The Congressional Globe, Volume 28, Part 3: Thirty-Third Congress, First Session Page: 1,583
[787] p. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
1854.
THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE.
i &m
sir, I wish to call your attention, and that of the
Senate, to two remarkable cases in our history.
When General Lafayette came to this country,
Congress at once got up a bill for his relief. I
believe the foundation of it was, that he had fur-
nished some money to buy shoes for some of our
soldiers in the Revolutionary war. We first
granted to him $200,000 in stock, bearing five per
cent, interest, and then, as a mere gratuity, voted
to him two townships of land, I think, to be se-
lected by the President of the United States. We
gave him, I suppose, in round numbers, a half a
million m money and in lands. About the same
time, we had the only surviving general officer of
the Revolution, old General St. Clair, in extreme
old age, in utter destitution and poverty, his
daughters earning a precarious subsistence at the
wash-tub, beseeching Congress for some relief, in
his declining years, from the pressure of age, dis-
ease, and poverty. For years that venerable old
man's thin white hairs were driven about by the
north winds of this bleak Capitol of the nation,
while he was endeavoring to urge, to beg, some
provision from a reluctant Congress; and finally,
some few months, if 1 recollect aright, before his
death, Congress, who had presented $500,000 in
money and lands, to a foreigner who had aided
in the revolutionary struggle, were stimulated, in
their great desire to remember and reward the rev-
olutionary services of our own people, so far as to
vote to that old patriot and soldier a pension of
sixty dollars a month from the time the act passed
to his death, which event closed his mortal career,
and sealed up a just commentary upon the dis-
criminating spirit with which we reward those of
our own native citizens who serve us, by his sink-
ing into the grave.
Mark you, Mr. President, I wish it to be un-
derstood, I say not one word either against the
amount or the propriety of the grant that was made
to General Lafayette; far from it. All that was
right, it only becomes wrong when it is placed
in contrast with the hard-hearted penuriousness
which suffered old General St. Clair to sink into
the grave in penury, with his'daughters exposed
to tne greatest hardships, and suffering under the
greatest difficulties that poverty could bring upon
them, and from which an ungrateful country re-
fused to relieve either him or them.
Now, sir, we have presented here another ex-
ample. De Neulfville advanced a sum of money
with a view to make profit, and we paid seventy-
five years interest upon it. General Greene incur-
red losses without any view to profit. Sir, profit
had no place in his speculations. Profit to himself
entered not into his dealings with his country.
It was her independence, her honor, her interest,
which he sought, with a generous self-devotion,
to advance by exposing in her cause life, and
fortune, and all that was dear to him; and now
will the Senate say, we will settle with his chil-
dren on the principles of a miser; will cut short
the allowance to him which is necessary to a full
indemnity against loss, and while that interest is
asked for a period of time short in comparison
with the period for which we allowed interest to
a foreign banker dealing with us for pecuniary
profit." Well, sir, we may do this,and possibly
it may be all right; but, to my understanding, if
we should do it, the cases will stand to our dis-
grace in irreconcilable hostility.
The question being taken on the amendment
by yeas and nays, resulted—yeas 24, nays 9; as
follows:
YE\S—Messrs. Adams, Allen, Atchison, Badger, Bell,
Brown, Clay, Dixon, Fessienden, Fi^h, Geyer, Gillette,
Gwin, Johnson,.J ones of fowa, Jones ot'Tennessee, Mason,
RoekweU, Sew.ud, Siu.irt, Sumner, Thompson of Ken-
tucky, Wade, and Weller—-?4
NAYS—Messrs. Bright, Brodhead, Chase, Dodge of
Iowa, Evans, Fitzpatiick, Norns, Shdeli, and Williams—9.
So the amendment was agreed to.
The bill was reported to the Senate as amended,
and the amendment was concurred in. The bill
as amended was ordered to be engrossed for a third
reading, was read a third time, and passed.
UTICA STEAM WOOLEN COMPANY.
