Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-01-01
Wrp>rsp,Y. DscEMpEa o.


WEp>EspaY, DECEMBER 9.
The Committee then proceeded In consider the
9Th and 9TH resolutions OF the Executive Committee,
, Mich read as foows:
peesoiced, That the Commissioned Officers of mi
lila companies be on,inatcd to the Executive by a
minority OF their respective companies
Fiesoicrd That the Field Officers of regiments, be
noniiated To the Executive by majority OF he Cou-
mtsioned Officers of their respective companies.
Mr.oTRkzvaN,r said, that as both of these resul,-
tbns had been adopted on his motion, he would take
tfe liberty OF proposing an amendment which he
thought better calculated TO attain the Object he had
/ Y view. He presented it inthe words following:
1 ! Resoircd. THAT emode of appointing militia of
1cers onght to be provided for by law: Irocided,
nevertheless, that no officer below the grade of
Brigader General should be appointed by the G ne
Fal Assembly. self.
\ Mr. L. accompanied the amendmcntsbv atew re
marks IN explanation, going to show tha SEINE change
ln the present mode of appointment desirable,
put that fthe experiment he proposed should on iri-
be found 10 produce worse results than the present
fysiem, the step could be retraces.
II DIR. MAcRAE- moved the following amenlm mt to
That of Mr. TREzvASr.
/ Rcsolred. That The General Officers of the militia
shall be appointed by the Executive, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate, upon the noni:na-
tons of the Field Officers of The militia in such Dis
tricis, and i'll snch manner Shall be prescribed by
law
Itexoirsd That all other officers of thu milf ia shall
be appointed i'll such manner shall be prescribed
bylaw
! Mr.. MAcn,E expressed his concurrence with the
views of the gentleman from Southampton respect
TO the Inferior officers. He thought the present mode
of appointment judging by its results as bad any
that could be dew sc; and, therefore, he WAS willing
20 make the experiment of elective nominations; but.
eNI'c fence, The Only test vi human ii,s u,ons
gilt demonstrate the hitter Ia be even wor. ti,an
the former, lie disposed TO Subec, the whole
matter t" legislative contfol and discretion
miiitarv tlac'icis in Pennsylvania, had resulted in
instance. iii be choice oia Colonel Pluck-,ybil.t
Ilprn h.r that,
Court recommended IONS had sometimes tii,lonorcd
our service. The Constitution of New York, pro
vides frtic election of the inferior officers OF militia
SUIT d, tr!Sg this mode of app ,intncnt it author
ICES the Legislature to substitute any other IN its
diScrc'ion SO thar, upon The whole seemed to b
mast cNpelcnt abolish the present cusi itutioro
restriction, as t" the mode of appointment; and to
Leave it to the Legislature provide such IS crcu,n
stances recommend to its adoption.
AS to 'lr general officers, he a.vertetl to the fch
Importance ii selecting men of the best military qnl-
iicaionS; and he declared lie considered he election
by the General Assembly, ada tied to that end
and as resulting, in practice, III many excep,onalIe
appointments. He claimed to be tef.riner: bur be
thcrs,: he should gn for the % incples that
would Workwel'; he would 'educc them from facts
supplied by history and experiences and he would ar
ply them with view to practical results IIcasked
If IT was no the teid my aud effect of the present
system to c!Oose politicians rather tlun soldiers TO
prefer tivc merit to military cndowmeuts; and tn
make ii the st essential qualifications To attain the
stHtio of Virginia Gene al, THAI he should be a
Member of the Legislature? It, must be so from, tl
nature OF things, and the ordinary workings of human
nature: The ert"rs have on ,urt,Iuitv of making
fair comparison of the pretcn>ions The rival candi
dates and they, III rntor.., readily cid TO the iatlu
cnce OF he esprit du corps, of personal friendship
esteem. ed during their association in NH
lc duty. The Legislature had proved itself to be
wholly incompetent to the due exercise OF this cleo
| tive function, by the appointment of popular mon
Who h'wever aIuiahe and respectable, were not le-
commended by either military service or military IN
I lent, OF men, who MT only had
"Nsver set d squadron in the field
Nor the division OF battle kns:S,
Mcic than Spin.ter,"-
but were incapable of drilling Serguant's Sqnad;
ana, perhaps, had never even held commission. In
thcs smarks. he disclainled any particular allusion
He spoke only OF the general tendency; and he
doubted not, that there had been many honorable cx-
cnptionsl
Bu,le utterly dsapproved of the principle of
ding military service by civil Office and he thought the
converse equally and that civil service ought no,
to be rewarded by military Office lie thought tia,
military men were the best Judges of military merit:
8 that the best depository of the power of nominating
commanders. would be the field officers of Reci
Ten's, who, however deficient many of them must lie
from the want OF experience, will always enbodv the
OF the military talent and spirit of the State The
nominating power ought be lodged in the hands of
those having the best capacity aDd opportunity TO
Judge ut the qualifications OF those recommended fo
Office and he asked whether this function could he
properly performed by the members of the Geaer,l
Assembly who are civilians. and not soldiers and who
have no means OF comparing the pretensons of the
officers from whom in general the selection ought In
be made or other candidates presented for cir choice
Emulation was the soul of soldier; aud the hope. of
promotion the great incentive military energy: and
these he believed would be muci, strongly excited
among our officer, when they knew that their ad
VanceIneht depended upon the estimates formed of
each other from personal observations certain infor
nation, and not upon holding place in the Lepisla-
ture lie proposed to give the Governor and Senate
negative upon the nominations witt, view 10 thu.
correction OF those instances OF erroneous Judgment
or peSonai injustice, which would occur sometimes
wherever the power Of selection might be lodged He
had made the Senate participate In the exercise of
that ncgativeat the instance of others: he was content
To coniidc it 10 The Executive alone; and he boped
tnat those VINO objected to bis plan, merely by
OF the action Of the Senate, would move 10 strike ont
that feature OF IT, Ills plan was rec, amended too
by ITS cosoh'nce with those great and pervatiug prn
c'pies OF our Constitution, which had operated so
happily for more than half century; namely, the d
VISION o Patronage and local nomination for Office
whenever those nominations could be best exercised
upon local knoyledGr. hese princinlcs were as an