CLERKS OF COURTS.
Mr. Speaker PETITT (Mr. Higgins in the the Chair,) asked unanimous consent to take up his bill [No. 156] imposing on clerks of the circuit courts the duty of preparing applications for back pay, back pay and bounties, balance of bounties, half pay and pensions, [see page 185 of these Reports.]
Mr. P. proceeded to state the provisions of the bill--precribing a uniform clerk fee of one dollar.
It then provides that the papers shall be transmitted to Washington and the claims paid and returned through the Circuit Court Clerks without fees. It is to avoid the system of brigandage which has grown up in regard to these claims in which over 100,000 volunteers are all interested.
Mr. RICE objected.
On the motion of Mr. PETTIT, the order of business was suspended--affirmative 53, negative 15--and the bill No. 156 was taken up and read the second time.
Mr. PETTIT moved to amend by inserting an enacting clause.
Which was agreed to.
Mr. PETTIT moved to fill the blank (salary for the agent at Washington) with $2,500.
Mr. SPENCER, saw no necessity for this legislation. The law of Congress was complete in this regard, and the man that disregards it is subject to fine.
Mr. RICE concurred with the gentleman from Posey [Mr. Spencer.] The Clerks would have to employ extra deputies. It was a wrong to require the Clerks to do this for inadequate fees. Each case might require four or five different applications. Then half these cases would perhaps require new application on account of the ruling in the Department at Washington.
Mr. SPENCER. Congress allows $10 for what this bill allows but $1.
Mr. RICE The agent at Washington would have to employ a corps of clerks who would have to be paid at a very heavy rate. He was for the bill, if it could be perfected by making it a State matter, providing for penalties against the sharks in this business of soldiers' claims.
Mr. BURWELL had some experience in this matter, and regarded the bill as unnecessary and sure to prove expensive.
Mr. PETTIT. In the act of Congress there was no restriction upon the fee for application for back pay and bounty. But he was corrector by Mr. Spencer in this. He then answered the objections. It was no matter of difficulty to fill twenty or thirty applications in a day; it contemplated that the applicant shall be present with his witnesses. It might prove an augmentation of three or four hundred dollars a year to the compensation of the Clerk. But the great object of the bill was to have early attention to all applications. It would shorten the time from ten or twelve months to perhaps three or four months. The presence of the page: 359[View Page 359] agent would command the attention of the Department at Washington.
Mr. COFFROTH had misgivings as to the Washington agency; but, upon the whole, he thought it best to try it a year or two. He spoke in favor of the bill, answering objections by Mr. Rice and Mr. Spencer. He would not fall into the error of inflicting the oppression of which our fathers complained, of "sending swarms of officers to harrass our minds and eat out our subsistence;" but he thought we ought to afford this one officer more for the benefit of those who have imperilled their lives for their country.
Mr. CHAMBERS was in favor of providing by law for these claimants to get their dues without the unreasonable charges to which they were now subjected. He would have a man in each county to attend to this business. He did notice the intermediary agent at Washington.
Mr. SPENCER said that under this bill, the County Clerk would have to take out license as a Claim Agent, and by so doing he would place himself in such a condition that he could not certify to any paper in the application.
Mr. GLAZEBROOK took the floor; when--
On motion by Mr. BROWN, the House took a recess till 2 o'clock P. M.