Mr. FISH. I ask the Senate to take up the
bill, from the House of Representatives, "for the
relief of the Utica Steam Woolen Company,"
which I think will not give rise to a word of de-
bate, and to which I presume there will be no
objection whatever.
The motion was agreed to; and the Senate, as
in Committee of the Whole, resumed the consid-
eration of the bill.
It appropriates $1,181 16 to the Utica Steam
Woolen Company, of Utica, in the State of New
York, in full of their account for interest on
goods furnished to the quartermaster's depart-
ment.
in 1851, the company made a contract with G.
H. Crossman, quartermaster, in behalf of the
United States,to furnish certain broadcloths, to be
used for making clothing for the Army, and that
they were to be paid from time to time, as the
goods'were delivered. The contract wasfulfilled
by the company; but, by reason of the late period
at which the appropriation bills forthatyear were
passed, the money was not ready until some time
after the delivery of the cloths. The claim is for
interest on the principal sum, from the time of the
delivery of the goods, when the money, by the
terms of the contract, became payable, to the time
when the payment was actually made.
The bill was reported to the Senate without
amendment, ordered to a third reuding, read a
third time, and passed. '
FOURTH OF JULY.
Mr. EVANS obtained the floor.
Mr. BADGER. I will ask my friend from
South Carolina just at this moment to allow me to
make a suggestion which I think will produce no
discussion or difficulty, and to submit a motion
founded upon it. It is known by the Senate that
Tuesday next will be the fourth of July. It is
understood that we shall meet to-morrow for the
purpose of given the Senator from Texas [Mr.
Houston] an opportunity of making some per-
sonal explanation. It seems to me, therefore,
that it would be a great deal better if the Senate
should now come to an order, that when we ad-
journ to-morrow it shall b* to meet on Wednes-
day next, so as to adjourn over the fourth of
Juiy. 11is not worth while to meet here on Mon-
day to do that. We cannot adjourn from now
until Wednesday.
Mr. SLIDELL. Why not meet on Monday ?
Mr. BADGER. We can, but why do it?
Gentlemen are disposed to go off for two or three
days, and we shall find ourselves without a quo-
rum. I submit the motion, therefore, that when
the Senate adjourns to-morrow, it be to meet on
Wednesday next. We shall accomplish nothing
by meeting here on Monday.
Mr, WELLER. 1 shall be compelled to dis-
appoint my honorable friend from North Caro-
lina by interposing an objection to the reception
of his motion. 1 think it cannot be entertained
except by unanimous consent. 1 think we ought
to meet on Monday to transact business. I am
anxious to go through with that. I know of no
reason why we cannot transact business on Mon-
day as well as any other day. i shall be opposed
to sitting on Tuesday, of course, that being our
political Sabbath.
Mr. BADGER. All I have to say is, that, as
everybody here knows, personally, I have no
solicitude about it. But I know there are gentle-
men hire who are desirous of going away,and
taking two or throe days of consecutive relaxa-
tion durin® this exceedingly hot weather. To
compel them to come here on Monday, for the
purpose of adjourning over from Monday to
Wednesday, is, m my opinion, a needless impo-
sition on them. • I will tell my friend from Cali-
fornia that he will find himself without a quorum
on Monday.
Subsequently, Mr. BADGER said: I wish the
Senator from California would be kind enough to
withdraw his objection to my motion.
Mr. WELLER. As usual, 1 find it utterly
impossible to resist the appeal of the Senator from
North Carolina, 1 shall be compelled to with-
draw my objection.
The motion was then agreed to.
LE CAZE AND MALLET.
On the motion of Mr. EVANS, the bill for the
relief of Frederick Vincent, administrator of
James Le Gaze, survivor of Le Caze & Mallet,
was read a second time,and considered as in Com-
mittee of the Whole.
It proposes to direct the Secretary of the Treas-
ury to pay to Frederic Vincent, as administrator,
$4,896 82, which gum appears to be due to James
Le Caze on the books of the Treasury, for ad-
vances made to the Government of the United
States in 1783; and to pay him interest on that
sum at the rate of six per cent, per annum, from
December 31, 1846, when his claim was pre-
sented to Congress.
