The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1840-07-02
MR.. VAN BUREN's STANDING
ARMY.

ARMY.
Since the tendency if not the object of
this anti-republican and dangerous scheme
of the administration has been exposed,
the federal or Van Buren, papers are at
tempting to shift the whole odium of the
measure on Mr. Poinsett. But this won't
do. Their intentions are TOO palpable to
pass by Gnnoticed. Mr. Van Buren, is iden-
tilted with the plan, and it's so much in
accordance with his former ac,s, while in
the New York Legislature where he re.
commended that the Militia of that State
should be placed under the immediate con-
troll Of the President thus depriving it Of
one Of its dearest rights, tha. we cannot
but think it emanated from himself and
was his own suggestion TO the Secretary.
Whatever responsibility may be awarded
to the Secretary on this subject, we do
not think the first instance can be shown
where either Of the heads of the Depa.t-
ments have ever submitted report
which was not previously examined and
approved by the President. Every one
must see how much mischief might re-
suit if this were not the case, and de-
cided refusal to carry ont the views of the
President BY either of the members of the
Cabinet would cost that member his
place. All have seen illustrations of this
during the last twelve years. Every one,
then, must see the fatality Of the attempt
to shield Mr. Van Buren, from the respon.
sibility of this Standing Army bust
ness. If any doubt exists about the Pre-
sident's participating in this business, let
them read the following extract from his
last annual message in relation to this SUBJ
ject:-
"The present condition Of the defence
Of our principal scaports and navy yards,
as represented by the accompanying re-
port of the Secretary of War, calls for the
early and serious attention of Congress;
and as connecting itself intimately with
this subject, cannot recommend too
strongly to your attention the plan submit
ted by that officer for the organization of
the militia Of the United States. ''-Mr
Fan Buren's last Annual Message.
But the Gazette, avoiding as usual the
true issue says that the Baltimore Patriot
and Journal Of Commerce approved the
plan. Both these papers were at the time
of this approval. professedly neutral, and
the latter is so TO this day. But suppose
they were not-that they were Wing pa
pers, as the Gazette incorrectly states
them to have been! Does that circum-
stance lessen the odiousness of the meas
ure? 1t will be recollected by many Of
our readers that we published synopsis
of the report as it first appeared in the
Journal Of Commerce and that we then
urged our objections in strong terms
against it.
If we understand the drift Of the editor
Of the Gazette-if his article and his quo
tations ON the subject contain any argu-
ment-it is to saddle this abominable, an
ti-republican, standing army recommen-
dation on the Itnigs! AS laughable and
absurd as this may appear, it is no more
so than several similar vagaries that have
been recently preached by other organs
of that delectable party, styled loco foco.
Why, they even accuse the Wings with
being guilty Of all the extravaganza which
has been proved upon the present admin
istration, when it is well known that the
Wings have been all the time in the mi
nority, and the administration have had
the full exercise Of their combined power
arrayed against them, and could easily de-
feat any measure the Wings might pro-
pose. q
But it will be impossible to shuttle off
the responsibility Of this recommendation
to raise standing army of 100000 men
from the shoulders of Mr. Van Buren,.
Their only chance now will be to make
it appear a very harmless affair, having
in it nothing dangerous TO the Liberties Of
the people, and only an experiment, to
show to those % or % crowned heads,
whom Mr. Van Buren, acknowledges in
his message he has been consulting, what
fine soldiers he could make out of the mi
litia of the United States!
We perceive that the story of the muir
der Of Davis is still going the rounds Of
our Loco Foco exchange papers with the
diabolical statement that he was killed by
the Wings We believe as soon as all
legal restraints are removed pending the
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