The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1840-07-03
STANDING ARMY IN TIME OF PEACE.

The Eve J. of yesterday has a characteristic re-.
Ply 10 our article, exposing the ptrverSlonS and
conlradi tons of the federal plri2ans IN relation to
N'r. Poinscu plan for the organization of the nl-
itary. We shall, briefly, show wherein. 1t says
.'Thi, morning the Argus de,olcs three or four
of its yaiuble columns to what 1t intends to palm
off as reply to our objections The Argus starts
with the usual assuplion that our opposition to the
report Of he Secretary at War is "gross impo-
81 ion upon the people = but negects to state IN
what pari ular we have misrcp, esentcd snge
provision or probable consequences OF that pan.
We neither offered our article in rcpy TO the
Eve. j., nor charged that its opposition to the re-
port was a gross imposition upon the people, We
had little to do with the Ev. j, Our design was to
expose the imposition and Inconsistency OF the fed
orally plriizns general upon this subject, and cs
p,cinily the circular issued by the federal "eXecu-
i've cUuitteu'' Ut tic luu>u Of nt"tiVc-,
thrown out in great proluslon a week before the
Virginia election, and designed, by papable fraud,
TO be effective IN that cOntest--a fraud Whih rep.
resented the Secretury's annual report and his sub
segment plan of detail :, as identi al, MS having re-.
ccived the cndorsation" of the President, and as
being in fact his pan, when they were well udyis-
ed that the pan Of details, thus denounced by this
parlizan committee, was communicated to the
house on the app ration of the nj ilary committee
four months after the ,cpOH which the President
recommended TO the consideration of congress, aud
had never been seen by him. About all this, the
Ev. J. proceeds vciy much after the fashion of the
hard cder,t at North Bend, II plays literally
Gen. Mum.
Acknowledging to our quotations from several
of the leading opposition journals approving ard
uppauding, in the outset, the Secretary's pla Of
militia organization, the Ev, ]. says
"Bu admitting hl, the Ncw-iork Commerc al
! Advertiser and American did or do now approve
Of this federal scheme for conso dating power in
the hands ofthc President, with what grace eau
the Argus resort TO them TO exc out defence oi
Executive recommendations hose who have
read the liequent phi ipples of Croswell agains.
Col. Stone and Mr Charles Ming, will be surprised
that he should summon those gentlemen to tn
stand TO prove the democracy aud pop iciy of
measures enana,ing from Mr. Van luren :, abinet
The last purpuse for which we quoted the lead.
ing federal or opposition journals, was &" to exc out
u defence of Executive recommendations. 1he,
,rauirc no defence nj our hands. We pointed 10
these quotations to expose the fraud and imposition
Of Fcdcralism--whirh saw nothing 10 condemn and
every thing to approve IN the plan uUfHi The enc =
gelcu OftIc " giAiI eiCrtiO suggested chang"
of front. and then, that which was ''adnrab Z,
"cnightcncd'' and 'wise, became at once mon
sIIons" and detc,tiblc--''ihe germ of Il standing
army" the subyersion Of our republican in
situations - About all this also, the convi; organ
pays zen. Mum
Again, the Eve. ]. :
"'lhe arlilce cfsiulking behind Nr. R'hi'
running commentary upon Sen. Harrison 'rCpo
10 Congress rs chairman Of the committee ou >"
itnry affairs in 1877, &c. will not avail the Argus
f Gen. Harrison report was ever so open TO crit
i,ism. we do not see how that fact cou d ma - III
/ 4 - 4, and, Il r-nll
Mr. Van Buren,. more eNpedient or less obectiona-
bic. We are willing, however, at the proper time
10 enter into any examination Of Gen. Harrison :
recommendations upon the subject. AT present we
desire 10 investigate the one sanctioned by Nr Van
Buren, and now before Congress for consideration. y
The federal journals insist thit NIr. u
il unworthy Of the suiirages ofthr people, because
| he endorsed a certain pan of nj tia organization ::
and in the same breath claim the popular suiragcs
for zen. Harrison and hard cider. We show that
the impuinions upon til pan are gronndcss and
the ALLEGED endorsement ideal but whether ideal or
real. and whether the "p'an'' be siutary or 'non-
sirous," the ''pan%' and propositions of Cen llar-
ri.on, repeatedly and perinaciouSy urged upon
cong es, and the pnbli'. are far more exceptional
in every feature TINT may be cxp'srdto re 'ognise
ssstanding army or TO rontll't with the ron>'ilu
ton. than the traduccd plan of tie i,cr t ~ r
War And this is termed ''sneaking behind r.
pil"hir's running commeniar, upon en- Harrison :
reports" We are not snrp i~'d h the federal
organ delars 'thr discussion Of Gen. II rrson
concentrations upon this subject 10 y more conve-
nipnt sc son. We are not surprised that it dare
not encounter ih'm now or hareaier-dare not
ace them by the side cfwhit they are so read,
| 10 uisrppresent aud ''drnounce." The ''pr per
| time" for tint "dis'n<-on. like the ''eIrly day
for the pub caiion of Col. ioungs report, will new
| err come.
| The Eve. J. il anxious to crow what we think
Of the -erretlry's plan. 1t shall he sraiiicd.-
We think i, has been grossly mi.represented and