mr.. Houk, of Tennessee, contended
that the claims of loyal citizens of
the South should be paid promptly
by the government, and character
ized as unjust, the decisions rene
dered, That the fact that the claim
ant lived in disloyal State was
sufficient ground for rejecting and
disallowing his claims, That the
position was incompatible with JUS
tice. If the South had been solid,
there would have been two govern
ments in this country to-day. That
that section had given to the army
of the Union three quarters of mil
lion soldiers, and a majority of the
citizens of Tennessee had never
breathed disloyal breath. He did
not believe that the method
of investigating these war
claims had been Just and fair,
or that the same justice had been
meted ont to the Union men of the
South as to the Union men of the
North. He would not vote for any
bill that opened the door to the pay
ment of any one who had been dis
loyal, but neither could he favor any
measure which, like Mr.. Houses
substitute, barred all claims prior to
1866
Mr. Springer, of Illinois, declared
his intention to vote for Mr.. Houses
substitute, and he argued at length
upon the propriety and advisability
of relieving Congress of the consid>
Grafton of private claims, and quoted
some statistics to show that during
the past twenty years 52,164 bills
had been introduced in Congress and
printed, at an expense of s45,740,
most of them being of a
private character. He admitted the
force of the objection that the pend
ing proposition could not prevent
subsequent Congresses from adjudis
eating private claims and trusted
that before the close of the 47th
Congress a constitutional amend
ment should be proposed in relation
to the subject. The matter then
went over and Mr.. Bowman, of Mas
sachusetts, gave notice that be
would call the previous question at
2 o'clock tomorrow.
The House then, at 4:30, took a
recess until 7:30, the evening session
to be for the consideration of the
| pension bill