Another member, to wit, Oliver Phelps, from New York, appeared, and took his seat in the House.
Georgia Claims.
The House again went into Committee of the Whole on the Georgia claims.
After reading over the report of the Committee of Claims, which concludes with submitting the following resolution:
Resolved, That three Commissioners be authorized to receive propositions of compromise and settlement, from the several companies or persons having claims to public lands within the present limits of the Mississippi Territory, and finally to adjust and settle the same in such manner as in their opinion will conduce to the interest of the United States: Provided, That in such settlement the Commissioners shall not exceed the limits prescribed by the convention with the State of Georgia.
Mr. Dana moved that the committee rise and report the resolution.
Mr. J. Randolph wished, before the committee rose, that the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Dana) would assign some reasons for the adoption of the resolution. No two things could be more opposite than the prefatory statement made by the Committee of Claims and the resolution which terminated the report. As there were no reasons assigned, he suspected the gentleman had kept them back with a view of surprising the House by their novelty; but he hoped the committee would not agree to the motion, unless some better cause was assigned for its adoption than had hitherto been made known.
Mr. Dana said the Committee of Claims, in the report now before the Committee of the Whole, had confined themselves to a statement of facts derived from the documents referred to them. He conceived it to be the business of the Committee of Claims to investigate the facts, and arrange them in such a manner as to free the House from the labor of detail; they had done this, and the report was a summary of all that passed in review before them. It was left to gentlemen to reason on the case according to their course of reflection. Whether the committee reasoned on the subject well or ill, he did not know that gentlemen were bound to follow them in their conclusion. Indeed, he apprehended that were the reasoning ever so energetic, it would not go to satisfy every gentleman. On a question like the present, he despaired of making it satisfactory to the gentleman who had asked for reasons. He was persuaded that gentleman could not be convinced by any argument the committee might have used, and it was idle to call upon them to perform impossibilities.
The question on the committee’s rising and reporting their agreement to the resolution was put, and carried—yeas 61, nays 50.
The Speaker having resumed the chair, Mr. Varnum reported the foregoing resolution as agreed to.