The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1900-06-29
WAR CLAIMS OF NEVADA.
Newlands Makes an Able Argument
in Support of Them.


providing for the payment of the long
standing Nevada war claims, which
were for bounty and extra pay to the
Nevada volunteers during the Civil
War. The claims aggregated about
$685. 900 for principal and over 100000
for interest The bill containing this
amendment went to the conferees of
the Senate and House. The conferees
of the House refused to agree, and re-
ported a disagreement in the House.
Mr.. Newlands, after soliciting the as
sistance of many Representatives and
writing letters to the different MEM
bers requesting their aid, stating
among other things that the entire
State debt of Nevada had its source in
the payments made during the Civil
war, moved that the House recede and
concur in the Senate amendment,
whereupon Mr.. Moody of Massachu-
setts, one of the conferees, took tic
floor in opposition to the bill, claiming
that the allowance of Nevada's claim
would bring down upon the treasury
the claims of all the various States that
had paid bounties and entra pay.
Among them he stated that Pennsyl-
vania had paid bounties ranging from
$500 to s4s4, and New Jersey from $500
to S625; that his own State, Massa-
chusetts, instead of paying bounties
had paid simply extra pay.
Mr.. Newlands made an able and
forceful argument in support of the
claim. He carefully outlined the con-
dtions that existed on the Pacific
coast at that time; showed that the
soldiers were paid in greenbacks,
which at that time were worth but
fifty cents on the dollar; pictured the
exciting times owing to the discovery
of the great Comstock lode, raising as
it did the price of all commodities,
which were higher there than in any
other State in the Union, owing to the
high freight rates paid for bringing the
materials from California by team;
showed that the pay of the soldiers,
namely, thirteen dollars in greenbacks,
would buy but eight dollars worth of
goods, and those at such advanced
prices that he in reality obtained but
about five dollars worth of purchasing
power from months salary, and
claimed that the five dollars paid in
gold by the State was not bounty, as
claimed by Mr.. Moody and Others, but
an equalization of the pay of the sol
dier of the west with the soldier of the
east. He claimed there was a prece-
dent for this allowance in the Act of
the United States government, which
had for many years previous to the
Civil war allowed the soldiers of the
Pacific coast double pay, and the Off
GERS 500 month extra.
Mr.. Cannon, Chairman of the Com.
mittee on Appropriations, closed the
debate We quote quite freely from
his remarks, as they show the basis of
the opposition.
NOW, intb, hPOh eAC - N--S
measure. If | determined it according
to my sympathy, l would say yes-a
little State of 40, 600 inhabitants, with
its one Representative and its two Sen
ators-it undoubtedly made this ex-
penditure. At the same time, Califor-
MIA, larger at that time and much
larger now, made her expenditure OF
81. 900, ,000 Little Oregon made her ex-
penditure of half million dollars.
Larger Massachusetts, made her expen-
diture, of how much l do not know,
and she paid her soldiers from her
State treasury, partially, if not quite
as much as they received during the
Civil war from the United States treas
ury. Nevada has not been paid, nor
has California, nor has Massachusetts,
nor has Illinois, nor has any other
State. My sympathies with this small
State-small as to number of popula-
tion-are such that perhaps if could
segregate this claim and then pass over
all the similar claims to arise from
every other State, amounting q speak
conservatively) to one thousand mil
lion dollars, | think | might vote for
this half million.
Mr.. Newlands: | ask the gentleman
not to raise specters and hobgoblins to
arouse the apprehension of the House.
Mr.. Cannon: am not raising spec
ters."
Mr.. Newlands: You said thousand
millionsl That simply shows the power
of your Imagination.
Mr.. Canon: Not at all. Let US see.
The gentleman says "don't raise spec
ters.n 1t is my duty, if can, to plant
my feet as n legislator, proceeding
with care, guided by truth and by
wisdom, because | act here not only
for Nevada, but for every other State
and its Inhabitants. said thousand