Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1848-04-05
Extract from a Speech of
Mr.. WEBSTER,
ON rHR TEN REGIMENT BILL, IN SENATE

ON THE TEN RE6INENT BILL, IN SENATE
March D.
Mr.. WEBSTER. The gentleman said that
his principal object was to "frighter" Mexico, |
and that that would be more humane than to
harm Mexico.
Mr. CAss, in his seat.) True.
Mr.. WEBSTER. It is true9 Very WE'LL tho't
rs much. Now, the remarkable characteristic
of his speech which makes it so much Next
can speech is that the gentlesaea spoke 1t IN
the hearing Of Mexico as welt as an the hear
inc of the Senate. We have been accused,sir,
of being .Mexican Wings" because what we
saw here is heard by Mexico, and Mexico de-
rives countenance and support from what is SAID
here. But the honorable member comes forth
and tells Mexico that his object is to frigkteh
heri HIS words have passed along the wires,
they are on the Gulf, they are floating away to
Vera Cruz: and when they get there, they will
satisfy the Mexicans that, after all-after all,
Eve good Mexicans, our principal object Is to
friqhten your' And, to the end that they
NAV not be frightened too much.h gives them
notice that the object is to brighten them! Mr.
President, when Snug, the joiner, was to repre-
sent the lion, and roar on the stage, ne was
quite apprehensiye that be might too much
Tighten the Hdutchess and the ladies'; and,
therefore, by the advice of his comrade, one
Nicholas Bottom, he wisely concluded that IN
the heat and fury of his effort ne would show
one half of his face and say: "Ladies, fair la
dies, would wish you, or would request you.
or would entreat you not to fear, not to trem-
HE. INV life for yours if you think come hith-
er as lion it were pity of my life! No am
No such thing: I am man as other men are;
I'm Snug the joiner!
Rut. sir. in any view of this case-ln any
view of the proper policy OF the Government,
according to any mans apprehension Judg-
ment-where is the necessity of this augmen-
tatiop of regiments of the military force of the
countrys / hold in my hand a note, suppose
substantially correct, of the present military
ferces of the United States. Twill not vouch
for it's entire accuracy, but believe it Is sub
stantiaIly according to fact. There are now
tw,ntv-6ve regiments of regular troops OF va
rious arms, which, iffuii, would give force of
%, $50 rank and file, andincludng officers, thlr-
Z. thousand and odd men. These, with the ex-
ception of six or seven hundred men, are now
all without the limits of the United States, IN
field service in Mexico, or on the route to Mex
leo. These regiments are not fuil. Casuai-
ties and climate have sadly reduced their num-
bers. IL the recruiting service would now
Weld ten thousand men, it would not more
field officers their full cou.mand. understand,
air. that the report from General Scott-Gen.
Scott A man that has performed the most
brilliant campaign in military annals; man
that has warred against the enemy, warred
against the climate, warred against a thous.
and unpropitIous circumstances, and carried
the flag of his country to the capital OF the
enemy, honorabiy, proudly, humanely, to his
own permanent honor and the great credit OF
his country. Gen. Scott! And where Is ne!
At Pueblai At Puebla, undergoing an inquiry
before his interiors in office, and other pet no
not in Office, while the high oyemnuch dis
exercised, and exercised ysaother, l do not
tDction, are turned SYa6fy gentleman, but his
mean to say as.nary rank and station.
sa,erlor Ia. Scott reports, as understand, that
February there were twenty thousand regu-
Tar troops under his command, and, en- route.
Add 4ha thirty regiments of YQlunteers-andlf
full they would make thirty thousand men IL
officers included, over thirty five thousand
and there would be force regulars and vol
unteers amounting to not less than fifty or
sixty thousand men, including the recruits on
the way. If my information be exact, and the
honorable member from Michigan can correct |
me if it be not-l presume that 1T is correct
in February Gen. Scott had under him inMex
teers. Now all these troops are regular Off |
cered. There is no deficiency of officers in the
line or in the staff: they are all full. What
ever deficiency there is consists OF men. Now
sir there is plausible reason for saying that |
il is difficult to recruit at home for the supply |
of deficiencies in the volunteer regiments. 1t
will be SAID that volunteers choose to enlist I'M
der officers of their own selection; that they do
not incline to enlist here as individual vOlun-
teers. when the regiment is abroad under Off |
GERS of whom they know nothing. There may |
be something in that; but pray to what does
that conclusion Iced! Does it not lead to this,
that all those volunteer corps must moulder a
way, SO far as the privates are concerned,
and come to nothings Meantime the places
of the commissioned officers are continually
filled, the regiments being full OF officers, al
though the privates, by casualty or by disease
are reduced to be less in number than the Off
GERS themselves. But however that may be, in
regard to the recruiting for the regular service,
YOU can fill I'D the regiments by pay and boun
ty, according to existing laws, or new laws,
il new laws be necessary. There Is no rea-
son upon earth why we should now create five
hundred new officers for the purpose of getting
ten thousand new men. There are officers to
command them. All that is wanted is men,
and there is place for the men, and suppose
that no gentleman can stand up here or else
where and say that the recruiting service can
20 10 faster than 1t will be necessary to go
In order to fill up deficiencies in the existing
regiments abroad.
But now what do we want with greater
force than We already have in Mexico? With
ont asking what need there is for the supply of
in the existing regiments, what do
We want with the thirty thousand regulars and
volunteers now in field service! What is the
purpose! There is no army to fight. l sup
pose the enemy have not five hundred men to-
gether under arms in any part of Mexico. Ex-
sept in one instance, perhaps there is not half
that number. Mexico is prostrate-there is
no Government TO resist US. 1t is notorious ,
that the government of Mexico is on our
side. 1t is our instrument by which we wish
to establish such peace and accomplish such {
n treaty as we wish. AS far as can under
stand the matter, the Government of Mexico
owes its life and breath and beng, at this mo-
ment, to the support of our arms: and to the
hope-I will not say how inspired-that some