Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-02-24
(DebGfc to he contin,ted.)
MILITARY APPROPRIATION ELL.
THURSDAY. February.

THURSDAY, February, 10.
On motion of Mr.. McLanc, all the previous orders
of the day were suspended and the House went into
committee of the whole, EIr. Taylor, of New York,
in the chair, the bill making appropriations for
the military service of the United States the year
1924. The bill was considercdas reported in blank
and the first blank which is for the pay of the army
and substance of officers, including the pay and
substance of the officers and cadets belonging to
| the Military Academy, at West-Point, was filled
with $694,307 o..
The second blank; for subsistence, was filled with
$269,847.
The third blank, for forage for officers, was filled
| with .S39, log.
The fourth blank, for the recruiting service, was
! filled with S13,400.
The fifth blank, for contingent expenses for the re-
cruiting service, was filed with $4,000.
| The sixth blank, for the Purchasing Department,
was filed with S141,127 50.
In answer to quere of Mr.. Trimblc, the Chair
man of the COMMITTEE ofWays and Means (Mr NC
Lane) replied that in the purchases for the clothing
of the troops preference always given to Anne
rican manufactures, unless where the public inter-
| ests would materially suffer.)
| MI. Trimbe thought this rule ought universally
to prevail. As we were to be called on to at
tend the funeral of ourlittle army, he wished tokno
whether its shroud was to be made of American ma
| nuiacture foreign.
| Mr.. McIane said, that many of our woollen man.
uiactori es were sustained almost entirely by pur-
| chases from the War Department.
The seventh blank, for the purchase of woollens.
during the year 1924. in advance for the wear
| 1926, was filled with $4,000.
Mr.. Cobb made some inquiries RESPECTING this
item, and Mr.. Floyd moved to strike il out but its
proprety was explained and defended by MIR. Nc
Lane, and the motion to strike out was not agreed
to.
The eighth blank, for the Medical and Hospital
| Department, was filled with $4,000
MIR. Cooke moved to strike ii out. Mr. Winnie
replied and advocated its necessity, and the motion
was lost.
The ninth blank, for the quarternaster Generals
Department, was filled with S249,OOO.
he tenth blank, for the Military Academy in
Guiding hospital for cadets and troops two wings TO
be added to the Academy, for the departments of
philosophy and chemistry; double stone house.
for accommodation of two families of professors
laboratory and green house, houses for supern-
tendcnts quarters Office for the Professor of Eng-
ncering cast iron pipes for supplying water; a
modeller, and n plate for diploma for graduates,
was filled with S33,400.
For the purchase of Gridley's farm. 100000.
4 On this sum, and especially one of its compo-
nent items, OF $4,000, for the purchase of farm
adjoining the Academy, Il desultory debate arose.
which occupied the House till after o'clock. The
proprety OF the purchase advocated by .Hessrs.
Craig, Warficld, Ponsctt, Strong, .HcLane Sharpe
Archer, Wood, Mercer, Hamilton and Nc Duffie--.
and opposed by Messrs. Cobb, Buck, Cooke, Sam
ford, Mccoy, and Floyd. Mr.. Cooke proposed an
amendment, making the appropriation for the pur-
chase coDditional LIST. that no more than $4,000
should be given for the land and 3D. that the con-
sent of the state of New York should be the sale
nc former condition prevailed, but the latter, on
motion OF HcDnifle, was stricken out {; and the
whole clause, as amended, was carried, AYES IO7
In support OF this measure, it appeared that n
part OF the small isolated spot which the Acade-
my stands, surrounded on side by deep river,
and on the other by steep and almost inaccessible
mountains) is occupied by a farm, owned by a Mr..
Gridey, on which there stands a tavern but few
hundred yards from the Academy. Every effort
to remove so great nuisance to bring it under
any effcctual restraint, had proved unayaine and
its eitectin countcracting the salutary discipline of
the Establishment, had long bscu source of pain
full regret TO the experimenting officers As the on
~ eiclen remedy, 1t was proposed to buy the land
for the United States, and attach it to the Acado
my; to which a farther nducement operated as If
would afford favorable site for a Hospital and o.
thor Out-buildings. The measure was opposed, n {
unnecessary, and insufficient for the end prouos-
ed. Unnecessary, because the cadets were suppos-
cd TO be in no danger from low and degrading
empa ton as tavern cculd afford if any of them
were disposed to become sots they ought at once to
nc expelled from the Institution. And besides the
discipline of the establishment ought to be sufcen;
to restrain immortality among the students Insult
hclcn because If the whole farm was Iltrcha sed 3,
tavern would be erected little further off, and the
danger as great as ever Besides, there was dali
y communication with Newburgh and New Wind
sor, and also occasionally with New York and
young men disposed to dissipation could not be
checked by putting the means of qualification at q
little greater distance. Other establishments of The
same kind, i'll the south and in the west were situa
ted in the midst of cities populos towns and vet
were in good condition.
TO this it was replied, that the officers on the
spot were the best judges Of the case, and thew were
deeply impressed with indispensable necessity of
f having that tavern put down. They had endca-
yorcd TO effect its suppression by the authority of the
State Legislature of New York, and some bill M,
that subject was before that BODY. Distance
was certainly a most important circumstance in
, measuring the strength of any temptation on The
minds of the young. But the land Mt West Point
sosituatcd thapift this little frmvas held by the
United States, there spot for miles round on
which tavern could possibly be erected. An af-
iectlng appeal was by Mr.. Mercer in behalf of pa
rental anxiety, and youthful accessibility 10 the
approaches of temptation; the warnest cncomiums
were pronounced upon the state Of discirliue and
the system of instruction in the Academy its ORDER
regularity, and exact police. Mr. Poinseit bad vi
sitcd European Military Schools, and pronounced
this to be equal TO any of thcm if not superior
Archer testified with enthusiasm to the same rorf
and wished that the Secretary of War, in selecting
flom Congress Visiting Committee to examine tl,e
Institution, woudalways compose it ofits most de-
clded enemies they needed only one visit to con-
! vert them into its waTrnest advocates.
| Mr.. Wodd valued il as the best substitute for
| standing army, supplying, annually, quota of ac
compishcd military men, capable of organizing the
militia OF the country, and giving immediate cff-
cheney 20 our constitutional defence.