The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-02-04
CITY OF WASHINGTON THURSDAY NIGHT FEBRUARY 4 1917

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Congress may by law the appopunepl Of .sh insot
courts oflaw, or in the heads OF department."
The Legislation OF Congress, the honorable gentleman
continued presented several preeeiens By the act Of
9TH March, 1892, il provided. "Ina the President
alone be- and hereby authorized TO appoint for the
airy 50 TO be engaged, the proper commissioned Officers
NC The act oil 18th May, l7Ds, provided, " That frrs
dent be, and hereby is, auihorzedo organize with suit
able number OF major generals &c and in the recess of the
Senate alone to appoint the commissioned officers The
appointments to be submitted to the Senate AT the next
subsequent meeting Again. in the act OF ID March, l79e
similar provision was made And the last precedent 10
which he would direct the attention OF the House that
which was presented in the OF April 10 isO> The
sulion itself was he thought quite clear the subject
and so evidently thought Congress al the various periods
10 which he had referred This all that he deemed
necessary TO submit in reply TO the gentleman from Mas
sachusetts He then went on to say that he regretted
and he believed that that feeling OF regret quite gen
era throughout the counirythat Notwithstanding all the
voted Tor the declaration of war with Mexiconot only
voted for the against Mexico, but declared thai Mex
leo herself had made The war--yet not single measure
for the successful prosecution of that had escaped the
most violent opposition in every possible form the
other side OF the House On every possible occaslon-on
the introduction of every connected with the war
emaDatng IN either one house or the other--eyen ON
single amendments involving no principle whatever, n
number of slereoyped opposition speeches forth
with made, all repeating the same old denuncations-
the violent accusations of tyranny and usurpaon
the part of the EXecutyethe sweeping charges
that the constitution had been violated by the President
the hceold and thrice exploded statement that this
was wicked, unjust, and unholy war; These speeches
reminded him very much of the anecdoefor which he
believed he was indebted to honorable gentleman
from Vermont opposite-of the preacher who had one
sermon, which he was in the habit of delivering on all
occasions, suitable and unsuitable, in and out
OF season The preacher desiring to extract compi
ment from OF his auditors asked, What did you think
of my DISCOURSE" .Well, indeed his auditor replied
81 think it is very fine sermonl always like that SER
mon" IA laugh:] AS was well said by, the gen
tleman from Indiana, [Mr- HENLEY,] the coun-
try expected a vigorous prosecution OF the war
They expected that that House would vote the men
and the money necessary for its vigorous prosecution
and when gentlemen returned home they would find that
the people of the country for giving the President
all that Observation-Disclosures and all, In his
opnonnecessary to the prosecution of the He had
opposition in that House, after voting for the war, yet
resoutey opposed every measure introduced for its pros
ecuon Let it go, did he say' Why had gone TO the
counry-gone to the country on every breeze. 1t
said BY gentlemen on the opposite side that they were
lighting in unholy war-that they should hesitate be-
lore doing so damnabe deed as to prosecute that
war against Mexico; declaring at the time
that it was a. war for the plumber Of Mexico
He (N1r. b. wished it TO go the country that this bill
had been introduced early as the 10th of December
last 1t dragged IFS length heavily along until the 18th
of January, when went TO the Senate, and there il had
been since, until the day before yesterday. The
Senate had sent it back with several amendments,
of them important, OF them less so, &c certainly
of such Importance as after the very full discus
sion which the bill had had to justify delay by
general discussion His object was not to make speech,
but to move that the committee rise, in order to pass
resolution limiting the period of debate this bill.
Mr.. DROMGOOI.E hoped the motion would be with
drawn, as he wished to offer some amendments.
Mr.; BOYD explained that the adoption of his motion
would not deprive the gentleman from Virginia OF OPP
portnnty of offering his amendments.
The motion was then put and agreed TO, and the COM
mttee accordingly rose and reported.
Mr.. BOYD then moved that the debate should cease in
thirty minutes after it should be again taken up in Com
mittee.
Mr. l. E. HOLMES suggested that the motion should
read thirty seconds instead of thirty minutes A laugh.]
The question on the motion was then taken by yeas
and nays, and resulted as folows-yeas ITO, nays JS
So the motion was agreed to.
Mr.. DROMGOOIE then moved that the House resolve
itself into Committee of the Whole on the state of the
Union, which agreed to and the consideration
of the bill being resumed the honorable gentleman made
some remarks in favor OF an amendment Of which he
Mr. BOWLTN obtained the floor, and inquired OF the
Chairman how much time he had
The CHAIRMAN replied ten minutes.
Mr.. BOWLIN then said he would waive all general
remarks and employ that brief space TO the consideration
of the amendment of the honorable gentleman from
Louisiana, mir. HARMANsoN,l or what the same to
both accomplished the objects he had in view extend
the bounty OF the government to those who had voun
eered for less than twelve months, repaired to the
field of action and there served until they were hon
orably discharged. There class of men who had
volunteered in this service who had actually done
vice and who deserved nobly Of their country and who
were vet 1or Ill Dill as III came 10 us from
the Senate. The class of men thus unprovided for
the first volunteers who repaired to their countys stand
ard upon the announcement that little army on the
Rio Grande in danger They made the greatest
ri6ces, for they had no time to make preparations for
leaving their homes and their business in condition to
be uninterrupted by their absence; bat prompted by the
nobles impulses OF patriotism, they threw down every
thing, regardless of all consequences to themselves and
repaired with aacry TO their counry's defence And
yet strange to say these very the only who
performed actual for whom the bill from the SEN
ate makes no provision All the rest are secured in the
bounty of their government who have done service in
her cause. And why should these alone be exempted
who manifested the nobles zeal by the promptes action
Is it because their service shorter9 That no
fault OF theirs They left by the orders of the govern
field OF action as the field of glory, with sentiments of
profound regret. They were more than anxious TO
main until the chances of should give them OPP
portunty to crown themselves with victorys wreaths
That they did not not their choice, and is deemed by
them their greatest misfortune. The object not alarm
ngly large; the only troops embraced by the provisions
of the amendment are the first Louisiana volunteers the
ST Louis legion and few from Texas; AMI If only
braces those who repaired to the seat of and did
tual service He could not state the exact number, but
could say they not numerous and consequently the
amount provided for in the amendment was not
great And TO repel idle rumor, that ii was to
reward volunteers who never performed actual SER
vice, he particularly invited the attention of the
committee To the amendment The amendment, in
the first place. provided for eighty acres of land or fifty
lowed to the twelve months volunteersand expressly
guards against the claim OF any one, except those who
actually went TO the seat of This equitable
apportionment rewardng each according TO the amount
OF service, and embraced no man who did not do actual
service In illustration of the history OF this transaction
he would give detailed to the committee of the
volunteering of the ST Louis Legion and that picture
would accurately reflect the true position of the Others