Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-01-15


c;,pituated the several Indian agencies, and
described their locations. These agencies, he
said, were established by law, the compensa-
ton of the agents was fixed in the same man.
ner, and the Executive had no discretion to
appoint them or not, or in regard to their COM
pensation. Neither had il any authority to
reduce their number, or reduce their compcn-
sation, without authority oflaw. To refuse
this appropriation, he argued, would be to
subject the frontier TO all the horrors of
Indian warfare, and he made glowing APP
peal TO our Western brethren, whose blood
had freely flowed in conflict with the Indians
Ito those whose countrymcn's scalps had
been displayed trophies i'm the states of "A
ncighboring The had almost said ola s;vage)
power, whether it would not be better to
preserve peace with the Indians than to fight
them. Many of the posts among the Indians,
he said, Were in a savage country, where there
were no roads, and it would take some time
TO send supplies tiiere-the consequence Of
which was, that much ofthe expenditure for
the year must be incurred before the gen.
eral appropriation bill could pass. Partial APP
preparations were therefore unavoidable, &c.
MIR. NELSON of Md. opposed the NOTION
In his view the information was not only in
sufficient, but there was really none before the
house ON which they could Understandings
of the public money, without more knowledge
than had hitherto been afforded. He wished
IT to be clearly shcwn in what way the Sccre-
tary of War could vntiicate himself for hav-
ing tansccndcd the appropriation ofthe last
year. He was not disposed To require impos-
sibiliIes ofthat officer, bat if he had substitu-
ted his own discretion for the constitutional
measure of supply, he was altogether indis-
posed to sustain the proceeding.
Mr.. McDuFFIE arose with the view Of ex-
pressing to the House his desire that no infor-
nation might he withheld which any respect
able portion of the House should desire TO
receive. In the remarks which hc had made
The other day, he had said, that il gentlemen
wished for information, and would ask for il
they would unquestonably receive ii. Had
that course been then adopted, as it ought TO
have been, the necessity for this debate would
have been superseded and he had only to
express his surpriZc, how gentlemen could JUS
tty debate 50 lOug on the ground of Il want
of information " hich they could have got, hut
did not ask fer. For himself ne was satisfied
and he believed a great majority oithc House
was but he was DESTROYS that 40 inlorma-
lion should he withheld. When the House
should have received the information he said
he believed that no man, viewing the subject
as II would then he seen, would open his
mouth against the appropriation. We have,
all OF us, already, said hc,incurred heavy re-
sponslbllity by the time which we have con-
sumed in this discussion.
Mr.. FLOYD was always willing 10 encoun-
ter responsibility but he was glad To hear
that the Secretary ofWar was willing TO con-
descend so far as TO impart the Information
which this house should require from him.
He could not say, however, that il would be
valuable In the house after it was obtained :
for, II he had understood The gentleman MIR.
McDucJ the other day, he told us that we
shall not be- able to understand il if it were
obtained. Here Nh. Me ID. rose TO explain
hut the floor was not yielded. Perhaps his
MIR. F's.) mind was so angular that il could
not comprehend the completely of the COM
lnunicatious from the Departments He was
ready TO vote for the appropriation when the
accounts were shewn that could support it
lie had heard no imputatioas upon the Sec
!etary of War, except from those who seem
ed TO consider themselves as his advocates.
Yet it was singular that when Indians and
agents had come from vast distance, and
visited our galleres-when a delegate from
michigan, on our extreme border had
come here in 10 days from Detroit, that the
accounts ofcXpcnditure should require such
a vast length of time in their transmission
The vouchers of the disbursement ought TO
travel with an expedition equal to that of the
drafts FOR the money He would not doubt
that the expenditure had been fair, but he had
right to demand The evidence of it. He
was glad to hear from the friends of the Sc
eretary that the information might he had il
asked for. hu: he felt some degradation that
1T was deemed necessary by gentlemen to give
that assurance where the House had n right
10 demand il. lie had too much confidence
10 The Secretary of War 10 suppose he desired
tn -
doubt the money was expended according ia
the Sccretary's best ideas Of propriety-but
he repeated, he wished TO know how it was
expended, and he would not be satisfied with
out this information.
Mr.. STEVENSON Observed, that although
the Committee had yesterday agreed to rise
and report on his suggestion yet he was dis
posed to waive the right which the politeness
of the house had given him, in favor of the
motion now before that body. The reasons
assigned by the gentleman from Maryland
(Sir Nelson) were sufficient i'm his mind 10
cvincc the expectancy of postponemcnt. He
wished Tor information on the subject, moi
partially, but To IFS full extent. While, on the
one hand, we hear that the conduct of the
distinguished gentleman who fills the Office oil
Secretary of War with so much honor, has
been arraigned, and that his reputation is in
VOWED in the issue of this qurstion--when, on
the other, we are told that it is matter Of eti-
quette-and again when it is said that the
system of policy in the Indian Department is
IN qutsiion-among this discordance of OPT
Mon, il must surely be important to pause and
reflect, and TO obtain all that information on
the subject which il is in our power TO collect
Admitting that il was not important in its be-
ginning, yet it has certainly become so by the
coarse which the discussion has taken, and he
fully agreed with his colleague that it was a
Question mi hnftrnnn O. ,rLi.ntn r,1,,..nrn