Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1808-02-27
CONGRESS.
HOUSE OF, REPR EsEN TIvES s
DE.B.ATE
4yrnsEsp AZ, February II.
"a TIE Bill far increasing t6e Maatdry sa'
Establishment of the United St0tes'

The s;rst section of this bill provides that
Tie nres;;de,f OF the United States saali De
auSboTises,, IN, addition to the present peace
establishment, to raise one regiment OF III
fan,ry. one battalion Of cayalrys and one pat
te.,;s,,. of rilemsn. fhe I'd section provides
taat the president be authorised II all cases
81 iranipent danger, whensin els oplnisn the
<lsfenccSor safety of thcsU. States shall re-.
.,,,,re 4. toinerease the number ot mel IN
each con, pany OF Infantry on the peace estao-5
~, .;,,,,ert afS the United States to- 90.
Tie third section provides Ter the .p c1oatn-
s-ih.r tie caysiry and riasinen,
The fourth and last section provides tnat
the troops shall receive the same pay as a.
lowed 10 those now in service.
Ma. CSANpLER said he would can the al
ten,ian CT the house to one slasie cifeun-
stance. If they passed this bill, besides rals-
ing these regiments, they AUTHORISED the pre-
,it.,nt at his discretion TO raise an addluonai
y nunlero Of 1888 men by increasing the num- M
Der of men in each company now IN SERVICES
ID 90 men He tliS! not wish to leave thss
discretion with the president. He was him.
self opposed 10 adding any men TO the peace
establishment. IF the emergency requires
an additional number of men he weulo RAISE
them, but not on the permanent eseSoiis''-
nlent. He therefore moved to strike OUT Tue
second section, to take the sense OF the
house ca giving the president a discretionary
power to add to the peace establishment.
Nm. FISK said they had been IN session a
:yono Anne. and done but little towards the
Z n,,s58se for which they were called together
The season was now approaching @iiei INC
ships Of war Of a nation VITA whom We were
but one remove from war could ride Wi'h sac
ty in our waters, get possession OF o9i ''a'-
borss and seize eur ships, and mere t''cy S'.t
], quiet as though no danger existed. IN 'e.ai7
ton TO this he aFas very far from oelcYlis55
thstthe cnlerprize which few months ago
had agitatedthe western country was qu,cs-
from those -conspirators now as bet5rv s,-sy
were detected. Gentlemen tell us, said Mr.,
F. that they are Wiling to take measures II
Z ii should be necessary, but still oppose theTas
when they are presented Let us not REMAIN
{ inactive, quiet spectators, but take such mea-
sures as are proposed. My constituents form
5 a part Of the inhabitants OF oar frontier, We.
do not fear to meet an enemy, but suffer US
: to be prepared and ready to meet them. ihe
gentleman says that the bill IS obleetionaoie
because it authorizes the president to increase
the military peace establishment. 1 here rs
certainly no more danger in this than In au-
thorizins him to call oct 100000 militia; ana
! believe the gentleman was an advocate Tor
that law, who is s.ow afraid OF one or Two
& thousand men, There is no difference ~ that
& ever in the cases; audit IS necessary to give
discretionary power in cases ct emergency
which are within the scope, of probability =
hope therefore the section will not be stricken
. out. In time of peace it would be question
able whetherour present force is sufhcieat, or
that proposed too large; and at least, IN sase
.of emergency, it will add to our present force
two or three thousand men, SO as better to
puard our most exposed pests. : 1t will be I'M
!, paf.sonable, not to say criminal, In the house
!. to re..aiH quiet under present appearances
for We have neither assurance OF peace, ner
evidence which would authorize US TO arrest
our preparations. had rather the bill on
the table for raising a provisional army had
been called up; but as 1t is under the man
agement of a committee who have not csiied
it'ap, hope ills will be acted on.
MIR. 6ssaaci(se SAID nc was willing to taseap
the Bill for the war establishments necessa-
nv and pass it; and would rather do tlas
than add to the military peace establish
nlent.
MIR. V4ruam {Speskerl said they had been
called toeeeiier 10 p;ovlde tor defence, and
What had been done towardsit Ihcy mad
ordered numberof gun-boats and appropn-
stea money for erecting few Sfoftltieatlons'
Thus iar, said he, we have gone, but no lar
tier, Are prospects any better now than they
were when we were called together Any
information that the nation with whom we
are at:variance is rrcre friendly than she was
at the time Congress assemblies II believe
not. Whetherwe have war or not, believe