Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-01-08
ALEXANDRIA: =
Friday MORNING, JAN. 8, 1879.
FROM OUR coRREsPoNpENT AT WASHINGTON
Thursday, January z.

oi OPPoSit'oh. Ps"PSiiJ ~ SahCu Ill uis' VIZ
meaning of the word, as it was formerly
understood, thSt has shown itself for some
time. It arose upon the bill reported from
the committee of ways and means, by its
chairman, general Smith, making appro-
priations for the arny for the current year.
Mr.. Smith having moved to postpone all
the other orders OF the day, for the purpose
of getting it under The consideration Of the
house, in committee OF the whole, Mr.. Mer-
Ger rose andopposed it, on the grounds that
report from the committee appointed to
investigate the conduct otour officers in the
Seminole war was expected, on the pro-
mise of its chairman, to be laid before the
house in few days. and that it was desi
rable to have that in view before any appro.
priation was made. On one principal fea-
! ture of that war, he said, he had made up
his mind he had not rested on his pillow
since it first came TO his knowledge, from
the agitation it had occasioned TO him and
he was resolved not to vote for an appro-
3, priatIon of money to the same persons, to
be applied, perhaps, to purposes OF similar
| misuse.-It was his intention also to use
his exertions to have the number of major
generals on the establishment reduced 10
one. TO this general Smith replied, that
he could not perceive any conceivable re-
! lation between the Seminole war and the
appropriation before the house, much less
| any that could form ground for suspend.
! ing the proceedings in Q measure so imme-
diately necessary as appropriating money
for the supply Of the military establishment
No injury, be said, could possibly result
! from proceeding nows.with the bill, and
great Inconvenience bHeht ensue from de.
laying it; while on the other hand no rea-
| sonabIe cause existed for making it await
| the discussion OF the Seminole war. TO
this Mr.. Mercer replied, that congress had
been sitting in the present session two
months; why then was BOT the bill prepared
| before AT all events he was resolIte to
persevere in his opposition TO the bill
Colonel Johnson and Mr.. Floyd spoke in
favor of the motion, and Mr.. Tucker, Mr..
Williams OF N. c. and Mr.. Reed against il
and the result was that Gen. Smith smo-
ton was carried, and the house went into
the committee, Mr.. Nelson in the chair.
1t appears that this bill covered an al
lowance given 10 the soldiers who were en-
ployed in making road OF great impor-
| lance in the state of New York; and as the
constitutionality of making roads remained
| in some respects undecided, advantage was
taken of il to form prctcxt for opposition.
Mr.. Clay therefore expressed a wish TO
know under what head the appropriation
for that purpose was to be charged. Was
the labor and morey of the nation, he ask
ed, to he expended in works, the constitu-
tionality Of which was denied by The execu-
F.; tive who yet exercised the power himself.
! He spoke with disopprobation OF the execu-
tive branch interfering in work that pro-
perly belonged 10 congress alone, and ac-
companied MS u servalions with sneering
f, allusion to magnificent military road con-
templaied, as he unders' ocd, to be made
! TO lake PunChsrtrain, upon which a line Of
stage coaches was 10 be eslablished--a new
kind Of military appara.us.-lt the house
would stand with folded arms and see its
constitutional power thus stripped from it
in making military roads-why be it so I!
What Mr.. Clay most dwelt upon was that
this expenditure for roads did not appear
underany head that he could discover in the
bill. Instead of furnishing the committee
| OF ways and means with the proper docu-
| ments to enable them to judge of the mat
! ter, he observed that few detached parts
Of the documents were sent, not in copy,
| but in the originals, and the reason given
,.was that there were moi sufficient number
OF clerks in the war office TO copy them. On
the subject OF his unfortunate friends in
! South America, whole volumes were copied
ami printed-but on the appropriation of
! large sums of money, mo information could
! be furnished To this Gen. Smith replied
| by very able eulogy and justification of the
secretary, whom he described as The only
person who at the head Of that department
| had ever established and carried into effect
judiciary system of economy and he CO.
ucided in opinion with Colonel Johnson in
saying, that so far from there being any a.
! buse ascribabie to the war department, the