The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1826-04-19


districts, he says "these commanders were
specially charged with the defence of their
respective districts. 1t was eDjoined ON them
to watch the movements of the enemy, 10
communicate to the Government, and 10 exc
cute its orders in summoning to the heid, on
menace of invasion, such portions 81 me quo
las Of the militia of each State, within their
respective districts, a. had been provlaeo iot
by ar act Of Congress, and detailed oy .n's
department, as were thought necessary
Now. sir, there was no quota OF militia pfoViu-
ed for BY any act of Congress, at the time Zen
eral Armstrong gave his invitation 10 the
Goyernor-nor had there been any deLaliiEg
orders issued from the Department OF war, 10
organize any quota Of militia. NO sucn oouy
of militia could exist, for there was no act Oh
Congress which authorised it. 1t Is plain MT
Monroe here speaks Of quota organlzeu 10 De
held in readiness to enter the public service
when an occasion should occur for their ser
vices. 1t is also plain that General Dearborn
had power to call for such detached militia,
| and none other; and as no such detachmen'
had. or could have been made unoer any au-
thority of Congress, it is also PLAIN tna' zen
! eral Dearborn could make no demand upon 'he
Governor His requisiton was, therefore,
without authority, and imposed no oohsa.'on
of obe5ience.-lfI am right IN TINS we" o'
the subject, thore could be no wrong IN oisre-
garding the call of Gen. Dearborn: Inns was
nna 6auauar tho ransom offered by the Ike
cntive for his neglect TO comply with General
Dearborn's request. In letter addressed
to the Secretary of War on the 18th of Septem-
Der, 1914, he states, that, pursuant to re-
quest of Gen. Dearborn, he had, in July pre-
1 ceding, detached 100 militia, and placed
them under his command, but such inconven-
fences arose from the measure, that 1t could
not be then repeated. These objections and
inconveniences arose from the following caus-
es; In the first place, with 100 men, making
a battalion of Artillery, and regiment OF In
fantry, Major of Artillery, and It, Col. oil
Infantry, only, were received into the service,
although there were at least three battaions.
In the second place, these troops were, by The
laws of Massachusetts,, organized into COM
panies Of 81 men each, with three officers to a
company. When taken into the service OF
the United States, they were organized INTO
companies of 100 men each, thus dismissing
portion of the platoon officers, and derangins
the whole system. In the third place, they
were placed in forts, and in all instances, as a
committee of this House state, under officers
of the United States of equal grade with the
officers Of the militia. In some Of these forts,
and in some, none at all.-The complaints did,
not arise from being placed under the COM
mand of officers Of the United States of equal
rank, where such officers had an actual bona
6de command OF regular troops, for this was
precedence they were willing to yield but
| they complained Of being placed under officers
who had either only an apology for com
mand, or no command at all. The militia,
sir, have pride and honor and ambition for they
I are composed Of the best blood of this country.
/ When measures are adopted which humble
that pride, which disregard that honor, which
crush that ambition, and declare 10 them that
they are unfit for the service to whichh they
have been called, they have just cause OF
complaint, and will complain discomfort and
dissatisfaction will prevail. These troops
were placed in serI ice where their compile
ment Of officers were denied to them-their
organization was wholly disregarded, and they
! were drawn under officers of the United
States, in a manner which declared, too
| r'vt0 'Vr~eufru uirIlJ 10 CUuuIdrfu.
Degrade soldier, sir, and you destroy his
usefulness. Judge you, sir, then, whether
! these complaints were not just and whether
when The enemy was pressing upon us, and
the country in great alarm and trepidation, it
would have been judicious to repeat measures
the service. The Executive thought it an
wise and imprudent to do it in any cases
where it could be avoided; and this House
will determine, upon full view Of these traus-
actions, whether course was not pursued
which was both strictly correct, and most
conformable to the interests of tie nation.
have now laid all the facts before the House
which occur to my mind as material to the
| n ri i'm md 10 ayUa
taken are correct, the inquiry has gone far
enough. But, as it seems to me, the opin-
ions of the Governor, whether right or wrong,
can have no bearing upon this claim for reim-
bursement, will proceed to show the reasons
of this opinion. The objections TO IFS allow
ance resolve themselves into two heads: LIST,
That the ground assume My the Executive of
the state was dangerous to the Union and,
2dly, Because it impaired the physical strength
OF this government.
Dangerous to the Union Is it dangerous
tothe Union 10 insist upon a fair-a just inter-
probation of the Constitution Is it danger
Gus to the Union to insist that this is govern
nent of limited powers, and cannot exercise
unlimited authority? Is it dangerous to the
Union to insist that these powers are defined
and prescribed by the Constitution God for
bid that an unauthorized exercise of power,
whether from good motives or bad, should
ever be sanctioned within these walls; or that
the right to seek refuge under the Constitu-
ton, when we keep within its provisions,
should be denied.
But it is said that the course pursued by
the Executive impaired the physical force Of
the United States. BY this, it is, suppose,
meant to allege that the Executive possessed
and exercised an authority by which he
threw himself between the two governments,
and prevented the United States from en-
ploying the militia in their service. This ar
gument snpposes the Governor to possess
power which does not appear to be entrusted
TO him. 1t supposcs that he can, at his pleas
ure, withhold the militia from the United