Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1840-06-15
A PREDICTION vERlFlED-THE ARMY
BILL.

ne II our intelligence from Washington does not 1
leeese US" Aud, sure enough the Army Bill did
ppear n thar nofnne's enquirer
We eagerly turned 10 the editorial columns fine
Enquirer, to ascertain whether Mr. Ponset had,
."ncurently viii the publication Of hs Bill, as
uned The sole responsibility Of this daring atempi
place the militia Of The States under the control
If The federal government, aud TO bring the power
Di that government 10 operate directly upon The
citizens, IN the shape Of military service, fnes and
rhlcanery the President managed TO &c, rid Of
his OREGON of the "PLAN"
Of which thai bill was Tie legitimate off pring But
We were disappointed. The Enquirer, however, tells
''fhe andacous Feds. las II calls the Wmgs)-l
'audacious," in tlis presume, that, even though
there be .SciitoH Lar. they have the crontery.
50 unbeeonlng the subjects of Dcspousm, to
cfiiiclse aud condemn The cunduct ofiher rulers
It lells n', " He may lare something efconsequence
10 lay btl'fe our readers IN neat" Well--lel IT
come From the length Of line which has beenta.
ken 10 PrePare He story, We presume lis coucuctors
ave endeavoted nhai, inmost f,bulous statements
II is found vrrs difficult 10 effect. to preserve the
unity Of lis d Heient parts But il will at once
-
ident ntrerscirhe BIZ. and that he did not intend
10 recommend he PAN, II would not have required
quite so mnchiine 10 exonerate thai officer from
The odlnm with which ths Infamous measure has
justly covered IFS authors. For our own paris how
eyer, We deem Il very inn aeriaI whether tic Pfesi-
dent er,r satc he BjH o. not. lie aid stcHie Plan.
because that plan WAS embodied in a Krron made.
uui In Congress, bur 10 himself He read IL. and Of
course understood What il meant; and that Plan.
as embraced nthar Report is. in some If its leading
features, evn worse than the BiH which he pru-
fesses that he never saw But. if he dad mol see the
Blll, was hIs duty 10 have done s. before he de-
taied thai lie could NOT "uo strongly recommend"
the plan, 81 winch it's The f,prlng. TO sIhe cpn-
sderaiion Of Congress" Tor the cunstuilon saws
hc shall only "recrmmend TO the consideration of
Congress such measures " as he shall indpe ex
ped'en aud necessafy.') 1t was his duly TO have
done SO, because when he reAd the Plan. as con
tanned in lie Report Of The Secretary of War, he
haetc hat II Was 10 be followed mp by = BIZ. en-
bac'ne the details the Secretary IN TIA, very Re.
par' telling hin that lie had already prepared thai
Bill and WAS then ready to submit il to hi.n -
That be should now aUempt 10 escape The iust 70.
sponslbllry Of his delihei ate cond e. shovs IA,
menlabe want Of moral Gfnucss which his ,llus,,o,s
predecessor, in whose steps he pieleuds IN w,u
would have scorned Ia display Behold the Diff.
eh'e when one Of Gen. Jackson's Secrefarle.
les'aedlo perform an acl, the propriery of which
ne Doubted and the effects ofwhlch he dreaded the
hener' babe Inn go on SAYING, II wlllt,ke The ne.
sP"nsib'lily speaking like fearless soldier he
he''ns he was dong right but if erriog willing 10
meet The consequences Ct that error In bis own pe,
son. aud dlsdaIning, like a bastard 10 ,h,ow ,l,o
upon ms snbur Innate. But Mr.. Van Ruren.s Sc
fe'a'' suggests scheme winch Nj. V b. debbe.
rdey reads aud 'sirongly recompen,i.., .,nl ~.
he hears the ihunders Of public indignation. he
'aNes |" ms hec's' declaring, like Macbeth when he
s""' over 'ne oo'y OF toe murdered duncan, with
'"c "''ouy evidence OF his guilt upon III hands,
u non canst not say did it !" Well. if he can
escape by This cowardy subteifuge we are mich de-
oe"ed IA the dscernment uflhe people, ifunc. he
should have dsdalned to resufr toit A gcne,ono
sp"'l would sooner have suffered Wong Than n
cape by such equivncal means His hes, friends
VIII doudtth truth OF any Statement made unde,
sneh c"mStances. His opponents cannot believe
It, n" "ould have respected he boldness which
'e' The responsibility uhch Belongs 10 his position
az all WILDE filed with inexpfessible conlennt a,
ihe sneahing cowardiee which oasis itnpon The
shoulders OF his suballern.
bnf' after all, if Mr.. Poins It is SOLELY responsible
i"f the act, what then Mr.. Van Bntea and his
trends virtual Al nit by these efforts To screen
MN nom the consequences of tins suicidal mca
sure That Il he had seen, before he recon-
mended the BIN. lie would have deserved the
tebnhe OF tho people. IT, then, Mr. Poinselt Is
responsible, he, too, deserves to be punished: bnt
no" slI'll he be punished The tenn reSponsibjHfg
cares "'th an idea that thrre IS tribunal before
"h'1h defence Is 10 be made. ard which is 10 de-
'e'nlne upon The character oi the acl, aud which,
II 1t be condemned, has the right and the power 10
punish he author oft. lsthere any sncb ,,ibn
mai None whhever, except the President him
seh' he Secretary Of War Is the Presidents
oihcer; appointed and removable by him. The peo.
pie cannot reach hlu. Congress cannot arra,po
"'m' Inc Counts caunot touch hun with iudi.
cal process What, then is the inevitable resplt ot
me Presidents new ppsonl II the people woul1
have punished Mr. Van Buren, il he hid not tim,div
s"ronk from all responsibility for the Army Bill is
II noi the Presidents duiy. as the agent of the peo
Pr' aLd the only a-ent 10y which Mr. PoInSeu can
be reached, punish Mr.. Pomsett, II indeed j, he
llue thai Il: dared, without consulirp his sune, =,
l" recommend this bod SCH me upon his own re-.
SP"nsiuHly No Que can doubt this, it seems Ia us
WHO btIeves har the people are sovereign. and ,h,,
la''ns which HEY deserve 10 be r,buhed II, then,