The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-06-30

Poa rHs MADlsosIAs.
FoR THE MADlsosIAs.
SECRETARY POINsETT-HIS PLAN OF
"A STANDING ARMY AND HIS NAM
MOTH INSTITUTE.


well the Secretary Of the Navy, has greatly dsap
pointed public expectation They have both been en-
tirely oveaied and are much better fitted for private
than public stations. The Secretary Of War, while
in the House Of Representatives, acquired reputa
known the lover Of the fine arts and connoisseur
Of splendid editions Of books How he became attached
TO Jackson and his principles is yet mystery for
time il is said he entertained sovereign contempt Tor
that parsonage and looked upon him rude and ig
norant soldier only fitted for of bloodshed and
slaughter Mr.. Ponsett has always been itineran in
his propeBsties and his inclination for travelling was
INDUCED by President Adams, who sent him Min
lister 10 Mexico in 1926, with special instructions in re
aton to the boundary line between the United States
and that country. There however his restless spirit
led him TO wander from the sphere of his duties and TO
iniermeddle in the domestic affairs of Mexico. Van
Buren,, then Secretary Of State, commanded to
write to recall hIm before he dsgraced the nation, or
involved il in war Communications were made to
the American Government by that of Mexico, alleging,
the non-commtta Secretary asserted in his letter 10
Mr.. Ponsett " that public opinion has pronounced
against you, in the most general decided, and coneu-
sire manner, in nearly all the States of the Conede-
racythat the public clamor against you has extended
itself TO the public auhortiesto Of education,
and to many who have been heretofore regarded
your friends But however produced the fact is in
disputable that there exists towards you in Mexico
feelings of the hostile and injurious character
and the President regrets TO find in the acts and omis
sons of the Federal Government the most convincing
evidence that those preudices have exered sinister
influence upon ts conduct towards the country which
you representa- According TO the practice fthe last
and present Administration, of rcwarding the man
who was found derelict in duty who had been
thrown aside unworthy by the people, Mr. Poinsett
received after his recall the appointment of Secretary
of War, notwithstanding the injuries his folly
well nigh bringing upon his country. II is thus that
these men have riHed with the interests of the people
by whom they have, by extraordinary inatuaton been
chosen to administer the Government The present
Secretary Of State by his bullying braggadocio and
travagance had also brought the United States the
very verge of with Spain, and the Secretary of
the Navy has, by his hauteur and repulsivc and Of
fensive conduct to the officers of the navy, produced
deep and universal feeling Of disgust among them
But let return to our subject Secretary Poinsett
has always been distinguished light minded and
visionary man--his brain teeming with mpracticablc
schemes and his ambition unconquerable to make
some sort of figure in the world. A favorable oppor
tuny was presented he thought, to acquire dis
tnction statesman and having the vanity TO believe
that his intellect and atainments vastly superior
to those of all his predecessors in the War Department
he selected the organization of the militia subject
suited to the vastness of his powers and calculated if
treated he thought he could treat it, to give perma
nency to his fame The project dgested, with
great deal Of labor and submitted to the scrutiny Of
our distinguished military chief who prcsides
the dcstnes of oppressed and dcluded nation 1t
ccived his cordial appreciation, and strongly re-
commended to Congress for its adoption. The Pres
dent who had fought many battles in defence Of his
.o,,nfrv and who well yersnd in niiiarv tactics
and strategy thought It was the very thng-that no
thing could be BETTER and that he and the worthy Sc
cretary Of War would go down to posterity as the
prooundest statesmen of the age The scheme or pro-
ject, however, found to be rather too strong for
the feelings of the democracy"
The party too much of the standing army.
ere its organization, to give it their support and when
this discovered the President though he had
strongly recommended it to Congress- tried to shun the
responsibility he had incurred, by authorizing his
friends in the Senate, meany and dsgraceully to
sert that it was not the project he had examined
which had been submitted to him by his Secretary of
War; and committee was directed to prepare re-
port on the subject apologzing for its denominations
and t,reny thousand copies of this one sided report
was ordered TO be printed unaccompanied by the Sc
cretarys project thus leaving the people to Judge as
they might, OF the nature of scheme despotic as
any the Emperor Nicholas or Napoleon ever devised
The poor Secretary has been made the scapc goat
and is willing to shelter his master by assuming all
the responsibility and odum of the measure--could
any one be more complaisani and amable But so
barefaced an imposition will not do, He cannot be
permitted thus mcany to skulk behind the agis of his
friend, and stand by with his unmeaning smile while
the Secretary whose plan he both approved and re-
commended, is made the victim. Finding that this
notable project of Secretary Pointsct had reused the
just Indignation of the people, the Loco oco members
Of the House of Representatives felt it expedent to
refer the subject to the Committee on the Militia, and
that committee prepared report, in accordance with
the wishes of the Secretary in which they attempt to
extenuate the cnormity of the scheme, and to point
out its superiority that of Gen Harrison, which
had never been before them, and which was forcibly
dragged into il for the most dcspcabc purpose But
what are we 10 tnlnk OF legislators VINO make them
selves the mere toads of executive officers, and who
instead Of exercising the judgment they possess pre-
pare report trimmed and moulded, and altered to suit
the special views of the Secretary, and if possible to
rescue his character from universal odium and the
party from contempt. Yet this has been DONE and
both reports have had the minute supervision and been
subject to the repeated and careful corrections Of Mr.
Poinsett. For this favor the chairman Of one of the
committees is to be rewarded with the situation Of