The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-06-08
CONGRESSIONAL.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
MAY 10Th, 1912

stance follows:
Mr.. c. said the ques ion, presented by the propo-
sitlon before the committee yesterday, ahu was SUD
staniialy the same still, was whelher W. house
would pr coed 10 reduce the existing Army OF the
United States, or rather associaiing TINS win ,na'
which the House had recently decided, respecting the
Navy Augmentation BIZ the question was, whether
the House would proceed To make great -"dnct'on
of all the deences of the country, 10y land as wen as
by sea He feared that having already acquired a
taste for blood, by deyourlng the Navy, It would he
diicut for members To withstand the influences Of
that taste in appca ion TO the Amy But he felt II
10 DO his duty not only 10 submit certain considera'
ons TO the committee on the SPECIFIC proposition, pu
TO take more general view Of the subject, IN adNo
cacy of all the military delences oil the country, ana
in opposition TO their reduction at this time
la reference 10 the proposition TO reduce Inc Ar
my, it properly suggested yesterday, oy 'he
hartman of the Committee OF Ways ana Means
that such a reduction had not been recommended by
any branch of the Government On the contrary,
The Secretary of War in his report had adopted the
views of the commanding Gene al oflhe Army Of the
United States the subject, and General scout, ~
in his report, had entered fully into the 4ueshoh,
whether or not The condition of the United States al
the present time, would admit reduction OF the
Army, and both of these officers instead OF recon
mendnu reduction of the Army, in fact had come
to the opposite conc uson, that The public interests
REQUIRED an augmentation OF il, from fourteen regi
ments its pr sent force, TO six eeh, as recommended
by General Scott. These views, expressed IN De-
cember last had been confirmed IN the recent com
Inunicaiiun OF the Secretary of War.
Not only was such recommendation not made ny
any branch of the Executive Government, but it was
not made by the committee of this House who had
the jurisdiction of this question, who, by their duy
as the Military Committee of the House, were called
on to inv sgate this class of subjects and were pre-
sumed 10 be better acquainted with them than any
other committee. That committee, instead OF con
curing in the opinion that there could be reduction,
had declared, through the gentleman from ONO (Mr.
Pendleton,) that such reduction ought not to take
place.
The question on the reduction Of the Navy, was
decided IN like manner, by preclpitate action, and
also was not recommended by any branch OF the Gov
eminent, or by the Committee ON Naval Affairs
So that e general reduction OF tAe military de-
fences OF the couDtry (fo il was one question with
reference to th Army and Navy) was proposed 10 be
decided in this abrupt aud hasty manner in Commit-
tee of the Whole, contrary to the advice OF the De
parmens, and the opinion OF the Committees on Mi
litary and Naval Afials Of this House, and in
ner " hch the gentle nan fon South Carolina Mr.
Holnes) combatied SO eoquently yesterday that is,
by means Of proyso in appropriation Bills mode
of proceeding nece isary precptate, ill-consdered,
and precluding competent and ample consideration.
Was there any occasion for this precipitate mode
of striking at at the military and naval defences
of the country The gentleman from Tennessee (Nr.
w b. CampbelD had observed that it was not posi-
BILE to get this question before the House except by
motion in the committee on the whole. Was it so?
If the majority of the House wished to get ths ques-
ton before the Hous, could they not at all times
der report from some committee on the subjecti
And could not the gentleman who was himself
member Of the Committee on Military Affairs bring
forward proposition the subject in committee,
and thus have the subject brought before the House
in the form which the rules had decided as the pre-
requisite to deiberation and decision
The House had proof enough of the Inconvenience
of this mode of proceeding, and had that enabled
gentlemen to carry proposition on mere hasty
impulse; to prevent which, the rules had wisely and
properly required that appropriation bills should be,
what their names imported bills making appropra-
tons to accomplish and satisfy existing laws and not
covering the whole field of legislation. Under this
abrupt and i.l-dgested mode of legislation It was
that the House proposed, having struck down the
Navy of the United States, to strike also blow at
the Army of the United States
The first inquiry the merits of the question was
whether this was the proper time to reduce the whole
defences of the United States Whether this was
not singular and ill-chosen time to make such
movement? He had said in defending the Navy bill
and he repeated now, that he did intend to pro-
pagate invite any war panic in this House, or the
United States if he were discussing the question of
enlarging the Army, then it might be proper to in
qure the chances of war; and if he thought there
was any Immediate cause of war; he should advocate
a very large augmentation of the existing military
force of the country, but not his purpose any
sort to put this war question--he well aware
that in the successive stages Of the augmentation of
the Army and Navy of the United States, since he
had been in Congress, there had always been war
panic associated with these acts-he knew not but ii
might be necessary constituted as this House was to
appeal to imaginary causes of danger to draw from
it adequate supplies-he did not however proceed in
this wayne should put forward no false pretences
he dsdained to rely upon any deusive consdera-
tions-he proposed the facts of the case and
the actual attitude of the United States to defend the
Army before the committee as sensible men disposed
to regard the interests of the country in this and
every other matter.
What then were the facts which had bearing on
this question: 1t was in the first place perfectly well
known, that the United States, at this moment was
engaged in controversy with the Mexican Repub-
lic-ln regard to which, he must be very sangune
man who imagined that there to be a speedy
amicable adjustment of the controversy or that the
immense claims Of the United States on Mexico were
to be paid without the United States assuming an
attitude of menace towards Mexico.
hear gentleman from N. York say that the claims
are only two and half millions; If it were so, a
claim OF two and half millions on the bankrupt
Mexican epublic, torn as it by civil war was
immense in comparison with its resources this how
ever was but small part of the case; for in addi-
ton to the two and half millions reported upon by
the Commissioners there renamed eight or nine mil
lions more, which the Commissioners, or the arbiter
had not decided upon, which had not been present
ed to the Commissioners | hear gentleman near
me say let us pay this claim-lt will be better than
to go to Will the gentleman introduce such
bI2 IL he would, does any body imagine that il
could be passed and, if it could, was there not
higher object to be attained than merely the satisfac
ton of these clamants The honor of our country was
to be preserved untarnished Could that be bought
Off He supposed thai the old cry of l79S-millions
for Defence not cent for tribute-had sunk into
every heart, and that no one would now think of sa-
crIicing the public honor by committing it into
question of dollars and cent 4@
In the second place, he asked the attention of the
House to serious queston--that ofrthe con-
dition of the controversy and negotiations between
the United States and Great Britain. Between these
two nations there were three great boundary ques-
tons pending, namely of the Northeastern line
covering the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and
Vermont-that OF the Northern line from below
1 ale Sunerinr along The frontier nf Minhina. .aI