The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1846-01-23

Mr.. c. ]. INCERsoLL interposed,
and called the gentleman from South
Carolina to order; he considered
these remarks not only altogether
out of order, but calculated iniuri-
ously to affect the public interests.
Mr.. HOLMES. With the under
standing that the debate is to cease,
and with the grave rebuke | have
received from the chairman of the
most important committee of the
house, | will yield the floor; and de-
mand the previous question.
Mr.. H., on appeals to that effect,
withdrew the demand for the pre-
vious question.
Mr.. HARRISON rose, simulta-
neously with Mr.. ADAMS, and ad-
dressed the speaker; but having
spoken once upon this question, the
floor was awarded to Mr.. ADAMS,
who said, this measure now propo-
sed to be referred to the committee
of the whole on the state of the I'm
ion, is one of great variety of mea-
snres; all of them as important as
any which have ever come, or ever
will come, before the house. 1t is
only one of them, and one on which
it is permitted to speak without hav-
ing special reference to all the 9TH
ers connected. For example, this
measure is, understand, for raising
two regiments of rihemen. find
on my table here, bill already in
troduced into another part of this
building, to provide for raising a
regiment of mounted riAemen. The
question has occurred to my mind
how these two measures go together,
and whether they could not and
ought not to be considered together.
The decision of the one question
will depend somewhat on the man
ner in which the other is decided.
| mention this simply by way of il
lustratlon OF a variety of measures
connected with this question now
before the house. | find in the
same bill, now under consideration
in another part of this building, a
clause which proposes to appropri-
ate sum of - thousand dol
lars ''to defray the expenses of mi
litary deienceS which the president
may deem necessary on the line of
communication with Oregon" Nov,
it is very evident that the import
ance of that section depends on the
sum of money to be appropriated,
and TO be placed in the hands of the
president for the expenses of any
military preparations which the pre-
sident may deem necessary. All
that | infer from that is, from
the passage of the bill-if any pass
it is contemplated that there will
be other expenses; and, in my opin-
ion, they will be very great expen-
seS-as a concurrent measure with
that measure of raising regiment
of mounted rifemcn. Now this is
not the only measure which will be
necessary, all in connexion with
this one subject. 1t appears to me
very doubtful whether it is necessa-
ry at all to waste the time of this
house, i'll the discussion of this uues-
ton, if two regiments of rihemen
shall be raised or not, unless the ne
cessity for raising these regiments
shall be made apparent to this house.
Why? Why? What is the reason
that even one regiment of mounted
rillemen shall be raised at this time /?
Why is it that two regiments not
mounted shall be raised at this
time ?
We have gone through some mea-
snres, the prospect of which pre-
sented an appearance, at least, of
danger of a war. We have gone
through these measures, and no war
has ensued. We are in profound
peace with all the world. Why,
then, what necessity is there for an
increase of the military force of this
country? 1t is within the recollec-
ton of many members of this house
that the spirit of this house two,
three, or four years ago, was very
different from that of raising addi-
tional force and | see here, among
others, some of those gentlemen who
at that time opposed an increase not
only, but actually carried through a
reduction of that same military es-
adjustment nearly one-third. That
was four years ago. That was a
time when the prospect of a war in
this country was, | believe, quite as
great as it is at the present time !;
and take this opportunity to say,
that l do not believe at all that we
are indanger of war at this time.
| do not see any testimonial of the
probability Of war now; and, sir,
if there is ever to be any danger of
war in consequence of measures to
be taken by this congress, it appears