Mr. EVANS, i move to strike out of the bill
the words " at the rate of six per cent, per annum
from the 31st day of December, 1846, when his
claim was presented to Congress," and insert
*'from the time he advanced the money*"-so. as-
to allow the interest from that time. Perhaps it '
is necessary that I should make a short statement
in regard to the-case.
Le Caze and Mallet were French gentlemen,
who lived in the city of Philadelphia, and who y&P
were merchants. They sold large quantities of
tobacco and cotton to the Government, and ad-
vanced large sums of money. At the conclusion
of the war, their account was settled at the Treas-
ury; and the sum mentioned as due to them
stands to their credit on the books of the Treasury
until this day. It never has been paid—never has
been attended to. One of these parties died; and -
the other, before there was any regular Govern-
ment, or any chance of getting paid, went to the
West Indie's, where he had an estate. There he
was killed in the first insurrection in the Island of
St. Domingo. The consequence was, that there
was nobody here to present the claim. It was
unknown to the family in the West Indies until
a recent day. The administrator now applies for
payment. If interest is to be paid upon a debt
not demanded until recently—if that principal be
conceded as just, I do not see why it should not
be done in this case.
Mr. FITZPATRtCK called for the yeas and
nays on the amendment; but they w^ere not or-
dered.
Mr. SLIDELL. As I understand the Senator
from South Carolina, no demand has ever been
made upon the Government for the amount. If
it has not been paid, it has been the fault of the
parties, and there is nothing in the character of
these men which appeals to the sympathies of the
Senate. Really, it seems to me we should be estab-
lishing a mostdangerous principle by giving inter-
est in this case. I shall be under the necessity of
asking for the yeas and nays upon the amendment
if it is insisted upon. t
Mr. EVANS. Let the report of the Commit-
tee on Revolutionary Claims be read.
The report was read. From it, it'appears that
Le Caze & Mallet were merchants of Philadel-
phia. in the year 1783 theGovernment had deal-
ings with them to the amount of $75,584 74.
This amount was settled by the then Superin-
tendent of Finance, and a balance was stated in
their favor of $4,890 82. This settlement and
balance were entered on the books of the Treas-
ury of that date, and afterwards transferred to the
books of the Treasury in the year 1794, after the
present Government went into operation.
Before any provision had been made for liqui-
dating and funding the public debt, Mallet died,
and Le Caze, the surviving partner, whilst on a
visit to his plantation, in the island of St. Do-
mingo, was massacred in the insurrection which
broke out in 1789. During the general insurrec-
tion in 1793, his family escaped from the island
and settled in Norfolk, in Virginia. There was
no administration on the estate of Le Caze, until
the year 1844, when Frederic Vincent, a relative
of Le Gaze's family, took out letters of adminis-
tration in Philadelphia, until which time it is likely
the existence of the evidence of this debt was un-
known to the family of Le Caze.
Mr. JONES, of Tennessee. It is very obvious
to every Senator that there is not a quorum pres-
ent. There are but twenty-three Senators on the
floor. 1 move, therefore, that the Senate adjourn.
Mr. BRODHEAD. I hope not. I hope the
Senator from South Carolina will withdraw his
proposed amendment; and, if the Senate is not
disposed to go on with private bills, I suggest that
I have had the floor for the last week on the indi-
gent insane bill. This is very hot weather, and
1 do not know that the speech will last much longer.
Mr. EVANS. I believe, on the whole, it may
be better not to risk the bill by pressing the amend-
ment, though \ have a strong; prepossession on
my mind that interest should be allowed, i there-
fore withdraw the amendment.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Sen-
ator from Tennessee withdraw his motion?
Mr. JONES, of Tennessee. Yes-, sir.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
United States. Congress. The Congressional Globe, Volume 28, Part 3: Thirty-Third Congress, First Session, book, 1854; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc30787/m1/17/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.