The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-01-15

and it was prevented. lie called upon Sen
ators Of both sides of the Chamber to deal
fairly with the subject. He would make no
motion at present, but if he found hereafter
n measure, such as he spoke of could be car
ried, he should move for select committee,
which should consider and examine the sub
! ject and make n solemn report Of the whole
matter
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9Th, 1913.
DEBATE ON THE TEN REGIMENT
BILL IN THE SENATE.
The Senate was again densely crowded
with spectators today to listen to the debate
upon the Ten Regiment Bill. MIR Critten-
den led offwilll proposing,a substitute for
the entire bill TO the effect that the President,
should an eXigency hereafter arise demand
ing an additional force in Mexico, have
power 10 call for additional regiments ofpol-
untecrS, to the amount of 10000 men. In
! proposing this amendment, Mr. Crittenden
said that we could see no probable or even
possible contingency for Il man 10 be raised
under the bill which he proposed We had
conquered the whole of Mexico, with force
not exceeding 1900 men, and we had at this
moment, according to the Report of the Sec
Rotary of War, in Mexico, force &C nearly
43'ooo, exclusive of .,,iuse in California which
Under existing laws, the President could en-
list at least 5000 men in the regular army,
and 1000 more volunteers, which would if
completed make the force oftbe u. States in
Mexico nearly, if not quite, GO, 900 men; and
he could not, for his part, see what eXigency
or what necessity now existed or was likely
| 10 exist, which would require ten thousand
additional regulars, and seventeen thousand
volunteers, as proposed by the two bills one
| NJ ~ Iph IA
ported by the Committee on Military Affairs.
With less than ten thousand men, General
| Taylor had achieved all ofhs great, victories,
over the forces of Mexico three or even five
times his strength. General Scott had land
ed at Vera Cruz, captured the city and forti-
fcalons, fought the fight Cicero Gordo, and
! penetrated TO the very heart of Mexico and
captured their capital city with less than 49,
600 men; and now, when the country was
conquered, every strong post taken from the
enemy, and our, armies in possession of sits
| forts and walled cities, we were called upon
to vote $4,000 more men; notwithstanding,
| since the victories which he had named were
achieved, new and additional forces have
been sent to General Scott, until his strength
amounted to some $4,000 men; and while the
President by existing laws had the power to
call for and enlist $4,000 more regulars and
volunteers. For his part he could not under
derstand it, He had always supposed that it
required more force 10 overcome and con-
quer nation than it did to hold possession.
Mr. Cass said that the gentleman was mis-
taken in supposng that it required more men
to conquer country than to hold it. lie
was also mistaken in surprising that volun-
teers were better adapted to the service re-
qured than regulars. lie wished to have
large force sent into Mexico, not so much
from any apprehensions he entertained that
any more battles were to be fought but for
the effect which this additional military force
would have in "a moral point of view" MIR
Critteuden said he could notS perceive what
| the Senator meant by the moral effect that an
armed military force would have upon the
people ola vanquished nation. He did not
believe in the moral and religious effect of an
invading army. He still maintained that if n
force additional to that already in the field
was necessary, the President had the power
in his own hands to call for 5000 men, and
that if still more was required, volunteers and
not regulars should be called for. They were
more speedily brought into active service than
by the slow and expensive way ofenlistrnent.
He said Kentucky had raised this fall two
| full regiments volunteers, upon the call of
the President, in less than a month, while to
have raised the same plumber of men by en-
| listment would have taken six months a
year. He in this connection, gave Mr. Cass
a good hit for the tardy response which
| Michigan had given to the call for regiment
of volunteers, which had been called for sew
eral months ago, and was not yet completed.
Mr. Crittenhen spoke seriously of the ex-
| pense of this immense army, which was now
there. and which we were to raise under the
bill reported. lie said the average cost of
each man in the army was correctly estima-
ted at one thousand dollars.
Mr. Jefferson Davis spoke against the a.
mendment of Mr. Crittendeu, and made n
very good speech, so far as manner and
plausibility were concerned. He thought the
war had now reached point in which the
service of regulars was more desirable than
volunteers. That regulars were generally
men ''of an inferior social grade" than volun-
iccrs, and were better subject to military dis