THE MORGAN RAID BILL.
The SPEAKER announced the special order, viz: the consideration of Mr. Hutching's Morgan raid appropriation bill, [H. R. 119,] the question being on the engrossment.
Mr. DUNN proposed to amend by adding a section to provide that none of the claims and accounts, the payment of which are provided for, shall be assignable, etc,; and declaring that before the Auditor shall issue his warrant for any such payment, the claimant shall file his affidavit, stating that he has not assigned, or sold, or in any manner disposed of, his claim or any part of it, etc.
Mr. DAVIS, of Floyd, as a friend of the bill, said that he would offer no opposition to the amendment; and it was adopted by unanimous consent.
Mr. GORDON opposed the bill. His chief objection was, that when the State of Indiana shall once open the door for the allowance of these claims, there will be no end to the claims that will come up for allowances of this character. The State of Ohio had allowed but half the amount of these claims in that State; and so far as he saw, the claims for losses by loyal persons in all the Southern States were just as good as these as against the State of Indiana. He spoke at some length, alleging the -disloyalty of some of these claimants.
Mr. PIERCE, of Porter, supported the bill, and therein he believed that he represented the feeling of the people of the northern part of the State. He regarded the bill as simply a measure of justice.
Mr. DAVIS, of Floyd, replied to the objections submitted by Mr. Gordon. As to the allegation that some were disloyal in the southern part of the State, that was no good objection to the bill; for we were cursed with bad men in all parts of the State. The loyal people have a right to the He referred to page: 184[View Page 184] the commission authorized by the Legislature to investigate these claims; its impartial and intelligent character; its favorable recommendation, and the Executive recommendations for the allowance of these claims. He suggested, also, the fact that many of these claimants were utterly despoiled and ruined by the raiding enemy; and that they had already waited too long for the State's indemnification. With reference to the reimbursement of the State by the General Government for what she may do in this direction, he stated that the State of Ohio has been reimbursed for the part of these claims which she has paid. He believed that the State would be reimbursed, but, whether or not, the justice of the claims remained, and in his mind the case rested on the question of justice alone. Most of these claimants were in the field, in the front of the strife, when they sustained their losses, and many of them are the heirs of those who fell. When he had concluded-
Mr. OVERMYER proposed to amend further, by adding a provision requiring the claimant to takfe a test oath of antecedent and future loyalty (commonly called "the ironclad") which was rejected.
The question recurring on ordering the engrossment and third reading of the bill-
Mr. DAVIS, of Floyd, demanded the previous question, and thereunder, the bill was ordered to be engrossed-yeas 70, nays 16.
The bill was then read the third time, and the vote on the final reading resulted-yeas 52, nays 41-as follows:
YEAS-Messrs. Baker, Barnett, Barritt, Bates, Bowen, Calvert, Carnahan, Chapman, Coffroth, Cory, Davis of Floyd, Dittemore, Dunn, Fuller, Gilham, Hamilton, Hutchings, Hutson, Hyatt, Johnson of Parke, Kercheval, Lawler, Lamborn, Logan, Long, McBride, McDonald, McGregor, Miller, Mitchell, Monroe, Neff, Odell, Osborn, Overmyer, Palmer, Pierce of Porter, Pierce of Vigo, Ratliff, Shoaff, Shoemaker, Sleeth, Stewart of Ohio, gunman, Tebbs, Welborn Wile, Williams of Knox, Williams of gt. Joseph, Wilson, Zenor, and Mr. Speaker-52.
NAYS-Messrs. Addison, Admire, Beatty, Beeler, Bobo, Britton, Breckinridge, Cave, Cotton, Cox, Davidson, Davis of Elkhart, Fairchild, Field of Lagrange, Furnas, Gordon, Greene, Hall, Higbee, Higgins, Johnson of Marshall, Jump, Mason, Millekan, Jetties, Mock, Montgomery, Ruddell, Sabin, Skidmore Smith, Stanton, Stephenson, Stewart of Rush, Taber, Underwood, Vardeman, Vater, Wildman, Williams of Hamilton and Williams of Union-41.
Mr. OSBORN submitted the following, which was adopted by unanimous consent;
Resolved, by the House(the Senate concurring)That the Adjutant General of the State be, and he is hereby directed to file in the proper form, the claim of the State of Indiana against the General Government, before the Government Commission, now in session at Indianapolis, for the amount assumed by her in paying the losses to the citizens of the State by reason of the Morgan raid, and to use all proper means to secure its early allowance and adjustment by said Commission.
