Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-06-27

Mr.. BESros.) 1t was there that the difficulty began.
i What We're the facts Of present situation We had
now twenty -four regiments already in the field about
TO enter it, constituting eight brgades and general Off
GERS to command them How these officers to be APP
pointed Who had power to appoint The Governors of
the States Where the law which authorized il The
Governors had not acted because there law Could
the President appoint them He could not; and this bill
introduced because he could not, unless Congress
ieed upon him the power What could he do He could
not do more than 10 nominate those who already
mission in the States and under State authority take the
command Of divisions And what had his colleague
(Mr THoMAssos) just said That in Kentucky the whole
militia system laughing stock which more than
the truth and yet these militia officers taken from
State where according to his colleague, the militia laws
dead letter. whom gentlemen for taking and putting
command over our volunteers The State Governments had
authority to make the appointments and the President had
to receive volunteers under any other organization
than that of regiments. He could receive them in br-
gade because there were rigaders to command them
The whole state of the exhibited present and pressing
necessity for action Let not gentlemen spend the time
talk but let our bgades go fully differed the field or else
let them be disbanded Gentlemen here wanted us to ebe
rate to deliberate long. They wanted to send back this BILL
that the committee might deliberate, and when back
they wanted the House to deliberate and he supposed the
whole matter to be debated again. Where was the
necessity OF this when the question lay within nutshell
AS 70 the proposition which had been suggested by the
tleman from Alabama, (Mr YAScEr,) Mr. B. should prefer
1t II we now had time to carry it out But this bill un-
derstood to provide for exgeny The bgads ready
to march, and were marching, but had officers
wait three or four months till the election of their officers
could take place proposed by him. and the return of that
election be sent back to the of Government and
missions then to be forwarded to the seat of war Mr. b
trusted in God that long before all this could be done the
war would have been brought to close.
Mr. HARRISON said that when last up he had few re-
marks which he wished to make but had persuaded by
his friends contrary to his wishes call the previous
question As he had before stated, the original bill first re-
ported from the Military Committee had contained the same
provisions which was found in this bill The subject had
been deliberately debated in Committee and then acted on in
the House, and bill passed the 18th of May last The
whole matter must be well understood there could be no
need now of further delay for its consideration The whole
difficulty seemed to be in drawing distinction between mill
TIA and volunteers He thought that distinction had been
clearly shown by his friend from South Carolina (r. Burr
The whole history of past legislation had drawn distinct
line between the two species of force.
He would call the House to the laws which marked that
distlncton The 18th section OF the lst article of the
tuition empowered Congress raise and support armies
bill had been prepared under the sanction Of that power
was not necessary that army should be enlisted for four
or hive years Volunteers temporary force their
vice limited time bat in all other respects thew re-
sembled regular troops Another clause of the constitution
authorized Congress to call forth the militia suppress nsur-
recon and to repe invasion That clause inserted
provision to meet sudden emergencies but it did
c at all with the other power 10 raise armies There
further clause which empowered Congress provide
organizing armies and discpning the militia but which re-
served to the States the appointment of the officers 1t was
the last clause which had been mainly relied on by those who
opposed this bill and had been construed an authority
the States appoint officers to command volunteers hnt
the construction and all the arguments founded on il arose
from not drawing due distinction between militia and voun-
eers AS that distinction drawn the whole diff
Guilty was at an end The States had clear and ndspua-
BILE power to officer their militia. If this bill should not
pass the only thing the President could do would be to call
officers of the militia to command the volunteer force But
this was mpacticable in relation to of the States
cause they had militia organzaiion-(he was happy this
remark did not apply to his State for the militia Geor
were well organized those of any State in the Union
In some States the militia officers elected and COM
mssoned to for four years. Now when the President
appointed of these officers how he know when their
commissions would expire II might happen that when
the army in the midst of march the authority of COM
handing officer would suddenly Some of their COM
missions might not have three months run, and many Of
them might expire within the twelve months for which the
volunteers engaged erve and besides according
our last act, militia could not be called for than
months In the midst of the exigences the service an Of
icers commission might expire, and then he might wrap
himself in his personal sovereignty fold his arms and refuse
to obey orders if he sked the hardships service
might retire and abandon his command There would be
law to force him to proceed step further To be sure Mr.
H. entertained fears that such thing would occur
but the possibility Of its should not be incurred
Mr.. STEPHENS here inerposed to explain, and was I'M
dersood to that all he wanted the volunteers
have their officers.
Mr.. HARRISON, resuming said that however desirable
this might be, the thing impracicable Suppose
should pass law authorize the inferior officers of the vo
to meet and elect officers of brigade and division at
least twelve days must apse after the passing of such law
before they could meet to make the election Twelve days
more must be consumed in transmitting the result
OF government, and twelve days in returning the
commissions under which the officers elected were 10 serve
Here must be delay of thysix days before of these
officers could take the field and put himself head his
command. Six weeks before he could stir foot. Before
that time 1t possible that the campaign might endhourh
such was not Mr. H. anticipation If the policy was to
prosecute this with energy then such plan for the cleo
ton OF officers was impractcabe And, the appoint
ment OF generals under the supplemental act say nothing
OF the expiration Of commissions States the militia
were completely disoganized that their officers could
be called out at all.
Mr. HOUSTON, of Alabama here interposed to inquire
supposing there should be regiment from Georgia and re-
giment from Alabama, constituting Brigade which State
to commission the officers and when how they get
together to hold an election
The reply Of Mr.. HARRISON was not heard. He went
on to observe that the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr Tho
NAssoN objected to having officers from other States put
the militia volunteers of Kentucky. The gentleman might
object to this but Mr. H. hoped that where we were all en-
gagged in common cause, and it impossible from the
tue OF the case, to carry out the principle Of State appoint
ments there would be found sufficient patriotism in the
SONS our brave and devoted volunteers induce them
consent to be commanded by from another State Sup
pose volunteers from Alabama and Georgia and Mississippi
be thrown together in brigade, and all Of them to be unw-
ing to be commanded by any taken from any other State
but their own, was manifest that the brigade could be
commanded at ALL Where single regiments from three States
were united IN brigade those from State equally
entitled to have the bngader appointed from their State
From which OF them, then, the President select
their commander There a difficulty which could not