Evening journal., 1915-03-06

originally made and 5 to 10 per cent.
of sympathy. good feeling, or desire to
help the educational institution,
then the bill could with justice be
passed
Mr.. MOORE. We have Just passed
an omnibus claims bill without any
objection at all. There was reserya-
ton as to certain things .put in by
the Senate. There was an opportun-
ity given TO anybody in the House to
object and kill the bill. Does the
gentleman know whether or not there
were any claims in that omnibus
claims bill, with its numerous claims,
that vary greatly from this claim?
Mr.. JOHNSON of Washington.
There are church claims mentioned
in that bill.
Mr.. MOORE. Was the property de-
stroyed in the same way? We had no
opportunity 10 see the omnibus claims
bill here tonight. II was not dis
tributed among the Members. Some
gentlemen had it, and knew what was
in II, and there was no objection 10 it,
There is objection made TO this par
ticular claim, when doubtless there
were lots OF claims like It in The
omnibus claims bill.
Mr.. JOHNSON OF Washington. /
hope this bill will be passed.
Mr.. MOORE. VIII the gentleman
answer my question?
Mr.. MANN. How much time does
the gentleman have? He has had ten
minutes.
Mr.. FLOOD OF Virginia. Mr.. Speak
er, / yield three minutes Of my time
to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
Slemp).
Mr.. SLEMP. Mr.. Speaker. am
very much interested in the passage
OF this bill. In my Judgment il IS a
good and fair bill from a war-clalms
standpoint. The committee cut out
the building in which the soldiers and
cadets lived. The money appropri-
ated hero is for the library. for scien-
tific apparatus, and for the pro.
fessors' buildings. It certainly is not
in accordance with the rules OF civil
lied warfare for armies TO be destroy
ing libraries. The destruction orig
inally amounted to over 100000 This
money was put up by the State of
| Virginia, and by the authorities of tho
Virginia Military Institute. 10 is csti-
mated and shown that about 100000
would pay for the library, tho pro-
fessors' houses. and the scientific
apparatus. and the committee made a
distinction between these and the de-
struction of the barracks in which
the cadets lived
Now, as TO the precedents involved,
there was another institution OF
learning. the Washington and Lee
University, that was damaged at the
same time. Twenty years ago the
House OF Representatives, without a
dissenting vote, passed an approprla-
tion Of $4,000 for that institution Ia
compensate II for damages Il had suf-
fered. This is the adjoining institu-
ton, where the loss took place at the
same time, and the Virginia Military
Institute ought TO come under the
same precedent. The same statement
was made 20 years ago on the floor ol
the House in the consideration of the
Washington and Lee bill as was made
by the gentleman from Illinois a few
moments ago in regard to this bill
that It would open the Treasury Il
millions and millions of expenditures
but from that. time to this not on
0 SiuSit Nidlin Ol lndl nature mas Deel
. paid. As my colleague says, therl
can be no other claim as no simila
destruction occurred along that line
(Applause)
The SPEAKER. The time Of tn,
gentleman has expired
Mr.. FLOOD Of Virginia. Mr.. Speak
er. will the gentleman from Illinois
use some Of his time?
Mr. Mann. ] will say a word oi
two, anyhow. How much more tim,
have I?
The SPEAKER. Ten minutes.
Mr. MANN. The gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Moore) a momen
ago asked the gentleman from Wash
ington (Mr. Johnson) IL there wer'
not a great number OF similar claim
in the omnibus claims bill. statinl
that gentlemen had not had an oppor
, tunity to get hold of the claims bill
= We passed the claims bill moro thai
year ago, and gentlemen could hav
. got copies OF II at any time.
p Mr.. MOORE. I beg the gentleman
; pardon. / could not get the copy. Tn
gentleman had the bill
Mr. MANN. The gentleman IL con
= fusing the matter. l had the Senat