The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-04-29

have it, Defeated in their first trick of calling for the
attack before they supposed. the vndicaon could be
ready-deieaed voted down in their second more scan
dalous trick in attempting suppress 1t after it had been
furnished to the House-in this plight the wings
will, we hope, for their own credit find hereafter
something at least plausible say against the Sec
rotary. than that his promptude and ability in the dis
charge OF his plain official duty of defence in this matter
is piece of trekry 1t is trickery in the Secretary
to defend his official conduct when it is unusy assaed
is no ckery TO communicate that defence response
to call of the House. This is what the Secretary has
done. The other tricks which appear in this business
from beginning to end-and of them very dis
credtabe-are, without exception, of wing psternity
Mr.. Clingman charges, in his speech, that when the
previous correspondence between Gen Scott and the Sec
rotary OF War was sent in, portion of it was sup
pressed The first OF these alleged suppressons the
Withholding Of two three brief and unmportant letters
Of introduction which. instead of being concealed by
the War Department, specially referred 10. and their
character described the table of pefxed the
document and sent the House When, with reference
to this charge of suppression. Mr. Henley, OF Indiana
asked for copies OF these letters, in his remarks
upon the subject, they promptly furnished to him
So much for the first charge of suppression against the
Secretary
But the second and graver instance of alleged suppress
sion, is that the Secretary withheld when the previous
correspondence was published. five Memoranda or Me-
moirs, dated in October and November last written by
General Scott while at Washington, and by him handed
the Secretary in the Of official business These
acknowledging in 90 correspondence" and
so not called for in the first resoluonwere written in
t0 Voro III
they were written as the previously published cores.
pondence shows long after an expedition against that
place had been fully considered and resolved upon by the
administration, if in prosecuting the attack upon
the Mexican capital should become necessary.
With regard TO the reason why these memoranda were
not sent in with the previous correspondence have
before observed by the very terms of the resolution they
were not embraced in the call Of the House The wings
of that body have surely to complain, to
charge the Secretary with suppressing documents which
they did not call for Papers having been particularly
alluded by their dates in this last resolution and there
being, as appears by the Secreary's report before
the House, no letters of corresponding date, these
oranda were presume, considered to be embraced in
the last call, and were promptly furnished So much for
the second and main charge of suppression
Having thus shown that these, the two main charges OF
suppression against the Secretary of War; utterly gra
uitous and without foundation need not alude at
length 10 the accusation brought against the admnistra
ton of having withheld the letters Of Mr. Trist in rea
ton to General Pillow, and the charges of General Scott
against him, pending the investigation of that be-
fore the court of inquiry The improperly, both in
point of justice and in point of law, of publishing
those letters during the progress Of that investigation,
strongly and conclusively set forth by the democratic
speakers in the debate Yet mistake this subject
is worthy of correction If the debate be correctly
ported in the Integencer, the Secretary of War
for large share OF abuse for this very proper sup
preston of these parts of Mr. Trss correspondence
The gentleman who made this attack, ought to have
known that the Secretary of War had any
pondencc with Mr. Trst, and that the letters in which
the alleged suppressons appear never in his pos
session Copies of two of Mr.. Trists letters to Gen
Scott were sent to the War Department and both were
sent entire to Congress
We have not space this evening to expose the various
other mistakes and Misrepresentation in relation to this
correspondence, with which the debate the whg side
was studded One of the speakes-we charitably hope
that he was speaking wholly in the dark-has gone
so far as to charge that the Secretary in his letter. i'm
pugns General SCOTS courage" and at his
name Our readers will for themselves, in the
published letter. how utterly untrue these charges
and seeing this, they will judge for themselves how
desperate has been this wing attempt (after having
failed of its entire suppesson) to foresta and pervert
by Misrepresentation the public judgment upon docu-
ment which, venture to predict, WILL when it is pub
lished, be regarded most triumphant and irrefuabe
vindication against Gen. SCOTS charges Of the whole
course of the administration and of the War Department
in the conduct of the war.
Correspondence with Gen. ID. e TwIggs-
WASHINGTON, April 25 l94S.
DEAR number Of your fellow citizens desiring to