Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-02-20

,,e, % enforce The execution Of the treaty. Poli-
cy humanity, economy and the example OF tne ioiua
war all required that sufficient force should DC sen,
into the Cherokee country to overawe the ndans' anu
thus effect their removal without booasDea. Cne y
the most eminent men of our country the hero OF Luh
dys Lane, General ScotD was selected TO command
these forces and am pie Discretionary power was confer
red upon him to carry tie treaty into effect ms ne
70 may in future time become still more Distinguish
ed character, for the race OF military ch:etahs s'
probably, not yet extinct. Under these circunstan-
ces il became necessary for the subsistence
10 collect within the Cherokee country sufficient
quantity Of provisions for the supply OF Tie army lhal
this was their mperat We duty no one can deny.
General Scott executed the high trust conilded 70
him with distinguished fidelity and ability. With the
ax,mne of the Florida war before him, he deemed 1t
necessary TO act with the utmost energy and vgor ana
to concentrate such force would overawe all OPP
nos;t;on ask then, would not the Administration
have becn greatly TO blame had they not collected sui
6cent provisions for the whole force which uenefai
In this crisis John Ross the head chief of the Che
,lees concluded an arrangement with General Scott,
under the sanction of the Secretary oil War, and en-
cared himself TO remove his people 1t was thus rem
daTed unnecessary to employ our troops IN removing
them by force; aud large portion OF these troops "as
mmediaely discharged. a sufficient number, there
for. did net continue in the service to consume all the
reminder of the provisions which had been collected
Were these provisions improperly collected: Was
Il not necessary that the Department should have them
At the point where the army assembled: But large
portion Of this army was soon d'sbanded and IN tins
unforeseen contingency what to be done with the
remainder Of the provisions; There they were in the
midst of the Indian country, where no demand existed
for them and necessity compelled the officer IN com
nand 10 direct them to be sold at auction, Whatever
price they might bring Il is true the bacon and hard
bread were sold al sacrifice; but what else could be
done, The expense Of transporting them to any place
where they might have sold for their value would have
been greater than the difference between that value and
what the Government actually received.
BIT whether the loss great small, The Adm.
nisraton had nothing directly to do with the sale, and
are not therefore, liable to censure Tor tins cause The
provisions were collected by the proper department for
the subsistence Of the army under the Commanding
General, and he acted in strict conformity with his
duty in directing the sale of such OF them as he could
not use The Administration knew nothing of The
matter until after they had been sold, and the
Of the sale were rendered Thus ends the second item
oextravugance alleged by the Senator against the Ad-
mlnstration.
The third specification of extravaganza mainly rests
upon the strange order Of Brgader General Read Of
the Florida militia. OF all the persons have ever
known, the Senator from Kentucky can the most ci-
tectuay turn into rdicue, even that which is not rid-
culous in itself What rare occasion, then, does this
order present for his powers of satire He must esteem
il as precious relic, and therefore shall most certain
ly comply with his request and return il 10 him as soon
as shall have read it to the Senate.
Here Mr. Buchanan read the order as follows:
IIg.pQr,RrEas, FLpRpa BgIcAnE,
.yeoansraie, December l. lso.
hr troops Of Secniay infantry service, Of which Cap
roers company integral portiGn, shall not Al any
ime ordered active duty nor will ever occur during
hr term of service they shall hc ordered 10 march
greater than twenty miles beyond The headquarters Of
their respective companies They viii h. directed 10 remain at
their usual lacc abode expected engage >cnlousy
in the pursuit Of their usual occupations
srisadier General, Florida Brigade.
Captain BroEE, uordariea.'
Ii the Administration could be bel! responsible for
the had taste IN which this order conceived,
should pronounce them guilty at once. But this IS
question not Of tastc but Of extravagant expenditure
and regarded that view, the Senator would iind that
il did not at al establish his proposition
shall then first explain 10 the honorable gentleman
why Brigader General Read, who, ny the by IS an ex-
ccli.n officer told these 10 remain al home, and
attend 10 their business Although II might have
been in better taste not to have embraced such COM
mand in general military order, at least without fur
tcr explanations yet the Senator would himself soon
perceive the propric,y of this injunction
Il will be recocctcd, that at the last session the Sc
cretary of War had called upon Congress TO raise
thousand mounted men for the Florida war, 10 remain
in service during It's continuance, and 10 receive boun
" in land, with the pay and emoluments rs Inc
cavalry Of The T. $ The Senate passed bill for that
PURPOSE increasing the force 10 tteD hundred men,
This bill went TO the House Of Representatives, where
The Committee on Military Affairs approving OF the
policy recommended still further increase from 200
10 1000 men, but the House never reached the mea-
sure and no troops raised for the prosecution
Of the Fordn But did Congress- by this neglect,
intend that Florida should not be defended Was the
design of Congress that the Florida militia should not
he called into service for this purpose: Certainly not
If any thing could be inferred from the neglect Of Con-
rress 10 pass the hill it that Florida should be de-
Tended BY the militia under the existing militia laws
for no Senator suppose that we intended TO give
mp the wives and the children Of It's inhabitants TO Tie
scalping knife Of the savage.
Wills, this b was pending before Congress, the Go
vernon Of Florida in pursuance of act Of the Terrific
toria Legislature, called out into actual service num-
Der Of mounted for the defence OF that Territory
nominay at lis own expense, but which we all Know
from pas experience must eventually be paid by the u
States After the adjournment of Congress without
having passed the bill which have REFEREED the Be-
crctary of War nterposed and ordered out twelve hun
dred mounted men, embracing those thus already III
service from Florida, TO serve IN every part OF the
rory and to pursue the Indians wherever they might
be found, and five hundred infantry militia. And for
what purpose were these five hundred militia to be
emuloyed; They were intended for mere neigh
borhood defence, and, like the mnute-inen OF the
Revolution, to be ready to repel INVASION at
moments warning. They are divided into compa-
MES Of seventy men, and these men cultivate the SOL,
and are spread over the border which divides the sa-
Wages from the peaceful inhabitants They are neither
required nor permitted 10 pursue the enemy more laH
twenty miles from the head quarters Of their resPcc-
tive companies; because, II they WERE u wouiu destroy
the very purpose Of neighborhood defence tor winch
they were called into service and leave the
unprotected 1t is their duty 10 resist sudden incur-
sions of the savages into these settlements ana m
dcrstand that the most happy consequences have iol-
lowed the creation of this force
Now regard TO the expense, which IS the man point
Of this argument, let me assure the Senator mat 'hese
men cost the Government, but oncs'xth OF the cost OF
the same number of cavalry. They merely receive the
pay of infantry, without bounty ra'lons, or clothing.
They are bound 10 raise corn and provisions on the
public lands which they settled and at the same
time be ever ready TO repc The ncursions Of the lndi-
ans When this treaty has been performed they return
TO their peaceful agricultural pursuits What have been
the consequences of this policy Since this system
was last adopted by the Secretary of War, the Govern
mcnt has been able TO purchase provisions at greatly
reduced price These raise not only what IS sum
Gent TO supply their own wants. but considerable sur
plus for sale They settled in the very heart offlo-
rlGa where provisions most wanted for the use oil
the army and the Government thus saves much IN the
cost of transportation. This whole arrangement, IN
stead of atordng any foundation for charge Of extra