The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-05-29

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mem yet been,) he would attempt TO adduce
PERSONAL assaults and insults The sad) had been
heaPeu upon those who had voted in the negative
as tne only arguments that could be produced.
lie adverted TO the reply Of Mr. THuRmAs to his
(Mr. G's) former remarks, and imputed Omisrepre.
| sen tation" 10 that gentleman.
! superclous bearing, MISREPRESENTATION direct
personal insult The ssid) had been the order OF the
day. They had seen member rise from one part
| of the Union, Mr.. b. MAKrs,l and INQUIRE of The
gentleman who had preceded him, [Mr. SsvERASoE !
whether he was a representative from Mexico or
| from the State Of Maine. Such an inquiry could
have been made for no other object but direct per-
sonal insult He had no hesitation in saying il was
the offspring Of steril brain, Of vicious heart,
and eowardly mind IL was incompatible with the
feelings Of a soldier or gentleman. Mr.. q. ex-
pressed his for all such insults" and attempts
TO "browbeat" upon this floor; and asked what ser
vices gentlemen had rendered. TO their country, to
authorize them 10. assume such an attitude towards
others In general, their services had been per-
formed IN negro cabins-theT slaves trembling be-
fore them under the exercise of their unTestraned
power Gentlemen were mistaken. We (said Mr..
o. are not the slaves of this Oyerbearng AFRO
gance, although we line in a land where slavery 10
detested. This attempt TO browbest and TO stihe
the free expression Of sentiment this floor would
be utterly without avail upon the representatives Of
free people
Mr.. A. JOHNSON said it had not been his in
lenon TO enter into the discussion Of this question;
but, the debate had taken wide range he wished
to make an trpOse OF his position, and at the same
time TO answer some things which had been said in
the House IN relation to a particular profession.
| lie referred to the general principles that per-
Vaded the action OF our government of Limitation of
the enures of Office, beginning with the President
who was limited to four years, and descending
! through the lists of others and vet Inc said) we
heard from the chairman Of the Committee on Mill
tary Affairs, who is here under the cognomen Of q
democrat, who was a member Of the democratic
party, Of whose fundamental principles 10 rota-
ton IN office, rise in his place, and ayow the doc
trlne that it would not do for the government
to change its officers. The gentleman said it would
be exceedingly hard for man when he had dis
charged his duties faithfully to be turned out of Of
nee. Gentlemen who were here on this floor might
with equal proPriety set up the claim, and say
when they went home It exceedingly hard that
they should be turned out and not be allowed by
their constituents TO return.
| Mr.. HARRISON (Mr }. yielding) said he pre-
sumed the gentleman had no intention Of msrepre-
sentng him, but he had entirely misunderstood his
remarks. Instead Of his saying il would be very
hard TO have turned out Of office # he dis
charged his duties faithfully, he had said he would
be as willing as any man to have proper routine in
office, but that this limitation Of the term by law
when 1t had no practical effect but obliged the pay
master to abandon his post and his duties
and travel hundreds Of miles TO obtain Sc
curity was extremely inconvenient and oftentimes
His only object had been to promote what he
thought was efficiency in the service for the present
exlgency. Ii was not the inconvenience or the
hardship which 1t might work to the individual, but
to the public service, that caused him to take the
course he had taken.
Mr.. JOHNSON. Now the gentleman puts his
argument on the ground Of inconvenience. Do we
find any inconvenience in changing the Secretary of
the Treasury in four years, or oftener'
Mr.. HARRISON. The paymasters are not in
| - "A r
nected with the army. We want to put them in
the same condition Of all the other officers of the
army.
Mr.. JOHNSON (resuming) said it would not re-
qulre great deal of training or long experience to
receive and dsburse money and keep the account of
1t. Any clerk could do that. He did not, there
fore, see the force of the gentleman's argument.
The gentleman from Mississippi Mr.. DAvsl in
the course Of his remarks yesterday in pronounce
ing his eulogy on General Taylor-(and Mr.. J.
was willing TO concur in any encomium-he cared
not how high tribute to the gallant officers and SOL
dIers who had recently distinguished themselves on
the Rio Grande) had seen fit to make an invdious
Distinction and to strike unwarranable and I'M
authorized blow upon certain portion Of the COM
munity. Mr.. J. belonged to the class that was al u-
ded TO, and here, in the face OF an American Con-
gress, he was not ashamed to avow that he was a
mechanic, and of that class to which the gentleman
alluded yesterday.
Mr. DAVIS Mr.. J. yielding the floor for explana-
tom said he had yesterday expressed the hope that
but one gentleman of the committee could so far
have misunderstood him to have supposed that
he made an attack on any particular class. He had
stated yesterday (and he did not think the gen.
teman could have heard him) that the science Of
war was to be acquired by study, and he referred
to the location and construction of the Fashioned
ied-work opposite Matamoras and to the manner
in which the Mexican batteries were silenced, &C.,
and he said that these things could not have been
done by blacksmith, but that scientific instruction
in military tactics alone could have accomplished it, |
He not only reflected on individual but lie re-
fiected on no class and merely said that scientific |
education was as necessary in the art of war as was |
the proper training in any other occupation or pro-
fesson.
Mr.. JOHNSON (resuming) said he had no idea
Of misrepresentng the gentleman. He had not yet
stated what he did say, but had before him the re-
port OF his remarks in the Union, from which he
was going to read when he was-iuterrupted.
He had said he was mechanic, and when blow
was struck upon that class either direct or by nu-
endo, from wing democrat, he would resent it,
He knew we had an Legitimate, staggering, bas-
tard, scrub aristocracy who assumed to know
good deal, but who, when the hmsy veil of preten-
sion was torn off from it, was shown to possess
neither talents, information, nor a foundation on
which you can rear superstructure that would
be useful He warmly indicated the re-
spec,abity of the mechanical profession, and
cited from history, sacred and profane
various instances of distinguished personages, who
were themselves mechanics, or the sons of mechan-
les, and of the common walks of life, commencing
with Adam, who (he sald) was tailor, and sewed
fig leaves together, embracing also the Redeemer Of
mankind, who suffered on Calvary's cross, that
ruined world might be saved-who was the son of
carpenter. Morgan, who achieved the victory
Of the Cowpens, was blacksmith; Benjamin
Franklin, printer, &c, &c Andrew Jackson (he
said) and Gen. Washington neither graduates at
West Point, and yet what the military aats
they accomplished and the military skill they dis
payedi
Mr.. proceeded to say, although he had given
his vote for the bill for the prosecution Of the war
with Mexico, and was in favor of taking all neces-
sary measures to prosecute it with energy, he was
opposed to increasing innumerably and permanently
the officers of the army, until he satisfied the
country needs them.
He indicated the truth Of the preamble of the
bill. He thong the war had been commenced by
Mexico; that she was the aggressor. The gentle
man from Ohio, lMr. DELAso, he knew, had said
that Drpambe tho nuin Ill