The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-02-19

tied under the severest pains and penalties and sir,
spectiu the form in which it might be addressed to
US, on any political question They are our executive
officers and their duty is obedience. Yet if | under
stand the objection made here il is to the effect that
they share in the responsibility of our decision and
although bound by their oaths to obedience-bound by
their Office to obedience-bound by their Office not to in
ierfere with politics, intermedde with our decisions
but to obey and execute hem that they are TO be espon
sble for DEGREES and their conduct not to be meas
ured by the skill and fidelity with which they execute
these DEGREES Where is this of cavingihs sort
morality II you please so TO name ito lead u.s. "A
sheriff may next set himself up consider the Judgment
which the court has rendered. and TO take into scrupu
ous consideration how far he can consistently execute
the process put into his hands under that judgment Sir
he has as much right to consider when the execution
put into his hands, the morality and justice of that ug
ment, Generals Scott and Taylor, any of their Off
had to consider the Justice and proprety of
this war The law and the constitution have marked out
definite duties for them to perform and their merit
ssts IN their faithful and puncual discharge of these du-
ties, and nothing else and they deserve credit dsced
exactly in proportion to the consistency. courage, and
hrmness with which they do discharge their executive du
doctrine OF the gentleman from New Hampshire Ac-
codlng to this doctrine officer is not only consider
how best he may execute the duty imposed upon
HIM IN executing our laws, but he is to sit in
council and judgment, reviewing our acts of Con-
gress, and determining for himself what TO do, and acting
accordingly Will not the honorable senator from New
Hampshire allow your generals and officers to
together and mayhap to divide themselves generals and
coones into one house, like your Senate and coporas
and pvates into another House of Commons, there to
lake INTO consideration the questions OF and peace
and decide they may think Justice and morality require
Will the gentleman allow them decide for war when we
are IN taXor OF or peace when we are favor of
war! What does the gentleman think of that? If his doc
trne be admitted must be allowed all its consequent
cesnot merely in those to which the gentleman would
in favor of peace. that in favor of war Sir this is
nothing but spirit OF mutiny There is neither patriot
ism nor morality in this doctrine; neither in its founda
ton its results. 1t is mutiny against morality-a
all al OnV
eminent There must be head 10 egisale and direct
and body TO execute 1t is in the Congress of the Uni
that honorable duty disposed strictly to limit and con-
fine the army am wholly opposed to allowing the army
to NEEDLE with politics Your army will be very ready,
and of its officers will be very ready TO take your
places in the work of legislation and not only to hold the
sword in one hand but make laws with the other 1t is
to that SIR that the doctrine gentleman leads for the
entertain the morality according their notions of orders
given them you must, from that moment, leave them at
liberty TO decide tor or against you and if Gen. Taylor
be authorized to consider the morality of this question of
peace or war; and to lay down his sword he peases
every officer OF the army and every enlisted soldier has
the same right to DO SO. Can you distinguish between
one and the other! No, sir, you cannot And what sort
OF government would you have in that 1t would
be the mockery OF the world Yet that is the result to
which this refined and original system of ethics would
conduct you Yet that is the pious and extravagan
OF morality, by the ald of whose imitation minds
seem to have assembled above the ordinary and sbunay
concerns Of mankind and all those plain rules of gov
Soa'oe
OF human society These philosophers soar far above
all that, and entering the ETHEREAL regions,
gagged IN the search for celestial of guide
for their government earth do not say that the
gentleman before goes that extent of extravaganza
lie is one Tor whose talents and ability entertain all
proper respect but sir is the doctrine for which he
contends likely to lead Others with less competency AID
less discretion to circumscribc its tendencies into all
these excuses Can anything but msrule and disorder
and exravagance be the consequence? And how much
less deuded is such politician than of those Mil
ertes, who, araylng himself in what he calls his as-
censon robes" climbs up tree in order that he may
have fair flight to heaven 1t seems to me to be po-
ca delusion of the character, scarcely less
ravagant and certainly much more injurious to man.
kind.
Now sir, if ever military men deserved credit for the
SKILL and courage, and fidelity with which they executed
orders, Taylor and Scott the who have earned it,
and does 1t now become us after having made the waror
any of us, after the has been made by the
try, by ITS constituted authores-dees IT become
to set ourselves in the chair of morality, and give
sort of professional lecture, teaching officers and
soldiers a lesson of dsobedience and mutiny-each-
ing them that they should receive decision,
it, and, breaking their swords return home breathing
out denuncatons against their country for the injustice
and immortality of its legisation' Surely not know
that the objection is urged only against giving thanks
but that amounts to censure. Will you not give them
any credit They have won battles Many of them
have shed their blood-the life's blood Why they
not to have thanks In another case the obector admits
thanks would be properly accorded but in this case he
very ground which the objection to the honor contem
plated TO be given to them rests imply that they have not
done their duty well as they might have done 1t by
gaining these vctories' Can the gentleman, any
body else here, draw valid distinctions Suppose they
had been defeated in these baes-suppose General Tay
lor had been vanquished at Buena vista-would the
gentleman then have offered his thanks He will not
thank him for the victory would he have thanked him
for suffering defeat Suppose the soldiers had refused to
obey the orders of General Taylor, saying "We have
considered this matter, and do not think that this is just
war; think has been carried far enough; it ought to
have stopped at Monterey" would these men, in the es
mation of the gentleman, have merted our thanks'
he avs ipfn IvhIc fha n
rne, if adopted would lead u.s. endless and nameess
can only say of the doctrine that it is full OF mischief
These men have sustained the honor of their country
they have gained lusrous and distinguished victories
against those whom you have declared to be enemies,
and against whom you have sent them to fight Ii is for
that give them thanks is for that the Senate and the
country have g their thanks and do hope can
hardly hopel was about to express the hopethat this
resolution may be allowed TO pass without single dis
senting voice The honorable senator from New Hamp
shire has already achieved the solitary glory of standing
alone | can myself make distinction between Tay-
or and Scott their respective armies regard to these
Victories but cannot but hope that when gentleman
of so much talent and ability the honorable senator
from New Hampshire shall reconsider calmly and
cooIy the opinions under which he has acted and advo
Gated so eoquenty here, he will be disposed to think that
il better to go in the PLAIN common way IN which
mankind have gone and which the of mankind has
approved for many years. than strike out INTO any OF
these new and devious paths into which extravagant and
over refined notions of morality may lead
| Mr. HALE SO pointed allusion has been made to
the position which occupy that it due to myself
and to the Senate that should say one word IN vind
cation of the course which | have taken. This Is the
second occasion on the floor Of the Senate, within lew
days, on which have been either compimented or re-