Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-01-23
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
MONDAY, JANUARY l6, lS47.

INCREASE OF PAY TO THE ARMY, sc.
On motion of Mr.. GEORGE 5. HOUSTON, the House
resolved itself into Committee of the Whole the state of
the Union, (M McCLELLAND in the chai) and proceeded
the consideration of the bill the pay Of the
commissioned officers musicians, and pvates and the mill
tia and volunteers in the service of the United States and
and allowing them bounty land in certain
The bill read through by the Clerk for information, and
then by sections for amendment.
The first section being read
Mr.. COOKE moved to strike out the word "two" and
insert " three, increase the pay sthree dollars per
month" This amendment agreed to.
The second section then read.
Mr.. BOYD moved to amend it by striking out the words
"undl he is honoaby discharged" and insert who has
received an honorable discharge"
Mr.. JACOB THOMPSON moved to amend the amend
ment that should read, shall out his time and
be entitled TO regular discharge"
Mr.. POLLOCK opposed this amendment in the mort de-
cded manner He thought the bill right stood, but
the amendment would be productive Of total uncertainty Who
be the Judge whether The soldier entitled his dis
charge not The proper person to decide that point
the officer under whom he had served II he entitled
be discharged doubt the officer would give him his dis
charge Certainly would do send the officer of
the land office TO settle that point How could he tell whether
the entitled to honorable discharge not The
result in practice, would be that the meritoous would
often be deprived of his land bounty while the deserving
would succeed and get il.
Mr. GORDON also contended that the bill had better re-
main as il
Mr. JACOB THOMPSON further modified his amend
ment to read " who should then be honoraby dscharg
ed, or may have been honorabIy discharged"
Mr.. ANDREW JOHNSON suggested that the addition
Of just two words would obviae all the difficulty Put in
: who served before the words until &c.
Mr.. EWING Of Tennessee, said that the amendment pre-
sented that ought certainly be provided for by law
The amendment would provide for the when
the should have served for three months though he enst
ed for six and the other where he prevented from
ing by having been taken sick Surely after had
tiotcay volunteered abandoned home and friends and gone
TO foreign country to encounter danger and DEATH yet there
af
show his fidelity the honor Of his country and earning
reputation for himself aken down by the Of the
camp fatal disease incident the climate and might
be discharged honoraby the ground Of disability he
as fairly entitled 10 the bounty in the bill he who had
capped Sickness and able his three months or
who fell in battle. This amendment embraced both cases.
and Mr.. E. considered them in all respects equally mer
torious.
Mr.. GORDON said he presumed that the strongest adyo
cate Of the existing would contend that
meoous than the previous in which the country had
been engaged and there any which had been
involved where the soldier got land warrant for serving less
than three months This bill gave to the who should
have served that tme and ii the shortest period be
found the statute book The effect Of the amendment
would be TO give farm Of hundred and sixty Of land
10 man who might not have actually served than
single day. He might be discharged in consequence Of fall
ing below the army STATURE for other bodily defect
which implied disgrace and he would in that get
honorable dschargeought he to receive hundred and
sixty Of land for offering himself serve The law
said that the reward for service If he had not actually
served he not entitled to it. The country gave hun
dred and sixty Of land not reward for patriotic in
tentions, but for actual service rendered
Mr.. BOYD opposed the amendment giving all the
wards Of service the who might have been the field
but single day. The bill required Of him three things
FIRST that he should have volunteered six months
second that he should have served three months and third
that he should have obtained honorable discharge Could
any country be asked go beyond that He thought the
bill very liberal in it, provisions and that the House had bet
ter stop where 1t now drew the line.
Mr.. SMITH, of Illinois, was in favor Of liberal policy to-
ward our volunteers it would have the tendency rapid
ly to fill up the ranks of army For his part, he consi-
dered the donation in the bill rather reward the patriotic
intention Of those who devoted themselves TO the Of
the country than the service actually rendered in the field
The who had evnced his willingness 10 encounter the
hardshps Of tour Of military duty by actual volunteering,
though the interference Of povdena causes might have pre-
vented him from carrying that purpose into full effect ought
surely not to be excluded from the mark Of his counys
gratitude the who had been fortunate, and had
actually rendered the merorous service He trusted such
would be the feeling Of the House, and that the amendments
would therefore be adopted. Perhaps living in the
West he might consider the public land quite great
and precious treasure gentlemen further East SEEM
ed do nor be quite much disposed to hoard Could
he have his WILL he would put out into the hands OF men
who would subject il TO actual cultivation pnd in donating
II 10 those who willing TO the county he wasrea
dy TO be liberal any other gentleman the floor He
ready go further than this bill proposed even than
proposed by the amendments He would give to those
who should the end of the double the amount
here promised The ten dollar intended for the ser
vice actually rendered the bounty the acknowledgment
of the country for the noble patriotism which induced men to
volunteer and march the field at the risk Of health and
life. He hoped the amendment would be adopted
Mr.. WENTWORTH hoped that the same allowance
would be provided for those who prevented from serving
more than few days. who might perish by Sickness
those who served the three months killed in battle
Without this he should consider the bill as In agrea measure