Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-01-22

ana most distinguished heroes man who
exalted your national character, by the SPLEEN
dor of his victories and valor, and added To
your arms imperishabe honor Let gen
tlenen cast back their eye TO the history of
the past war. Do they forget the difficulties
under which II commenced, aud the disasters
which befrl us Reused from long peace
OF thirty years, most al our revolutionary he.
roes gone, without officers of experience, with.
out military SCIENCE or military establishments,
u dark gloom pervaded the Uniou-it was the
American navy, (Glled with our gallant and
hardy sons Of ocean, who first broke the
gloom, and raised Ia It's highest pitch the en-
husidSm of the naiinn. Do gentlemen for
get how sool they proved To the enemy, that
her soldiers Were not invinicble, nor her
wooden walls invulnerable Even England
was forced to acknowledge their superiority,
and Europe stood conioun,ed. The battle of
Lake Erie WAS then hailed as victory, glo-
rious and unparalleled in the history of nations.
In IFS consequences it was almost unexampled.
Ii swept from the enemy the labors Of half a
century, and destroyed the " hole of her naval
power upon the Lakes, (which rendered her
in that quarter invunerabrl and enabled her
TO WELD, with powerful effect, the arm of the
ruthless savage. Ii was Perry who achieved
TINS victory, il WAS his valOr which has render
ed Lake Erie a monument Of American glory,
bile in every quarter of the world. And now,
when the mother of this gallant chieftain, (by
whom she was supported comes and demands
from the representatives ofthat country whom
he has thus honOred, bread, we are told to
give her stone. Economy and pulley too,
we are told, require il, and the people expect
1t. Sir, said air. ). this is a SANDER upon the
nation Let those who oppose this hill, go
back TO their constituents and tell them what
| they have done that they turned from their
door, IN the evening Of long life, the aged
and venerable mother of the gallant Perry,
and doomed her To the charity of the world
and II their conduct is not reproached | can
only say, that the people whom they represent
are wholly unlike the generous and high-mind-
ed and honorable freem-n whom / have the
honor and pleasure To represent on this floor.
Sir, said MIR. ). call upon the House to pause,
IN the vote they are about to give conjure
gentlemen, by every motive which can bind
them To correct discharge of duty-for the
honor of the nation and its Justice, not to re-
Ject this application TO let their mistaken no.
tons of cold calculating policy perish in the
biaZe OF more generous and better feeling, and,
by unanmity. afford some comfort and con-
ISOLATION Ia the wrPtched parent of this gallant
chief, and pourin her agonized bosom the
balm of a nations gratitude.
| Dir. CLAY 1.-THE Speaker said, he regretted
extremely that the views which he entertained
of this sub; ect were such as would not allow
MN 10 accord with the gentlemen who sup
ported the bill. III il were question merely
offeeng he should probably accompany his
assent to ii with those eulogiums so eloquent
y bestowed upon the Victor of Lake Erie,
and so justly meried. If the amount of money
which the bill proposed To disburse was the only
objection TO it, he should not have offered any
| N INttt. N 81. r.
biiagainst which he protested and he conjured
gentlemen, before they gave their assent to
this bill, to pause, lest, under the influence Of
the bursts of eloguence which had been heard
to-day, they should be instrumental in es-
tablishing principle which he believed to be
pregnant with infinite mischief. The princi
pie of the present system of pensions is, that
for the support of him who is disabled by
wounds, or the family of him who falls in
battle, provision shall be made from the
Treasury. Commodore Perry neither fell,
nor was he wounded, in battle. In the case
of his wife and children, then, there had been
already departure from the principle of our
pension list, and now still further departure
from II was proposed, in order TO provide for
another relative of the same officer. Mr.. Clay
called upon gentlemen not TO suffer them
selves to be led away from the true view of
this question, by the seductive illusions of
military or naval glory. Was there no service
but the military or naval? Was there no in
stance In cirit service, of meritorious indiyi-
duals dying whilst in the public employ, and
leaving families, pining in want and over
whelmed in distress Mr.. G.. here alluded TO
the case Of distinguished individual, (Mr.
GERRY, it is supposedly who, not many years
ago, holding high civil office, died literally in
the discharge of his public duty, far advanced
IN years, and leaving destitute family. That
case, said he, is we'll remembered and do we
| not all know that every species of relief or
| compensation was refused 10 his afflicted
family? Mr. G.. asked gentlemen to regard
all services with an equal eye, and not make
unjust Determinations. And, on the score Of
gratitude, he asked, is there to be no limit TO
the operation of that feeling on the public
counsels What, he asked further, is the
basis Of our present pension list ? Gratitude.
What is the basis upon which, in other coun-
tries, aristocracies are erected, and titles and
honors sIOwered on individuals, to be trans
rDtted down to their remOtest posterity, but
the same principle Mr.. G.. said he should
not, however, have risen, but for some general
observations on this subject, which had fallen
from the gentleman from South Carolina, on
national glory. If you wish TO make your
country iustrious, said MIR. G.. you must
diGuse your glory. II is not your heroes-God
knows we have bad enough of them within
the last twenty years every man now IS
hero-it is not your heroes, but the body Of
the people, the men who fight your battles,
to whom you are indebted for your safety and
your eminence as a nation But the gentle
man from South Carolina, talking of the
soldiers, says they fight for pay only, whilst
their commanders fight for glory. Is this the
case Look, sir. at the battle Of New Orleans,
rendered more familiar to our memory by the