Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-02-06

roe, as ground tor urging Congress 70 Per
severe in the preparations they were engag-
ed in making. The President must therefore
have deemed-a volunteer force essential for
the contemplated service. And here he OBJ
served, he thought, if this correspondence
with the British envoy, wfich afforded evil
dencc OF " continued hostility" towards ms,
furnished matter Of sufficient importance II
press upon Congress the utility of Fastening
| their measures of preparation, that the O.
Their business of the department. of state
insight have been allowed to repose long e.
| nonSh for reply to have been made to Nv
Foster before nearly 4 month had elapsed
after the date of his letter He did not add
vert to this circumstance from any want Of
respect to the government. He should al
ways treat them witt the highest respect
He should prefer the reduction of the nam
Der of volunteers TO $4,000, rather than the
retention or the so, 600, because it would in
crease the momentum of actual force, and
decrease tho expenses, about which so much
had been said surely, he said, he did not
mean that il would not increase the momcn-
tum of force proposed by the other house,
but that proposed by the executive. The
executive had asked for ten thousand rcgu-
lars and $4,000 volunteers, in all 20, 600 men:
the other house had agreed to give him S.
600. The proposed amendment would there
fore bring the quantum of force down near
ly to the executive requisition. But the bill
proposed force which would be utterly in
efficient, like all other volunteer bills had
been. The returns under the thirty thous-
ard volunteer law, passed two or three years
ago, were so few. that the Secretary Of War
did not register them. He asked, how eff .
ccnt could that species of force be, Of which
the chief magistrate did not think it worth
while 60 have record kept. 1t was onlya
formidable display ofarmys on paper; ten
der of services, which only produced very
handsome replies from the President He
did not ceusure the Secretary of War or the
President, very far from it the defect had
been iii the law. He begged gentlemen to
look seriously AZ the subject; if war should
ensue, it must be serious one. The respon-
sibiiity attached to Congress, of placing an
adequate force in the hands of the executive
for the objects Of the war; but if they pass
ed law which would give the President
only nominal force, totally incompetent to
eject any desirable object, he, for one, should
be unwilling to take any share of responsible
ty upon himself
Mr.. G. said, he had bcenrcproached the other
day with preference ofreguiars 70 volunteers
and volunteers were said to lie more congo
NAL to the constitution than regular aruliee. He
said, that volunteers were not mentioned in the
constitution at ali--thcy had never been recon-
mended By Gen. Washington, and no law had
been passed 10 raise volunteers, until the year
after that great man left the administration.
They were an invention, theory of modern
days. The constitution had authorised armies,
without restriction the only restriction at
least was as TO the time for which appropriate
ons for their support could be made. And
with respect to the assertion, that the consti-
tuition never meant TO sanction the idea of otfen-
siye war, he asked, whether it could for mo-
ment he supposed that the wise trainers of that
instrument were ignorant that Canada and Flo- q
rida existed on our bordersl lie said those
virtuous and patriotic men had too much wis
dom to restrict congress to defensive war. The
idea was absurd--it was one of the fruitful vi
sonary notions of the day. NJ. G. objected to
this bill, because nc feared it was intended to
supersede the army. Before he proceeded to
demonstrate It's iacficicncy, and the impolicy of
short eplistnents, he would notice one or two
circumstances connected with the proceedings
at this session. He knew that the world had
been very busy in ascribing to him motives of
hostility TO the administration. What was the
fact {? The measures which he had advocated
would protect the administration. The time
was coming when its character would be tes-
ted and surely efficient measures for trying
times would best bring its real character 10
light. But the language which had been in
dulgcd in abroad, and here too, was calculated
TO subyert the freedom Of discussion and de-
lIoSTatiOnS IN tniS DOdy. III q legislature were
OF any use at all, twas TO exercise its own udC-
ment, and aid the other functionaries of the 90
vernment, according TO the best result of that
Judgment, formed upon a mature celebration.
Desert the standard Of your own judgment, Mr.
President, and where will you find fidelity in
any other standard You are always certain
that it is faithful but you are not 50 with re-
spect TO the judgment of your friends He Il
disclaimed the idea of subscribing to the infal-
libIlitv OF any man. IL such doctrine can be A.
dopted, it was only necessary for this or that
man to point TO his favorite measures, and they y
must be agreed to, whether right or wrong.
He had always understood the favorite motto of
the republicans to be, B" measures & not men ~
but this doctrine is now inverted. You have on
ly to look at the man. The man himself,
and not the measures, and applaud or condemn
the measures constitutes the test OF their wis
dom lie never would abandon himself TO such
principle and in supporting any measure, he
should fellow the dictates Of his own judgment,
if he stood alone, and were certain of being o. Z,
verwhelmcd by popular clamor. Hs could RELY
upon his own judgment but he conidnc upon
popular opinion, which was rs variable rs the
wind. But although he had thus condemned .
the authority of names, he would shelter him
self under great name on this OCCASION. in
his youthful political DAYS, he did not nov hest
tate TO confess, hs had distrusted Gen. WASH
ington as statesman he had never doubted
lis patriotism, or his talents as a soldier. But
when he had felt want Of confidence in this
great man a statesman, lie had little experi-
cnce ne surrounded BY visionary theories.
But from further experience, further informant ?
on. and further reflection, although nc was not
prepared to subscribe TO al che measures Of that
genteman's administration, hewas fearful that
"take him all IN all, " we never shall see his
like AGAIN" Here Air. G. made various ciun-
r.