The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-01-05
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE.
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Mr.. OWEN having concluded y
Mr.. HAMLlN then remarked: He did not rise for the
purpose OF occupying much of the time OF the committee;
which led the wars did he rise to state the
reasons which rendered imperative upon them to vote,
not only cheeruy but readily for the necessary supplies
OF men and money for ITS support and mainainment al
though before proceeding to discuss the bill now be-
fore them directly, he might be pardoned for saying that
he had been truly panied by the course WHICH those mem
bers who stand opposed to the administration had deem
ed their duty on this measure to take He had hoped
that when the country was engaged in foreign war all
asperity Of party feeling would be forgotten He had
hoped, that instead Of dragging before them all
the political topics which had divided the COM
munity into parties, they might have laid them all
on the altar of their common country, and have
rallied at this time in support Of the counys rights
and honor, individuals. When he spoke of the
TONS honor and sacred rights he referred Of
technically and refinement He meant what their
great and substantial national rights and nothing
For their rights great and substantial, involved in
ns the wee Of them lovers Of
regarding the lives Of their fellows they command
ed TO come up there as one man. and present an un-
broken front to those who had set themselves in ar
ray the enemies OF the country, whenever and
wherever the occasion might The hour of sober
reflection and of chastened feeling would come. The
this question would regret the which they had
taken The hour of calm reflection must come and when
came without any Of the provoking character Of party
interests minging with it, keen regret that they had
attempted to show divided counses in the nation must
come along with it The moral effects Of such
II Ss@ ao and
comfort" But he had arisen there, not, as he had al
ready stated for the purpose OF defending the Of the
the causes which led to it. That hal been well done BY
the executive. That had been well done by other gen.
emen who had preceded him on that floor; and he was
willing to spread before the country the facts and argu
ments that subject as they now stood recorded. and
leave the matter at issue there But while he stood
there pledged cheerfuy and willingly to vote for men
nd Tho nrQd
in, the way, the mode. and the means OF doing it. he
must be permitted himself Judge Of. He would state,
them that he in favor of raising the ten regi-
ments designated by the bill which had been reported By
the Committee on Military Affairs. They necessa-
ry they recommended BY the proper department The
proposal would recommend itself to the judgment of the
House. and he doubted not would receive their approval
But he in favor Of changing thoroughly, radically,
and essentially changinghe terms. features and cond-
purpose of expressing this belief that he had rsenhat
these were great and essential why the terms
and conditions of the bill might well be changed-why,
he would say further, they called upon absolutely to
change the terms and conditions of the bill They pre-
sented to the world the remarkable spectacle of people
eager rush into contest; and the history OF all the
world did not furnish example where the citizen and
the soldier ready TO rally around the standard OF
their country they had shown themselves to be- and
they still continued to be- Further, they told by
the Executive and by the War Department that an indie
pendent corps preferable To standing army IL was
accordance with this principle that they passed the law
at the last session granting ten millions of dollars and if
" thousand men-volunees, for the purpose OF carrying
on the war He would take up the time OF the
mittee by aludng to he fact with how much alacrity
these men enrolled themselves--how ready they TO
enlist according the Of the for the defence
of the country and the prosecution OF the war;
nor would he weary them by going over all the
grounds-by enumerang all the which rendered
them essentially better than standing army. Yet some
of these which REQUIRED to his mind so
orcble that he wished hem-he wished TO state
them for the consideration OF the honorable gentleman
who stood at the head of the committee. Mr.. HARAL-
SON. who had reported this bill He for votng men
and money the time and conditions which he suggest
ed but he would change the organization from that OF
standing army to that of volunteers. lie would enlist
them Tor 1--WE years service. for the war lie would
embrace the same principles precisely as regarded the
time and the terms but he would change the form OF the
regiments from standing army to that OF volunteer
force He would state the reasons which operated upon
his own mind and induced him TO form this opinion, and
which he hoped would also operate upon the minds OF
the committee and lead them TO embrace like views.
First II was a matter of doubt He doubted very much
whether ten thousand regulars could be enlisted in
standing army addition to the number already in the
army They had the report of the Secretary OF War be-
fore them and not mistake the lesson that taught
them. They knew that by the existing law passed du-
ring the last OF Congress, they had authorized
the filling up OF the ranks to a number but little short OF
thousand The report told them that under the
provisions OF that very law there had enlisted not
than about twenty five hundred solders-wo thousand