Mr. WASHBURN, of Massachusetts. The gentleman is mistaken. We never voted on any hill where a contract was made with the Government, as in the case he refers to. This is no such case. NOcontract was made with the Government. There is no claim that a contract was made with the Government. These were merely agents sent out to rehase hay the same as if the gentleman had lfiliaensent out to purchase bay for the Government and received a commission for doing the business when it was transacted and the hay was delivered. After Lee's surrender, and they had purchased a certain amount of buy, the Government did not need it. Having purchased it, they die posed of it to the best advantage. There is no claim of any contract for the purchase of hay. They went and uirehased the hay, and the bill is merely to allow these individuals the actual loss they have suffered in buying the hay at the price established by the Government. The Governmentestablished the price they should pay, and the commission they should receive. T hey sold the bay to the best advantage, and we report this bill for their relief, to pay them for the lose they sulfered in purchasing this bay. The gentleman charges that members are not able to act on these different bills. Now, when on bill is reported from the committee the gentleman, or any other member of the House, has the privilege of actin on it. The committee reports bill and the gentleman can pose it, and i he can get a majority of the house to agree with him, he can reverse the action of the committee. When the committee shall report adversely on grounds they deem just be can move an amendment to reverse the decision of the committee and pass a favorable proposition. Now, in reference to the committee’s action. If the committee undertook to settle all the claims for damages, even in the loyal States, arising during the last 4 years, we could not pass on one 10th of those now before us. The committee adopted the rule referred to so that, when the storm had passed over and all was clear. we might agree upon some general law for the settlement of all these claims for damages. I repeat, if we undertook to pass on these individual cases and report separate bills, we could not get through with one 10th, perhaps not 100th of them. Hence the committee deemed it best to let all these cases rest for the present and undertake to pass upon the other cases. When they can come to the conclusion what is the best course to be taken by the Government, some general bill may beintroduced covcrin this class of cases. But the committee wished to avoid the dim enlty of examining all those individual cases, which the House can readily see it would be impossible for us to do.