The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-03
THE DAILY UNION

never should make another speech here. But ne
intended To make few remarks-they might DC
called by whatever name gentlemen chose.
He was in favor Of striking out and he intended
to move else did, TO strike out all after the
first section. While he agreed with the gentleman
from Kentucky as TO some OF his views as 10 inc
proprey Of enactlng this clause Of the bill, he must
be permitted to explain his position that, WINE ne
voted with the gentleman, he could not agree WIN
| him in one OF the reasons which he had presented
TO the committee He could see no necessity io'
appointing any more major generals, OF 1IigaaI'
generals, in addition TO those we now nave IL hsu az
ready been and proven that we nave enough ON
GERS To command urroops and five have not enough,
these volunteers who had been called into service viii
furnish the remaining number necessary u you APP
point these officers and place them IN the regular
army YOU never will be able to get rd OF mem lie
| wanled 10 know Of the chairman OF the COMMITTEE
| on Military Affairs, or OF any other gentleman, II
he believed it necessary or desirable TO make the
nronosed addition a permanent establishment u, IN
,ms of peace two major generals were necessary IN
addition to that one we already have In time OF
peace we have one mo jor general, and that Is one
| more than we need It's now proposed TO give MIN
| two assistants. For whatf 10 enable MIN 70 10
| nothing! 49,
But he would not dwell upon this. His only OBJ
| ieet was TO say he opposed 10 Increasing the
officers Of our army. He saw no necessity for It
except for the time Of the war There was no ne
cessity for it, because have already officers IN the
army if not Of high grade, at least OF as much
| galantry and as much skill, and who were album
dainty competent 10 perform the duties which would
be performed by the officers sought TO be appointed
Therefore, in this little war-whch he agreed with
the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. DAyIsl in say
| inc he believed almost at an end now; but # Il was
not he could see necessity for this increase OF
ofhcers-ln this little war. he was utterly opposed
to this creation Of new Offices which were entirely
| unnecessary.
He was utterly at loss for the motive which the
gentleman from Kentucky had in attacking the
| President Of the United States now. He seemed
dissa lisfed with the President; and for what why
because the President had done NO wrong. lie
complains because the President has taken position
| in which neither the gentleman from Kentucky nor
anybody else can successfully assail him; that he
has said he has vested General Taylor with ample
power Of calling for such officers as he may need
| for calling upon the neghborlng States for troops.
This the only charge which the gentleman
| made against him.
| Mr.. DAVIS was understood to explain that it
was because the President had not sent the troop
to General Taylor, as he agreed to, that he found
| fault.
Mr.. HENLEY (resuming.) What kind of a
case does the gentleman make OF 1t, them Why,
| that the President informed General Taylor that he
would send certain troops, and that the battle came
| on near the Rio Grande, between Matamoras and
| Point Isabel, before those troops arrived; and
| therefore the President is to blame! Because the
| battle came sooner than General Taylor or the
|
delay in our troops getting there, or because the
Mexicans attacked our troops sooner than was pro-
| vided for therefore the President was TO blame
He should not have expected even the gentleman
from Kentucky to have placed his opposition to the
President on such aimsy PretexL A man who
was exceedingly jealous against his wife could not
| find so ridiculous preteXt for accusauon-all the
ingenuity which, ealousy could devise could not get
up more himsy one He a party man; and
when he assailed his opponents, 1t was with
all the force he could make Of, but he hoped he
| should never attempt 10 assall political adversary
without some plausible pretext. Did not the gen.
tleman know that news came here up to the time Of
the fight, that there was expectation OF a fight,
and that Col. Worth returned from the army the
| day before Who Col. Worth he knew not;
| perhaps he was brave a man Gen. Taylor.
But he returned Immediately from the seat Of war,
and reported there was no danger. In the face of
all this, however, the President sending his
troops. Imagine, then, that Col Worth had been
right, and that there had been Danger what would
the gentleman from Kentucky have said Would
he not have got up and told them how recklessly
the President had ex pended the money Of the peo-
pie, in sending troops when troops were needed,
when there no battle, no danger, and when Col
Worth had told so' But still he sent his troops
into foreign territory at a vast expense, and in
volved us in war with foreign government! Such
language would have been reasonable, it would
have more propriety and great deal more decency
in it, than that which the gentleman from Kentucky
| has made use Of to-day.
| Mr.. BRlNKERH0FF requested the floor, but
| Mr.. II. declined to yield.
| In relation to the speech of his friend from Ken
| lucky, (Mr III. conunued) he did not wish to make
any remarks which could be considered in any way
| personally offensve-he meant such thing. He
knew there were many gentlemen in the habit of
| rappng very hard over the knuckles-of assaIllng
the President and his adherents on every occasion
they could fnd-but he must be permitted to say
that he not able to see a point in the gentle
mans speech-a single possibility Of motive. The
speech was entirely above or entirely below his
| comprehension; he could not unravel it.
| The gentleman seemed jealous that some Of the
honors of General Taylor would be taken from him
and used to encirce the brow of the President Had
any body attempted to snatch from him any of the
honors he had 30 nobly WON or to give to the
President the credit of that gallant generals victory
| No man had chosen to do so. Had General lay
lor chosen the gentleman from Kentucky to vindi-
cate him before the country, and to protect his hon
orr 1t no such thing. General Taylor needed
no such thing his integrity, his courage, his patr-
otism-all had nobly indicated themselves. I'm
I'll such attempt had been made, where then, he ask
ed again, the motive Of the gentleman from
| Kentucky in thus coming forward gratuitously TO
attack the President The President, he said, had
stepped forward and gave General Taylor the APP
pontment of Brevet Major General. What more
could he have donei Congress also had passed a
vote of thanks to him and his gallant army.
| He thought there was no need Of attempting to
get mp jealousy between these two great men.
Gen. Taylor had done something which, ready as
the gentleman was to defend him, he thought
would not be very agreeable to the spleen of the
i gentleman from Kentucky He had named the fort
at Point Isabel Fort Polk, in honor Of the
chief magistrate of the nation. This was mutual
compliment between the President ofthe United States
and General Taylor. Why should the gentleman
attempt to interrupt these relations between these
/ two gentlemen.
i He would only add, in conclusion, that the gen.
tleman's speech would have been entirely complete
for speech of such character, if he had closed it
with one of Horace Greeley's commentaries on the
horrors Of war.
Mr.. BURT moved that the committee rise, with a
view Che said) of moving reconsideration of the
resolution adopted this morning, so as to lengthen
the time for debate.
\ The question being taken and decided in the af-
6rmative,
/. The committee rose and reported
| Mr. RIIRT moved n recon siheratinn of the vote