Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1846-09-10

|
mandants, they are prohibited, unles
directed by the President Of the Unite
States, or demanded by the accused."-
Besides, it will be seen by the 9lst ariicl
of war. that the object of Court 0
Inquiry is "to examine into the nature o
any transaction, accusation or imputalor
against any officer or soldier" Tn,
nature Of all my transactions, to which
the Department of War has objected il
terms of unmitiga,ed censure, was in nc
wise mysterious. but open and undisguis
ed, and they are now matters of record
as they have been ever since the day O
their respective enactment or performance
| learned when boy, enjoying the bes
sings of beloved mothers care and
instruction, under the glorious admins.
tratlon of GEORGE WASHINGTON, thai
artfW concealnent IS dishonorable' and
that "the basis of all excellence Is truth"
l have concealed nothing. If the Presi
dent was not satisfied with my conduct,
felt hat had lawful right to de1nan d
an investigation before General Court
Martial. | accordingly did demand a
trial before General Court Martial, and
desired that the Court should be assem-
bled at the camp Of the commanding
General, in the great valley of the Rio
Grande, in order tina, | might have the
benefit of fair and speedy trial; as most
OF my witnesses, on whose testimony
had TO rely for my honorable acqutlal,
are to be found only upon that frontier.
And | would much rather march thither
| as voiunteer--as a private volunteer
Rlfieman-and thus obtain speedy trial
in the present month, than to be kept
within the vortex Of political party in
trlgue. IN a state of duress, advertised as
an offender. | wish TO be on duty as
near the enemy as the President may see
tit to place ne. Simply, because it is
my proper theatre of action, and because
have never known sparty intrigues to
acquire any strength or Importance, or
do any harm in places of danger. There
the chvalry Of all parties carefully unites
in the national defence. If it were so in
our War Office Bureau, they would be
rendered infinitely more formidable and
valuable than they are. Edmund Burke
once said -"Or Country, to be beloved,
mast be toveiy.' l may here say, that
our Bureau officers to be respected, must
be respectable. (See Mr. Secretary Spen.
GERS labored artcle;showing the necessity
of high military commander being as
sociated with the Secretary of War;
The Bureau System, which prevails
in most of the European Governments.
must have had its origin in the political
troubles and intrignes amongst the various
Pretcnders and .4spirants TO the crown
Using the language found in ancient and
modern history, as--"By the Grace of
God, France and Ireland, King, Defender
of the Faith, and so FORTH" Hence it
was in England deemed essential TO the
safety of the crown, as in France more
recently, TO keep a watchlul eye upon
the Scotch or English Pretenders-as
well as Of late years, 10 guard against the
Napoleon and the Bourbon dynasty
The head of the Military Bureaux, in
those Governments, would have felt him.
self degraded if denied the privilege OF
denouncing any distant Commander as
unfit for service, if he dared to abstain
from dabbling in Party poli.ics--I have
had very serious apprehension, for some
time past that some of our Bureau Off
GERS would fall victims to Europeon
Books, and European habits of thinking
and of acting specially those who forget
that our system Of Government is Gov
ERNMENT OF THE PEoPLE-and that every
public officer is amenabe to the law of
the land--and finds in that law his highest,
and most sacred rule of conduct.
In place of waiting to be told by pub
lie servant like myself what to do, in
very plain case governed by lac, called
for troops, in the manner | have stated.
and when they voluntarily came into The
service, at my request, fed, and other
wise supplied them out of the public
stores placed under my control
Upon this principle the country has
been defended, and must be defended, as
long as we enjoy the glorious privilege of
Self Government, and the kindred privil-
eye Of Sefdefence. Upon no other
principle can our Country ever be defend
ed upon distant sections of the national
frontier--even under existing circum-
stances-and such as may very soon
occur upsn our Western border But in
the event of War with any great mari
time Power. having superior Naval forces
such as we had reason to anticipate very
recen,ly--we could not possibly defend
any place two hundred miles from the
War Department without some expert
cnced Soldier on the spot being authorized
--or having tho experience and moral
courage to enable him, safely and eff
GENTLY, TO assume the power TO do pre-
cisely what did at New Orleans in May
last: Namely-to cooperate with the
talented State authorities and with the
Sovereign People, TO invite into the Uni
ted States Service such Of their number
as might be disposed to unite like Spar
tan Bands TO defend and save the Union
Wthou. the free exercise of such author
ity, at each and every vital point Of tn
national frontier, the Department of Wa
would find leisure for little else than Il
read the Official Reports of Unprecedented
disasters. upon every important section
of that frontier during the first months Of
the War. If we have Bureau Chief
highly qualified 10 write Orders. or :