The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-01-23
The Oregon QuestiOn--Intcre
Debate In Congress.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

- S"huH'V ~, 1910.
The Committee on Military AT.
fairs having been called,
Mr.. HARALsoN, its chairman, re-
ported ga bill to raise two regiments
OF riilemen, and for other purposes -
which was read first and second
time by its title.
Mr.. II. moved that the bill be COM
mitted to the Committee of the whole
on the state of the Union, and that
it be made the special order of the
day for Tuesday next.
Mr.. G. S. HousroN objected to
this system Of making special orders;
for the result, he said, would be that
the house would find itself trammel
led and obstructcd by them until it
would really not know what business
twas going to do. Let this bill take
the usual course. He did not desire
to make any war upon it, but he
wished that it should take its chance
with other bills.
Mr.. HARRISON said he would as
sign reasons for the motion he had
made, which, he presumed, would
be satisfactory. 1t was we'l known
that bill had been reported from
the committee on the territories to
organize government for the ter
ritory of Oregon. In that bill were
embodied some provisions on sub
jects which had been referred to the
committee on Military Affairs, and
which in fact were embraced in the
billnow under consideration. fac
tion were to be had at the time he
suggested, it might save the trouble
of referring back again portion of
the other bill-thus obviating DELAY.
and avoiding those discussions or
controversies which might be likely
to arise out of questions affecting
the jurisdiction of the different com
mittees.
The bill provided for the organi
cation of two regiments of rihemen
1t also, in accordance with the re-
commentator of the Secretary of
War, provided for the increase of
the existing regiments of infantry,
artillery, and dragons. The in
crease Of military force in the two
new regiments contemplated in the
bill, amounted to an aggregate of
one thousand five hundred and fifty
SIX, including officers; and, at the
same time, the bill gave discre-
tionary power to the President to
add to each regiment of the existing
establishment ten men to each COM
pany. If this bill should pass, there
would be no necessity for the organ
ization of a separate corps such as
was provided for by the bill report
ed from the committee on the terri
tories; because the President could
use his discretion, and select any
corps which he might think proper
for the particular service contempla-
ted by that bill.
Mr.. DOUGLASS hoped the motion
Of the chairman of the committee on
Military Affairs would prevail, and
that this bill would be made the spe-
cial order for Tuesday next. It was
true this bill, if passed, would obyi-.
ate the necessity Of one section Of
The bill which he (Mr. d. had had
the honoFao report from the COM
mittee on, territories 1t would OBJ
viate the necessity Of that one Sec.
tiopg which provided for the raising
two regiments of dragons. It pro-
vided for this particular, and in a
manner much more perfect than the
bill which he had reported, and it
came as appropriately from the COM
mittec on Military Affairs. He. did
not see the necessity of the post
ponement of this bill until the other
bill came up. He did not concur
with the gentleman from Alabama,
(Mr. Houston, if the Oregon bill
failed this session--which, he trust
ed, NO gentleman in this house would
admit was going to fail--that it
weuld not be necessary to pass the
present bill. This would, oven then,
be necessary for the protection Of
enigrants on their way to Oregon,
and for settlers on our western from
tier, now much enlarged by the an
nexation of Texas. And, further.
for the reason specified by the chair
man of the committee on Military
Affairs-viz to obviatc any obiec-
ton to the other bill on the ground
that the proposition for the two reg
imcnts ought to come from that com
mittee--hc thought they ought to
act on this bill FIRST. They had no
special order for next week; and
unless they made one, they might be
adiourning over from day to day and
doing nothing. He saw no reason
why they should not take up this bill
and dispose oft; and if the chair
man Of the committee on, Indian AZ
fairs would report their Hill o,J .L.