Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-06-30
81. I'VE TsI.;ETH

''S - ~ '''s ""t "+T''''
III ,n"it!", rat oH ,fi!.aEy %,Avris.
HE Report 81 air. Secretary FGtna.tt on ogsinIkin.
the militia had been submitted 10 Congress, printed.
published aud circulated for some time through, the
country, before the microscopic eyes of the true Wing
leaders had discovered in it, not the germ OF, but Il full
grown Standing Army. The creative fancy and fertile
imagination Of WIN. c. Rivcs, in looking through the
magnItyinr medium of partizan malignity, first observed
this wonderful phenomenon, and divulged the amazing
discovery to his admiring followers. Great was the
sensation produced in the Wing camp, when tins new
convert /" their faith sounded The alarm, and, true TO
their vocation, the leaders III aud out of Congress, the
lawyers without cases, and the whole tribe "f ~grog-siop
politicians, were snhitten with a holy horror OF the
"StandIng Army The cry is repeated by many from
gross ignorance and stupidity. They know no differ.
cncc between a regjmcUt of mihtn, 0rg@ni-cd, 6rm.d.
r4"tFprd "nd diSciPiinsd ~ rnmp, and 4 regiment OF the
Standing Army of the L.. 5. And yet there IS the
>ame PLAIN and obvious difference between the two, as
there IS between an officer of the Federal Government
and an officer Of The State Goyernnent-thr one BENG
wholly commanded, disciplined aud governed by 9TH
GERS ofthr Federal Government, called Federal Office
holders by the Wligs,D the other being wholly COM
mandcd, disciplined and governed by officers OF hc
>taic To which The regiment belongs. The Standing
Army belongs TO the Government of the United States.
The militia, Oh the other hand, belong To the several
States, whether trained and armed or not, and consti-
tlie The peculiar defence Of the State from winch The
regiment iaay be drawn. The Bill of Rights ofonr own
Stale, winch lays down the fundamental principles of
a free government aud the rights which pertain to free
people, and which has been engraitcd on our ConStilu.
ton as Il chief portion, draws the plainest distinction be-
tween a miIiiG trHincd 10 arms aAd a SaadIHg .irmy.
wil! quote the words OF the 18th section: "That d well
. regulated militia, composed OF the body OF the PEG.
: pie, tr"incd 10 arm$, is the proper, natural and SGt,
: dJcnct eta free Statc-that Standing Armies, III time
g Of pcacc,s should be avoided, as dangerous 10 liberty. ~
Now, defy Wing m%alignity, yes, even MIR. Rlvcs, to
prove That fo'nsett $ plan proposes any thing more than
IA well regulated militia, composed of the body of the
people, trained to arms, : which the Bill of Rights de-.
clares "lIlc proper, natural and safe defence of a free
State" Mr.. Rivrs (s well as the Wing leaders, knows,
that Gen. Washington, Mr.. Jefferson, Mr.. Madison, and
UiViam HeHry inrriSOH, all recommended the "organiz-
mr., a-nIing aud training the militia IN camps, in larre
bodics.' He knows, and they know, that neither OF
til" distinguished men named for Il moment regarded
a wcllirancd and armed militia as constituting a por-
ton of the Standing Army. He knows, and they
know, that II IS imposSibic from the very organI-
Zat!on aud structure of our Government, for any por.
ton Of tie miEta of the several States, ever to be-
come Il portion Of the staHdtng 0rmy of the L. States,
By any plan Of organizing, arnning and training. They
cannot plead ignorance or stupidity as an excuse for
Misrepresentation; but the attempts TO deceive the PEG.
pie on that subject are p~alpablr, direct and wIIinl.
There is not an intelligent man from Maine 10 Florida
ofany party, who does not know The cutlery 10 BE- a
p.iiful, miserable hunhur; and the candid and the no.
norab.c oiall parties should scorn 10 employ such de-
vices.
