The record-union., 1897-02-20
Spirited Debate on the Question Of Claims
Against the United States.
Walker of Massachusetts Arraigns the
Rules Committee
For the Tyranny 1t Was Said to Ex=
ercise Over the Proceedings of the
House-Sayers of Texas Asserts
That the Treatment OF Creditors
of the Government Has Become a
National Scandal.


WASHINGTON, Feb. ia very
spirited debate on the general subject of
the payment of claims found to be due
against the United States was indulged
in by the House to-day by the considera-
tion of the general deficiency bill, which
was entered upon this morning. Rich
ardson of Tennessee had called atten-
tion to the apparent inconsistency of an
item to pay the costs of defending suits,
and the fact that the bill contained no
item to pay the judgments.
This furnished Walker Of MaSsachu-
setts a text for lively speech against
the niggardly and dishonest policy of
the Government, and a severe arraign-
ment of the Committee on Rules for the
tyranny it was said to exercise over the
proceedings of the House.
Grosvenor of Ohio came to the defense
of the committee, warmly declaring that
the House had made the rules and
should abide by them. No one, he said,
would resent the exercise of power not
conferred on the committee more bit
terly than he.
the War Claims Committee, made the
statement that the House had been
frightened by a 'bogie man." and the
just claims against the Government, in
stead of aggregating hundreds of mill
lions, as was frequently stated, could be
discharged with S10,OO0,UOO.
The consideration of the bill was not
completed: The bill carries SS,441 ,O2I.
The House again to-day stood by the
policy adopted a few days ago in the
case of the widow of Major
Stoneman in fixing the rate of her pen
sion at $50 per month, by rejecting ac-
tion of the conference report, granting
a pension of SO to the widow of Major
General Joseph B. Carr.
An effort was made by Cannon to fix
a limit for debate on the general def
cheney appropriation bill, under con-
sideration.
Grow Rep) of Pennsylvania, how
ever. declined to agree, and when the
House again went into committee, he Sc
cured the floor in his own right. He pro-
ceeded to discuss the free homes bill.
which was pocketed by the Committee
on Public Lands He spoke feelingly of
his part in the passage of the original
Homestead Act of 1862. For ten years
he had advocated that measure in sea-
son and out of season, and he said he
could not allow this session to close
without calling attention to the fate OF
the free homes BILL now Slumbering in
the committee. Grow spoke for an hour.
General debate was then closed. but an
agreement was reached to allow one
and a half hours on a side for debate
on the Southern Pacific item.
The items appropriating money for the
payment of special attorney fees for
defending the interests of the United
States in the Court of Claims were made
the basis of an attack by Richardson CD
of Tennessee, on the policy of the Gov
ernment paying attorney fees, but de-
clining to pay the judgment of the court
when it was against the United States.
He urged that the Appropriations Com
mittee should have brought in an ap-
priation to pay the findings under the
Bowman Act amounting to about 5000
600
This opened up the whole question as
to the payment of just claims, and led
Walker (R) of Massachusetts to make
bitter assault upon the legislative
methods adopted to prevent considera-
ton of just claims. In Gods name,
he exclaimed, how are we to get our
rights?"
Sayers Cd of Texas created a laugh
by replying that the Republicans had
the power to change the rules. He
branded the rules of the House as a
system of tyranny, and described how
members who sought the Committee on
Rules in the interest of bills were al
lowed to cool their heels,' while one
member of that committee intimated
that the members were boring" him.
With an impassioned speech he de-
nounced the system. appealing to mem
bers about him to bear testimony to the
fact that they had no opportunity to
bring up measures for which their dis
tricts were clamoring He declared our
treatment of creditors had become
national scandal. 1t was the duty of
the Ways and Means Committee. he
said. to prepare a tariff bill that would
raise sufficient revenue to pay the Gov
eminent debts Many of the claims
were old, but they would be much older
before they were paid unless there
was a TdQ1cdI CllStliSt VI pOlICy.
Mahon (R) of Pennsylvania followed
in the same line. He said the House
for years had been terrorized by a
"bogie man. They were told that it
would require hundreds of millions to
pay the claims against the Government,
once the policy of paying them was en-
tered on He said he had made a
careful examination of all the claims
paid since the war. and they amounted
to 81 900, 900 With $4,000 600 more
a commission could wipe out every just
claim OF the millions of claims filed
the court had allowed but S12 per cent.
The House should pay the claims or
abolish the Court of Claims.
Grosvenor defended the rules of the
House He repudiated the assertion
that the House had the power to exc
cute its will That might be a plausi
bic excuse to go to the cou ltry for those
who sought to evade their responsible
ity The only tyranny here was the
inertia of the House itself. So far as
the payment of the Government just
obligations were concerned he felt as
Mahon did, but he insisted there was
no rule that strangled action of the
House was ready for a change.