Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-12-15

under Tie cloak, III lie might so express
1t, OF prosecuting war against an lndi-
an tribe, "A military officer may, without
the authority Of, Congress. proceed 10
hostiliiics against foreign ration, be-
cause lie took part with Ire indians, il
was established that there was a mode OF
making war with a foreign nation, with
OUT declaring il. With any man OF con-
sideraiion, il must be a matter Of some
CONSEQUENCE, thai a War could be way
cd without the consent of the Reprcsen-
laiives OF The nation. We see at once,
said MIR. G.. that that part Of The constiiu-
ton is rueaiary, and dees mol protect the
nation from being inv o,ved in var without
lis conscnt.---
The SPEAKER here interposed. He
had hoped, he said, at .easi after the gem
leman's concurrence in opinion with the
clair, tina, he would not have gone into
a discussion on this collateral question,
10 which no bounds could be assigned.
MIR. CoBB waved any further remarks
for the present.
Mr. EDWARDS agreed in opinion with
the chair respecting the latitude OF de-
bate, and MAS Wiling to await discio-
sure of all iiieiacis before he made up "a
final decision OH the subject of nvestisa-
ton. But, said he, are we TO be deferred
from inquiry, because, as has been init
mated, the inquiry will involve the ecu
sure of high officer Of The army !? j pro-
test, and always shall, against doctrines
of Than sort. Let il censure him or not.
no matter who IS the officer, shall vote
for inquiry into any public matter, from
which shall not be deferred by the ele-
WALTON of character, or station OF the Of
tcer whose character is to be inquired in
TO. For one, MIR. +. said, he SAW norea-
son Tor rejecting or posiponIng the reso-
iuiion.
Mr.. Taylor said he had been unfor!u-
naiely called out when the resolution was
yesterday introduced but, when he
heard of il, il was with surpriZe-surprlze,
not that the subject was not in itself i'm
poriant, but because ii was already refer
red in the most ample manner. Whatever
was in the Message touching our foreign
concerns, had, at the opening OF the ses-
sion, been referred 10 the committee of TO-
reign relations and twas their business,
he thought, TO have acted OF it, without
coming 10 this house for instructions. Ii
was not very long, he said, that he had
been member Of this house but, short
as was the time, AN injurious practice had
been since then introduced. Al that
time, il was the custom for committees To
examine and report on the subjects refer
red 10 them but now, al the suggesii0r
of any gentleman, instructions were given
10 committees OH subjects already refer
red TO them, and which, without any in
siructions, il would be their business 10
bring before the House. Mr.. Tay ler
went on 10 say, that things were already
in precisely the same STATE before the
| committees, that they would be, were The
resolve 10 pass. He thought the intro
ductIOn of The resolution particularly un-
fortunate, too, as II WAS calculated 10 eX
cite discussion on a subject, vastly i'm
poriant III all its bearings, moi fully before
The House. He hoped the resolution
would be indefinitely postponed. The
foreign committee had their duty assign
ed them: let them discharge II. The mi
lilary committee had also theirs, which
they would no doubt discharge and, IN
the end, he hoped Congress would not fai
10 do theirs.
Mr.. Hopkinson, as a member Of thu
committee OF tCreign relations, hoped III
motion might be indefinitely postponed
that the House might afterwards dispose
OF Tie subject as they chose. As a mem.
| Der OF HE coma,iitee which had unforlu
| uately fallen under The apprehension OF the
gentleman from New York, for what il
| had done and what i, had omitted, Mr.
| Il. said lie took upon limsel! his share oil
| it with all the Submission due 10 the cen
| serial power vested III that honorable gen.
| tIcman.
! Mr.. Rloyd rose merely to say, that, in
moving The poetponement, it as far from
! him 10 desire to avoid investigation, or 10
screen any officer, however high, ii any
| sAn l,a. TOD 10 n,tl,
| wished, when the House came 10 DIS
cusSlon OF this subject, that it should be
| with the aid OF all the lights OF which il
was susceptible.
The question was then taken on indeti-
mite pUsiponement of The resolution, aud
! decided in The affirmative by large ma
iorly.
The House resumed the consideration
of The bill allowing half pay pensions o.
Ave years 10 the widows aud orphans o
those soldiers enlisted for IL months, fol
Is months, and of the militia, who died
with, (onr months after their returs home
of sickness contracted while in service.
On HE question OF ordering the bill &c
be engrossed for third reading, de
bate Of considerable length took place
in which Mcssrs. BayJ0ar, HoIvison, r.
W. Nct5OH, OF Va. johnson OF ny. ano
Comstoca very earnestly advocated The
bill; supporting ii chiefly on the groun,
that il was required not only by humane
~. bat by equal justice, as The objects Il
be relieved by the bin were as much en-
titled 10 relief, as The widows and orphans
OF those who died after their return home
ofwounds received in service that I'll,
expence was inconsiderable, compared
with The object, particularly as much lar
ger sums were iaylshed On objects. o
comparative in>ignilicamce.
The bill was as earnestly opposed by
MeSsrs. Smith, Of Md. Iayior, IorHi
.y,miinS aud LiosyMore, on diiicren
grounds; bat principally ioi Tie reasons
That fle government had already gone ia