Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-08-19

From the Burlington Free Press.
The honorable Paul Dillingham; on the Lieut.
General Question.

w may Oe lne ucClSIOU, my lnHHkh
and gratitude will not be the less y to
the House of Representatives for its three times
vufudt election Of me 10 be lie COMMANDER IN
CHiEf Of The .4rmy in Ncrico "-.Mr. Benton 10
M. PoN-March q, lsd7
Immediately after your nomination ns Major
General had been unanimously confirmed by the |
Senate, Icarefuily eromincdH The question tcieiher
possessed The poorer 10 designate you,-a unior
Major General-to The Chief Command Of The
.4rmy"-.Nr. Polk 10 Mr. Benton, March o. is47. |
"The President Ind hoped 10 hare il in his
poorer 10 place him [Brnton al The head of The |
Army"- Washington Union, March 10.
We place the above declarations of Mr. Ben
ton, Mr. Polk and his mouth piece, the Union
on record, SO that there need be 10 dispute as to
the purpose for which the President SO pcrtna-
ciously sought TO be invested with the power to
appoint Lieutenant General to supersedo Tay-
lor aud Scott i'll the command of the Army
That purpose to influte the Hon. Thomas II
Benton at the expense of the Military Service
Of the Country, aud in contempt OF the claims
AMI the merits of Generals Taylor and Scott.
| In this we think we run no risk of being contra
dicled.
This purpose was disgraceu to the President
for two reasons: FIRST for having entertainrd it,
as a mere partisan manpuver, regardless of the
injury its accomplishment would inhict upon
distinguished and veteran officers who had spent
their best days in their Country's service; and
second, because it was ANONYMOUSLY and re-
pettedly defeated by his own political friends.
The action of the honorable Paul Dillingham; on
the question of conJerring this power on the
President was emlnenily Characteristic of an
lunscTupulOus demngOgue in the abstract and of
himself, IA the particular Instance. He voted,
point blank, both for ii and AGAINST IT, and
DODUED 1T And that, too, without exhib-
iting the common sagaClty of the dull bird that
hides lis head in the sand, and thinks its ugly
body is therefore concealed jugglery is as tran.
sp0rent as II Is contemplate, Let US Sec
On tie 4th Of January, lS47, and while the
bill to raise for time an additional military
force, ard Tor other purposes" was under consd.
Grafton, the President sent to the House Mes.
sage recommending " that provision be made by
law for the appointment Of IA Lieutenant Gene
raj to serve during the war; and "to take COM
m1nd Of all our military forces IN The feLd"
On the 9th of January, jacob Thompson, a
Locofoco Representative from Mississippi, fer
forwards distinguished for his better hostility to
General Taylor, (wh1m he pronounced INCA
Fable OF coNDuTING cAMPAIGN,') and who
moved the amendment TO the resolution ofthanks,
!, censurlng the gallent veteran for "the terms of
the capituaton 1T Monterey" (Eor wtich cens,re
, lei ii be remembered Paul Dillingham; VOTED
! moved the following amendment to the military
bill above alluded to:--
i SEC. =. ".and be IL further enacted, That the
/ President shall be authorized, by and with the
q advice OF the Senate, to appoint a Lieut.. General
4 who shall take COMMAND of our armies, and
whose term OF service shall continue during the
, war with Mexico"
On the 9th of January the question was taker
. on the adoption of this amendment, and Mr. Dill
. iinghdm's name, together with the MINES o
-,
. corded AGAINST IT. The painful anxiety o
n Mr.. Polk to be clothed with authority to "feet
fat" the overweening vanity OF Thomas II. Ben
ton, had not then enlisted the sympathy of the
. prudent and calculating Mr. Dillingham; Ht
o therefore assisted to knock the unjust and pre-
II posterous project in the head. But Mr.. Polk die
q not rest here His own private and personal in
/, eresi, If not the interests of The nation, deman
, ded that the Lieutenant General scheme shoult
IS be pushed III another form lie probably hat
strong hopes that the scruples--t the "conSclel
e hous scruples"-of such astute political trim
o mers as the Fremont representative OF Locofoco
e ism, might be satisfied by changing the name o
II Inc transgresslon; or, what is quite as likely h.
l. concluded that SO innocent and unsuSpeciing
= victim as Paul Dillingham; would be apt to dis
st cover an essenai1itierence "twixt tweedle -dur
e aud tweedle-Gee" So on the Eth of February
). Mr. 0ralson, from The Military Committee, re
he number q GENERAL OFFICERS three Brigadier
Is and tWo Mayor Geaerais - Benton and Cumming
r. 10 this bill the following amendment was INC
n yed:-
IF ".fnd be 1t further enacted, That the Presi
e dent is hereby authorized and empowered, at hi
l. discretion, to designate and appoint any genera
,e officer Of the rank Of Major General whether O
st the line or by breVct. and ioheher of The regula
H. army or OF poLnnteerS, cithout regard 10 dale o
, Icy.n fIa 81, 4 IL
o. Jorce 81 the u. S. during The continuance OF III
N tcar tciM .nerico."!!
S. 1t needs no comment TO show, nor miltar
ID man TO appreciate, that this effort to clothe tn
D. PRESIDENT with discretionary power in the prem
e. ises was more Objectionable III principle, an
l. more insulting and degrading to the gallant vet
IS eTans OF the army, than was the attempt to Great
lie the Office of Lieut.. General. Mr.. Paul billing
N nam, therefore, our readers may imagine, wa
ST Iouhu prompt 10 resist II. All, credulous aud in
I'd experienced reader, you know not the softenn
H. effect OF Presidential longngs after power an
e authority, upon the tender senslbilitics and neX
4 l6le principles of Mr.. Paul Dillingham;! On tn
lie 10Th OF February the question on this amend
D. ment was taken, and 1t was adopted. la the neg
a ditUe, III oOdurate consistency of principle an
in conduct, we find the names Of Messrs Collamel
Al Foot and Marsh Of Vermont and where, thin
lie YOU Is recorded the name of Paul Dillingham;
10 IN the affirmative? No! In the negative? No
p But precisely where you would look for the frae
lnents otan exploded oap-bubble- NOW II Err
J. The ingenious gentleman DODGED! LAX
y the lrishman's pig, he was specified he couldn
IN be counted!
J. But The amendment was adopted and the bill
4 sent to the Senate for concurrence That hon
d orhble body, however, in contumacious direoar
II OF the wishes of Mr. Polk, struck out the anti
|" republican section, and returned the bill to tn