Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-01-14

| The Office Of this House 10 become an in
iormer TO bring any officer before d court
martial. MIR. NJ. said, he therefore wish
ed To cOiIe at lis object rs a course ana-
| iusousi IN The practice OF The country from
Which we have borrowed most Of our in
siiu'ions: IL course pointed out, indeed,
! by tie constitution itself. He wished To
institute an enquiry Whether the Army
! MAS such one as NE ought 10 sustain :;
Whether HE establishments, MAS such, thar.
IN some branch OF oihcroi il, i, could not
bepr"pcr, reduced. For this PURPOSE,
he desired il,ai This bill shoult be post
poned and, so far from necessity for
| eNpcdI:ion Tor passing II, The contrary
Was demonstrated by tle Fact, stated ny
ihr Chairman ot the committee az VANS
! ani Means, of SURPRISES existing of the
lasi iears appropriation. Why then las
len a decision on IL Are all umr pro-
ceedings. said Mr.. NJ. TO he conducted
IN THIS Nay Are We 10 listen, from ia,
To- dai--iisicn Nay, are To look on with
iis'iess indifference, Whilst, day after day,
isic Speaker and Clerk a:Iiudicaic private
cidinls, and liten, unexpectedly, 10 he
pee lr,,aicd INTO committee OF The " hole
! on Important questions, Which. but cor a
sort az legislative lcgerlcnain, that OF
roNpon'ug the orders OF The day would
''t !!"NS presented themselves, III rue or
ncr OF business, for 'many day TO come?
his, hC sand, Vas Tie Second time bc iad
wiisessed, ~ this House, tins mode Of
arriving al particular bill and the first
time he bad srCn il, al The last session.
vas also TO bring up the army hill. II
lie military year So ended as Ia require
Ilc appropriation bill 10 pass before The
iirsi day of January, or the operations and
pay of the army Ia be suspended, this
was another difficulty wlicl, required al
fcnIion--and The military year should be
30 arranged by law rs mol To begin on The
iIrI of January, but, Oh the fourth al
March IN each year, that the amount of
appropriation might be duly adapted 10
the measures ol the session affecting the
army exp ndi,urc. The questions pre-
scented, and 10 be presented 10 the house,
were worth deliberaiion. al thus mo
inent, when not whisper Of party spirit
was heard; when all parties united IN
singing iIosannas 10 -ihe present admins
tiallom, should he not be allowed, though
!ie Should stand alone in the course lie
proposed 10 pursue, an opportunity OF
expressing his views? II gentlemen were
prepared To pronounce their opinion II
they were wiling to receive, as SaliSfa,-
tory 10 their miI. Is, Tie state paper re-
Gently transmitted 10 The house, which
hal been pronounced TO contain 81 c,ni-
piete Justification Of Tie proceedings in
Florlda-a State paper covered Niih TOW
erS, but With tiowerS that sCeuted oil blood
he hoped he should DC allow ed HE OPP
portuuiiy Of shelving ,lIe reasons wi Y he
did not subscribe To that oiIuiom. He
Was moi prepared, he dosirrd II to be un-
derstood, Ia reduce The army ; no, man
Of them. lie had, for some days, had a
resolution in his pocket, which lie had
no, pressed on the house, because he
though, the proper time fer il bad not ar.
rNcd-ihe object of Which. naS 10 shem
that the army could he so employed as 10
AID IN the very obj Ct oiinternai improve
meni, WHICH had been this moiniug HE
| subject of discussion. The object OF
This resolution, Mr.. nj. stated: il was the
same motion which, he introduced, after
The close of The drhaio, this day, and
| which vas agreed io.l He said, we had
| not IN The army a man too mang and tlie
| proposition he bad announced his nten-
| ton 10 MIKE, To reduce the number of
! Major Generals, sprung exclusively from
the view which he took of recent occur
rences on The Southern border.
| Mr.. WILLIAMS, o! North Carolina, al
ter showing that the army wouid mol be
| dsbsnded, nor even sleranged in any
manner by a lew days delay of Tie all
nuai appropriation for lis support, de
| manGed al gentlemen, wiit re Was The ur-
! gent, the Inperious necessity which they
seemed To suppose existed Tor passing
| Tins ball al the present momcnt9 He
| trusted that The assembled wisdom of this
ration would proceed with greater eau.
lion thai the House should knou dis
linctly for what ;'urpeses IL appropriated
The public money. The gentleman from
| Virginia was eulir,ly satisfied as 10 the
vote lie should give on this bill IL he is
| (said Dir. W.) am not. | had The honor
oivoling with tie gentleman on The ques.
ton Of internal Improvement at the last
session, on which association with him
congratulate myself. bad doubts Of the
constltuionaIily of The power We were
called upon 10 exercise, and, when | have
doubts Oh any such qu sii,n, had rather
err on ,l'e safe SIDE Of II. would al all
times abstain irom any act, Of the corr
rsclDrss OF which was not clearly salts
| fled. Is the gentleman fully convinced,
| that, i'll voting for " The pay of the army"
he votes for nothing more? Has he not
| reason TO believe HAT he votes for some
thing else? Unquesiiouably he has. Shall
| Congress Veie money in the contingent
fund for an unconstitutional purpose p
| For such purpose, there is M more rieht
to take money iromthe contingent fund.
than from The appropriation for subsis-
teDce or for forage. The gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. TrmbIe) had said, that
The contingent fund was placed at tie
discretion of the head Of the government.
But il. said Mr.. w. from Tie contingent
fund, the head ola department pays mo-
ney improperly or uncoDsiituiionally, we
must hold our hands. Mr.. w. did not
subscribe TO this doctrine OF discretion
and rresponsibiliy on The part of the Ex-
| f.