II is a singular fact, that every recommendation for
vi iliNn INV !dillIi wv IlilIi VI lll' vi pence, ron
General Washington to Mr.. rornsctt's, should have
been rejected by Congress; yet 1t is not surprising
The militia are composed of the body of the people,
who are the constituents Of the members Of Congress,
and each member fears 10 impose upon his constituents
the labor and loss Of time necessary for training
Nothing but the direct necessity OF war will force them
to il: and hence war has always, and ever Will find US
Nothing but the stong prospect Of a war
with England, on account of the disputes about the
Maine Boundary, would have induced The Secretary To
propose, or the President to sanction, The arminr and
training Of 50 large a number. But it should not be
forgotten or overlooked, Mr.. Richie, that Great
Britain has imported tcdrc hoWSand regular troops,
the flower and pick Of her standing army, INTO Canada
during the last twelve months-nor should ii be over
looked, that, including the soldiers recently brought
over, the regular soldiers ofthc British army stationed IN
Canada, in a few days march of the L. States, amount
To twenty FIVE thousand men. To oppose tins large
force Of picked regulars, the Federal Government can.
not detail one thousand men from its standing army,
without too Tar weakening the necessary points of de-
fence. Every person knows, AT the meeting of Con-
rrcSs, that the prospect OF war was most imminent
all men believed 1t inevitable. 1t was only avcrted
hv The prudence, the wisdom and lrmncss OF. the Press.
dent. He was bound by every motive of prudence,
hy the PLAIN dictates OF common sense, by the pressing
rXigrncy Of necessity, To recommend either the tram
Of The militia or an increase of the standing army.
lie IS bound by a constitutional obligation to "recouI-
mend to The consideration of Congress such measures
as he shall Judge necessary and expcdient.' In virtue
OF tins GbllnatiON, be recommended 10 tlIcIT CUnSiunra-I
ton the cxped;ency OF armimg and training 4 portion
Of The militia 10 Il cct the threatened danger Of an IN.
vaSinn lv twenty. five thousand regular soldiers of
Great Britain. Al! concurrcd IN the belief of the dan
res al INVASION; all conctirrcd IN Tie positive know.
ledge, that no part Of our present standing army
could be detached to meet the enemy. If the Pre-
had failed 10 recommend some such plan to
Congress, he would have sErunk from stlc per.
fprinancc Of a clear and positive duty: He would
have been faithlcss to the high duties imposed upon
I., f,,i1,., To tln N hl.v 10 th.I
Constitution. His iirmn"ss IN recommending the dis
ciplinc Of 50 large Il number; the manifestation 10 the
British Government, that he would b. prepared 10 re-
aggression. and ready for war, if the calamity could
not be avrrtrd, in all human probability, contributed
much towards the preservation of peace. To be pre-.
pared Tor war is the best means Of preventing ii. VIII
YOU be pleased, MIR. Richie, to ascertain for the
PLAIN planters of The country, what the Wings want
ed in such an emergency: know many OF them
are FcdrralistS, much the largest part, bu, they sure
" do not d ,Sirc cid John .Adams's Standing Army
AGAIN t., he ioistcd on the country. | sincerely hope
in such a crisis, 10 achieve a diSgraCetul party triumph,
they would not bury their patriotism and adopt Daniel
Wcbstc:'s edo nothing policy, until the British can
non was laundering i'll our ears, aud our capitol again
lad in ashes. What would they have 4 friend
looking over my shoulder whispers, nothing would sa-
iisfy them but the Offices OF government, the l0avcs and
fishes. William Henry Harrison, IN u time of profound
peace, when there was not even i spcck Of war obscur.
Inr the brightness of our political ornament, recon.
HlrudCd lc drHiln9 ana framing 81 iUb,bNu ul the INIT
tia hv camp discipline, for FIVE or SIX weeks each year.
This proportion Of the militia was Just double the pro-
portion recommended 10 be trained by Mr.. Poinsct,:
Because, nj the period of Harrison Report, oar popu.
iaticn, and ot course our militia were bat one-lialf their
present number. Now, here is a larger proportion, a
longer time. and no prospect of 4 war, To justify llar.
plan. He dcnicd, that the Governor Of a State
was a m,liil officer, and proposed that orders to milf.
LA officers should he issued directly to them, and not
through the Goycrnor-which betrayed the grossest
ignorance Of State sovereignty, and the respective ju-
r,sd:ctioms of The State and General Government
Not content with these recommendations, as Chairman
Of a Military Committee of Congress, III l-l7, page
:3J2, NilcS's i}rgistcr) he urged Congress TO form
a Corps Of Military Instructors TO attend every old.
field school in the United States, 10 give the boys
a military education. These military school-mas.
tiers were 10 be separate and distinct from the teach.
ers. and 10 be officers of the Federal Government
Here is i plan from their candidate to create a sufficient
number Of Federal oilice-holdcrs to parade through the
whole United States, and give military instruction TO
the boys IN every school. Think for a moment Of the
absurd and ridiculous picture Of a Federal officer day
by day training a parcel of old field sch"olboys! Be
sides Tins '.corpS of militarv instructors formed Ia at