American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-06-10
Amrrtton Republican,
AND
BALTIMORE CLIPPER.
" lDyEsDAy MORNING, JuNr 10, l846

v,,.,,,.-,o,, or Mr.. WEBSTER, by refer
49,, ,I., Interesting letter of our Washing
,nn CORRESPONDENT, 1t will be seen that Mr.
Webster ina. been fully yiadicated from the
CHARGES Of Mr. lngersoL
GENERAL Scorr. We commence to-day
and shall conclude tomorrow, the publication
,r,be correspondence between General Scott
,od the Secretary Of War, in reference to the
,DDontment of the former to the command OF
tbo army authorised to be raised to march
AGAINST the forces Of Mexico. 1t appears from
,h;s correspondence, that the President person.
aIIv and through the Secretary of War, YER
b,lly rendered to Gen. Scott the command Of
the said army, aud that the latter gladly accepted
,hc apooinlment, and assiduously devoted him
self to tie preliminary arrangements. Whilst
thus engaged, General Scott, it seems, became
IMPRESSED with the opinion that efforts were
5elnr MADE By certain members of Congress to
excite pre- udlco again him i'll the minds Of the
President and Secretary, with the view Of SUI
;uporsodinc MIN in the proffered command, and
70 induce him to cause the bill for the appoint
mcnt of two Major Generals, sc. to be intro
diced into the House of Representatives. Ma
!urally jealous Of his rights as senior officer, and
with the proper pride of a soldier, he felt the
INJUSTICE which he supposed was contemplated
10 be done to him; and in this disposition of
mind he addressed to the Secretary his letter
Of the DIST Of May, which he commences by
sayinr,-"I have received no orders, as yet;
assigning me 70 the immediate command Of the
army about to be raised to conquer a peace
with Mexico" lie then states some .of the
arrangements which he had been making, and
observes:
SIN the .nlds. OF these multitudinous and indis-
ponsa5le occupations | have learned from you
hat much Impotence is already felt, perhaps
m high quarters that have not already put
myself in route for the Rio Grande; and now,
with fourteen hours day Of preliminary work
remaining on my hands for many days, find
myself compelled to stop that necessary work
to guard myself against, perhaps, utter con-
demnation in the quarters alluded to. | am
100 old I soldier, and have had too much spe
cial experience, not to feel the infinite impor-
tance Of securing myself against danger Oil
will or pre-condemnaton) in my rear before
advancing upon the public enemy.
Not an advantageous step can be taken in
forward march without the confidence that all
IS well behind If insecure in that quarter, no
general can pu, his whole heart and mind INTO
The work to be done in front. | am, there
fore, not = little alarmed, nay, crippled IN my
energies, by the knowledge of the Impotence .
N question, and beg to say fear no other
danger"
Other similar expressions are used in the let
Ter, and the reference TO persons Sin high quar-
ters, - being construed by the President to mean !
himself. the Secretary was directed to advise
General Scott that he would not receive the
appointment previously offered to him. In the
Generals reply TO the Secretary's letter COM
municatlng the Presidents decision, he exph-
city disayows any intention to refer to the
President ia his previous letter, but declares
That his ailusion was to the Secretary and to
certain members Of Congress.
AS we shall lay the whole correspondence
before the reader, we shall give no further sy-
nopsis Of i. The President cannot be rensured
for the construction which he gave to the first
letter of General Scott; for the natural infer
ence vas that he was the individual intended
by the alluson to those Gin high quarters;' but
The explanatory letter of the General should
nave sauied the President OF his mistake, and
caused him to pursue his original design o
sending General Scott to command the army
It's station due to his rank and to his distin
guished military services.
We nave no doubt that General Scott ha
enemies who would rejoice to have the oppor
tunity to 10 him disservice. The fact of hi
having been spoken of as likely to be brough
forward as a candidated for the Presidency,
sufficient to produce hostile feeling with som
who favor the pretensiOns of.other candidate
but the malgnity of such persons should hav
no inhuence.in the selection of commander
the forces of the United States, especially in
war, where experience, talent and bravery a.
required.
RuMoRED SETTLEMENT. 1t is not safe
place confidence in rumors, for they are fr
Quently raised without even shadow of foul
dallon-but we hope that there is truth in Il
report, that "the Secretary of State and Il
British Ministe; have come to an agre
ment upon the Oregon question" We e.
pressed the opinion few days ago, that IL
Hibernia had brought to the British Mnist
the ultinlatum of his government; and we a