The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-03
DESPERATE MISREPRESENTATION.

What foolish charges the wing press is forced to
invent, in order to keep up a show Of opposition
The recommendations for precautionary measures
of defence, lItely submitted to tho committees Of
Congress, by the War and Navy Departments, are
harp.d upon all over the country by the wing jour
nails, as if they really opened some opportunity Of
attack upon the administration. The letters Of the
Secretaries which we published a few days ago,
show the utter folly of the whole accusation l, has
no plausibty The publication of the letters should
have made an end Of the whole question.
The departments made specific and precise re-
commentators of limited increase Of force, and
limited accumulation Of stores, measure of pre-
caution. The departments forbore to proceed be.
yond this point at all. They submitted the large
estimates Of the bureaus, (Which had not even been
looked at by the President calculated to give to
the committees body Of professional information,
as the actual condition Of the defences and as to
the best modes of arming the country, in the event Of
a pa,; which information called for, in terms,
by both committees, and by one of them with a
view to full report on the whole subject by the
committee itself!
And now, because the departments had this infor.
out delay, and stated the time exactly and in pre-
else terms what they advised now to be done, they
are charged, frst with urging Congress to put the
country in armor, at an expense Of thirty millions
and them with lodging the responsibility Of the ad
vice thus given.
WE'LL what is the advice thus givcn' Read the
letters Are their recommendations extravaganza
Nobody pretends this Are the accommodations
of the secretaries themselves vague indefinite in
their terms' On the contrary, they are precise
and clear as words can make them. In reading over
the letters, no man can doubt for a moment wha
they recommend and how far their recommen-
dations proceed.
But then the estimates Of the bureaus! Why
these were in no sense Executive recommendations
| They did not purport to be such recommendations
They profess n terms to meet, and do meet, sup
posed case. The letters Of the secretaries on the
contrary, disregardng the supposed case, meet the
actual case and alone sanctioned by the Presi.
dent as meeting the actual case. The bureau esi.
mates claimed the psry face Of them to be drapn up
in pie,c Of certain contingency, and certain
,lmpton--o ,oi approaching ho,iili'ies OF the prob
ability Of such contingency, Of the righJuinss Of
such assumption the bureaus did not offer 10 judy
al ALL 1t was not their province to Judge. They
sad to the secretaries and through so secretaries tc
the proper committees, exactly this: "Ir you are GO
ing to have war with England you will have to
arm the country; this will be the best ,ray to do it
this will be the expense Of so doing 1T and that !,
all" And because the secretaries did not deem
best to keep the committees in the dark, as to thes
Professional suggestions and details in relation to tn
national defence, they charged with rushing int
sea OF expenditures; and that too, in tho face n
their own precise words 10 TIE contrary over thei
own signatures, And because the Secretary OF Wa
suggests, tina, some facts as to the condition O
some of military posts set forth ia the bureaus
report, should not be made public, the sdmlnIstra
tion is charged with making estimates that are q
ono, rHiaors and secret national bankruptcy, wrap
ped up in mystery, and palmsd of upon Congress
to secure a rs-electionl But let the silly chang
%. Honest men will read the letters, and see tina
there /, nothiag in it. Dish INST men w,ll cry
about and profess believe for some "nins days,
and then it will be forgotten, or rather remembers
only with the "Roorbacks." Indeed, this "Esiinai
Rocrbsck' is one Of the most strong-fsstursd Of th'