The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-09-11


,ants. Is known to and approved by nm: n
Near the close of the session OF 1910, 'ue
chairman Of the committee on inc iiii,'a' - n ~
House OF Representatives MADE aho'h., 90 -
the Secretary which did not reia,e " 'ne
casionsn where the Presidents acis W. -
question % that is TO say, ne was caiieu =" =
I nIan for a new organization OF the
militia The Secretary responded TO TINS can,
IN, ~ ! renort 10 the House never shown 20 me
President but 10 the President himself, ana
,brongh him TO both Houses, and neither mace
any'other reply 10 this cal, nor ever INTENDED 20
make any other lie was third time called
nnon by the resolution OF the House oil Repre-
san,aryes of The 9th March last, TO which he
renlied by a report to that House. Whether that
renort was shown 10 the President before Il was
sent in is the question AT issue. We have sara
that the Secretary never made any other reply
10 the call of the committee on the militia through
their chairman, than that contained IN his report
10 the President, and did not intend 70 MAKE
any other. His annual report, whlch gaVe 'ne
heads Of his plan for organizing inc ihiii'ia, 'ne
thing called for by the committee, was mace 70
The President. on the 30th November, 1853
Owing 10 The failure of the House OF Repre-
sentatiyes 10 elect a Speaker, the Presidents
Message was net sent TO Cungress until the 2lth
December following and with that message he
transmitted the Secretary's report. The subJecl
was referred in due course, TO the communities
OF the two Houses. i ne committee VI iHc t9N=
nate held it under consideration until the
day of June, when they reported, and no other
information was given to the Senate touching
the plan for organizing the militia than that
contained in the Secretary's report 10 the Presl7
dent The committee Of the House had The
subject before them from the time OF ITS refer.
ence to the 9th day Of March, three months and
nine days after the Secretary had said that he
was prepared to submit plan of the details 10
IL. De-. nd IG
word of information was communicated by the
Secretary, either TO the House OF Representa-
tves or the committee on the militia, IN reply TO
the call made upon him at the close OF the former
session, save that contained in his report To the
President, We have shown that the Secretary
had Didtured his plan at least as early as the
goth Of November. On the 9th of March, the
House passed resolution calling for the details
On the both he furnished them. Why were they
not communicated sooner? Why wait for an
other call, if as the President has said, at was
almost invariably the case In replying to calls
made upon them by either branch of the leglsla
ture, that the heads Of departments act for Con-
gress and not for the President ?' The report
of 30th November answers these questions, and
disproyes the Presidents assertion. That re-
port made TO the President, contains all the in
formation which the Secretary designed for Con
gress touching this matter 1t sets forth the
heads of his plan, and said '''The manner OF
enrolment, the number Of days of service, and
the rate of compensation, ought TO be fixed by
lawn other words, by Congress but the
details had better be subject to regulaton'-in
other words, left TO the Presdent-and con
cludes, a plan of which | am prepared to sub |
init to you.n
As he did not intend that Congress should be
troubled with the details he did not communi-
cate them TO Congress; as he proposed that
every thing necessary to embody, govern, COM
mand and discipline this army OF 100000 men,
should be left to the President, he reserved his
plan of the details necessary to carry out this
notable scheme for the private eye Of the
President. That the plan of the details re
ported to Congress- was not reported in obedi-
ence to the call of the previous session, is prov
en- also by the letter accompanying that Plan
That letter commences thus: Sir, in compli-
ancc with the resolution Of the House of Repre-
sentatives, of the 9th instant, that the Secreta-
nv OF War be requested to communicate his
plan in detail for the organization Of the mill
tia Vi the United States have tho honor TO
submit the following report" So far, then,
from its being true that il is ''almost invariably
the case" that the Secretary replies to call
from . either branch of the legislature" without
submitting his report to the President, . except
only on occasions where his acts are brought in
question:" the contrary practice prevails, as il
most unquestonably should. That replies to
calls for information on mere matters of detail,
or for information which can only be obtained at
the public offices, made and replied TO during
the session, are not in all cases submitted to
the President, we believe; but that reports on
great national interests, for the preparation of
which time Is given from session TO session, are
prepared without the participation OF the Pres-
dent, and communicated 10 Congress without
being ever shown to him, would prove degree
OF delinquency in both the Secretary and the
President, which of itself would justify their
dismissal from office. But that the President
should undertake to give his high sanction and
his strong recommendation 10 plans thus pre-
pared and reported, is not TO be believed The
President then, III the passage Of the letter
which we have quoted, has committed gross
Not in mis-quoting a sentence, by leav-
ing out three words which do not affect the sense
which might have happened BY his own mad
vertence, the carelessness of a copyist, or
of the press; but in the assertion of a fact
Not in the narration OF fact communicated 10
him by another which might have been mis-
conceived, but in fact which rested in, and is
asserted upon ms Olrn fuowicdge. Not in an
unlmportanl collateral matter but upon The
pery question at issue He is contradicted.
not by the mouth Of witness, who may have
forgotten or be mistaken, or testify falsely
but by Tie record. Not by musty record
OF ancient times but by his own record of
no older date than his own three years reign,
commencing. with, and running through it, down
to the goth day OF March, lSiO. Not in SIM
gle instance but in every instance in regard to
which we have any evidence save his own as
sertion If he vouches his Secretary, we have
shown in another place that his recollection has
1nlsead him also, not only in regard TO this mat
ter, but another of equal Importance. II we
were to follow the example set US by his Excel
lency and indulge in language personally often
slve, we might say that charity herself would be
unable to attribute his error to mistake