TWENTY-EIGHT CONGRESS-


SECOND SESSION.
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TWENTY-EIGETH CONGRESS-.
SECOND SESSION.


In Senate.


WASHINGTON, Thursday, Feb. 20, lS45.
Prayer at 10 o'clock. Six Senators present
among them two Of the twenty'six who voted yes
terday for this early hour of mseting, which two
were Mes.rs Atherton and Sempe. Towards
eleven o'clock, nearly half quorum being pre-
SENT the Senate were called to order and the read
ing of the journal dispensed with, when Mr.. Fos-
ter, looking over 10 the democratic side OF the
chamber, asked il there were any rule for call
of the Senate. The Chair replied in the affrma-
tive. Then. said Mr. F shall move such call,
i Senators on the other side, who were SO strong
punctual IN their places Mr.. Fosters eye was di-
rected to the empty chairs of Col. Benton, Mr. Sc
vier, Mr. Walker, Mr.. Miles, and others.


Reading of journal dispensed with. Several Pc
titions presented.


Mr.. CHoArE presented resolution for distribu.
ton CT certain statistics among the States.
OREGON CORRESPONDENCE.
message was received from the President OF
the United States, in answer to resolution Of in
quiry Of the Senate, on the subject. The Execu-
tive declines the information asked as to the in
ternational correspondence since 4th March, lS4l,
gOn, in dispute between the United States and
Great Britain, on the ground that the information
sought for, would be prejudlcial to the public in
terest still pending on the subject





conclusion. and an early report to the Senate, per-
haps before the expiration of the present session.
Communication laid on the table.


The House bill tor the sale on the last Saturday
presented by the Imaum Of Muscat to the Presi-
dent Of the United States, which has been hang.
ing upon third reading for several weeks past,
Mr.. Evans reported two bills for remission and
refundlng OF duties upon rail road iron in certain
cases.


On motion Of Mr.. ARCHER, his committee were
discharged from further consideration of the SUBJ
ject Of Mexican indemnites, and the inquiry pre-.
posed was indefinitely postponed.


5000 extra copies of the Chinese tyeaty, were
ordered to be printed for distribution.
On motion OF Mr.. WHITE, the resolution of yes
terday, changing the hour OF meeting to ten o.
clock, was reconsidered- to 81 and with some
resistance from the absentee advocates of ten
O'Clock, it was finally agreed that the hour Of
meeting should be ii o'clock in the morning.
CLAIMS FROM FRENCH sPoLrATIoNs.
The bill approprlating $4,000 900 for the settle
ment OF the claims upon this government, arising
from spoliations on American commerce by the
French, prior to 1901, was taken up on its passage
Mr.. McDUFFIK, having the floor from Monday
last, on this subjeci, resumed his argument againsl
the bill; He Internationally denied the validity OF
these claims. They had only the recommendation
OF antiquity, which ought to operate against them
and even with this they came before the Senate,
with the uniform rejection by every committee
from the House OF Representatives, since 1902
down to the present day. At first these claimants
were few in number, but Of late, with declarato-
ry report as single exception, upon the justice
of these claims, they had accumulated to a thou
sand strong. The honorable Senator believed the
capitol was haunted, and that ghosts could be call
ed forth, at any time-the mere shadows of men
but we should not suffer these impapabIe spectres
to fnghten us from our propriety. And we were
quite at sea as to the extent of this assumed respon
sibility. The Senator reporting this bill had int-
mated that these five millions were but small por-
ton OF the whole amount.


Mr. CHoATE explained that the. aggregate Of
original sum of 10 or $l2 OOO OOO without interest.
Mr.. McDUFFIR continued his opposition to the
payment Of the bill. There was not title of evi
dence as to the agreement of the U 8. government
relieved US from our obligations to her pledged in
the treaty of l77S-not tittle-there was nothing
IN any of the International relations between the
United States and France authorizing such indem.
nihcations asproposed in the bill


The third section Of the bill authorizes the exa-
mination and adjudication of these claims before
three commissioners. Mr.. Med. contended that,
SO far from trusting the award Of 80 600 900 to this
commission OF three men, he would not trust them
for decision upon case involving the title to five
hundred dollars. Who, on the other hand.
were these claimants-what were they-whence
did they come I He should like to touch them
with the spear Of lthuriel, to see who they were,
whether they were


"spirits Of health or goblins damned;o


whether they were bona ,dde claimants, or specu.
lators upon this scrip. Come here, sir. What's
your claim It's claim purchased of widow
sir, What does it call for, sir? Five thousand
sur ICol Benton-By telling her it was not i worth
five.1 Certainly. Mr.. McDuffie, in every view OF
the subject, considered these claims inadmssible.


Mr. CHoATE replied. He explained the provi-
claims. by limiting the indemnify to the individual
presenting such claim TO the amount which it cost
him.. And as to objections OF the Senator from
South Carolina, as to the original, and for series
OF years continued. scarcity of these claimants,
compared with the vast number at present. Mr.
Choate showed to the contrary. that there were
thousand cases on file-there were 619 of the orr
gnal cases now in the Clerks office of the House
covered over with cobwebs. Mr.. Choate said that
the reason why the claimants refused to press upon
the government from 1907 10 1918, and why the ad-
verse reports during that time were made in the
ed, lnvo we'd IN war, and with an empty treasury
But the claims continued still on file, and there
they were-the claim, the name, the State, the
date, in every case, &c.


Mr.. McDUFrIK reiterated his objections


Mr. ARCHER, Chairman of the Committee of
Foreign Relations, supported the contemplated in
identification. He could not suffer this opposition
without meeting il, or his silence might be misap-
pretended for tacit assent to the justice of such
opposition. Mr.. A. accordingly examined the
treaty stipuatons between the United States and
France, establishing the obligations Of the former
to indemnify our citizens for the spoliations of the
latter Mr. Archer elaboratey discussed the i'm
perative justice of these claims from the evidences
cited, and the argument supporting them on every
hand.


Mr.. BENTON said that he was on the same side
of this question with the Senator from South Ca.
roIina (Mr. McDuffie) He wished to discuss this
quesion-but moved, for the present, its further
postponement. And the bill was again laid aside.


CHANGE OF HOUR AGAIN.


MI ALIENS motion of yesterday, for resumine
the Texas debate each day at IL o'clock. coming
up, the time Of meeting being changed this morn.
ing TO- that hour, Mr.. Allen moved to change the
hour tor taking up the Texas question accordingly