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

;no like number from Kentucky, be made 80 "h.
Grave accusation against the Executive: The sao.
may have Judged unwisely, and the Presden, nv,
RESPONSIBLE; but it as light responsibility :,
President bore. Unfortunately, number Of The i.
belonging to these men were lost, and the Gove,r
had TO pay for them; but this could not have besa
seen. All this might have been an error in md
thouqh he (Ar. b believed it was not; sui !, ~
never be converted into subject Of serlou, i
soa;nst the President, or prove that he had be-,
Of .ytrayarance. In attempting to magnify MI,
portance so small matter, the Senator from Ken.
| had unconsciously bestowed one Of the hgAe., ~
ments which he could pay to the economy Of the i,
nistration.
| In regard to the provisions conveyed 10 the e..
kee country. we know there was not only dan,
a war with this powerful tribe OF Indians, but H.,
incipient war then already existed Blood had
been shed, according to his best recollection NJ
whole neiahbornc country was in commolion. AM Il
people of the surrounding States were terri:s3 i
alarmed. Under such circumstances, was !, n, i
duty of the Administration to collect troops for pa >.
fence of the country and the removal OF the In =
And he asked the honorable Senator if these n,
had not ended in peace; if war mad been t4e =,
| and an army had been collected there without j..
sions might not the Administration, with gIea; !,
have been attacked for their inproriccncc In ~
event they would have been guilty Of a crn,ri :.
LECTION of duty, not only against tie army and y.
ME Of The States where the Indians were oc4,er
against the whole people of the United States
vet the burden Of the Senator charge against ,s
ministraon, is for doing an act which, II they h.
done. niylt have resulted in disastrous corscoerr
TO the whole country, in case the threatened ~,
not been avoided Il became, therefore, at.5i
INDISPENSABLE to collect these provisions 10. the 81
encc OF the army; and It was only because, III,
the mercy Of a wise and overriding lroridrac.
Their Indian war had been averted from the pei.
GEORGIA and the surrounding States, that lhis TN
ton could possibly have been converted mo Il.
Of ex,raragan against the Adnnstrati1n I
then can be Justly blamed There were The Pros,
and we ought to be thankful that they were n,
rendered necessary We had peace instead Of vi.
By the early DISMISSAL Of tie troops, all Of these ).
sions could not be consumed Now ne, 3lr i -,
from no responsibility on this occasion lie a.
that the Administration were responsible for the
If General Scott. a gentleman for whom be enter.
the IN chest regard and esteem. That General ~
but b.s duty as commander of the forces, III oica-
these provisions, which he could not use, TO le s
Indeed he could not have acted otherwise.
But the Senator had lniimated that this sale ".
fairly made and that gold and silver being requ.r,
payment the purchasers were Government ag"nt
bought in the provisions alta low rate, with Gov'na
money! for their own private emoiunent. u ~ '
true. every one of these officers ought TO b.
dismissed II was heavy charge, and the Seaat,
not pretend 10 know any thing about IT. exc"
newspaper rumors, wLi.h were certainty not m I
authentic sources d. information lie, Dir . ,iainc
that some of these provisions were camageG aud u
learned from the most uthsntc source, that Ro.s
not purchase provisions from the contractors = b.
price though lie might have used them al :antag"or
in removing the Indians. 1t is much more p-opao"
the distance Of these provisions from any point aGC
they could have been sold for their value, ana he
guent cost Transportation TO such place, togc.ry
the persablc of some Of them, were IL rcas
why they did not command 4 greater price, l!lan
the dsbGrsn1 officers OF the Government Id :
guilty Of any fraudulent conduct lhs, ttca,
among the Sins d. extravaganza CHARGE aEa,rs;
Van Buren,, although he knew nothing about 4 /
long after It took place Happy, indeed, would y"
fate Of the succeeding Administration, Il ~ IT,.
charge could he made against them al the end :: /
term OF service.
\ few words more in regard 10 tie FLORIDA j.
When Congress omitted 10 provide regular iFJs.
the defence of Florida, what was the only a;c,a-'
left; Did not this omission necessarily devote &.
the President the duty of calling out the m,hii
that purpose under the Constitution and exis,n. r
The neglect OF Congress to raise the force require.
the Secretary of War, did no, prohibit HIM i.oia al.
ing himself of the militia but on the contrary, t,Et
ed 4 resort TO them imperatire!y necessary. lhe 81
l,ta law still remained IN full force; and 10 tt.: Il
that alone, could he recur for the defence q; .o
MIR Crittcnden here inquired whether Rrsal-,
Ge ncra! Read was not officer Of the L :. !i,ts
Mr.. BUCHANAN SAID certainly not. In i!s 4 4.
order, 10 which the Senator had himself referee
had styled himself Brigadier- General Of tie I.
Brigade. lie was not an officer Of the United :.
Army; but Of the Florida militia; and he (Nif
derstood they had been called into service uaccF ",
thorlty Of orr existing militia laws. And "lat 4
could the Secretary have done under the clrcums
ces: What else would the Senator from kenteo'
himself have done had he been Secretary u W
Would he have abandoned Florida whs. Florida
bleeding at every pore Would he have sad, :"
mandcd mounted regiment Of regular troops abd
grcss refused to grant IT. and because they F.is,.
shall not order tile militia into service, notwsah-
the existing law renders this my duty. Let To- =.
shed in Florida be upon the head of Congress. 40
nocent.' No, there was not man III Amenrt q
would not have reco:lrd from such reasoning, ana !.
sooner more rcpulsyely than the honorable -
himself.
And yet with all his eoqucnce and ingenuity,
what had he finally been driven: To read an 'Af'
from newspaper, the name Of which he hlc 7.
thought proper 10 give US for the purpose Of e1ci.f
laugh and a sheer in the Senate Of the United So
All this sat the expense Of Uncle Sam; tct ST
information derived from the Department i's,i!. 1
could the gentleman, that these militia ;nit
did not as the paper alleged, receive Sle, hu' m;'
per mnnth-the pay OF u. ). infantry soldiers. and
too, without either bounty, clothing, Of raions )
Heaven forbid. that the time may ever arI'". ~
country, when Senators should seriously autni
crmnatc any Administration on this floor ~ p;t
here the tltte-at!e Of newspaper, Whist thcs !.
obtain the information desired III authentic aa.
clal form from tie proper Department. liow Ga'
sary well as unJ ust was II 70 attempt 10 prove
officer 81 the Government guilty Of misconduct,
paper statements, when, upon the motion II IT,.
Der, the power Ct the Senate would at any itEe 4.
crted 10 prove him guilty, guilty he wer'. y ~
documents authenticated under his own hand'
yet this the course which the honorable -.
had thought proper 10 pursue.
But, says the Senator, how could these Two Ae9a'
militia infantry have raised a crop cora ictHe'a \
last adjournment Of Congress III July al iic pf''
time: But had he not informed The Senator ihai y
the question was depending before Congress 50.
mounted men should be raised for the dcieEc" i!
rlda, the Governor Of that Territory, kno".a-
the expense would eventually fall upon the ''p.'
ment Of the United States, had called these n.rh
service before our adjournment, and under u" 800
rvs advice he had adopted the policy previously la
ed 10 encourage the raising Of provisions tn t' III
II the gentleman thought proper, al any tme y +
Tor authentic information on this subject, I YOU
furnished him most cheeriully by The Department
| These then, the items Of extravaganza 7"
which the retiring Administration we're ca.t!rt, \
this was the indictment preferred against them. Z.
branch min,s are still contlnued and the to, ~.
condemned because, torsooth, he does not abo.',.
f.U.ft