Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1851-02-14
MeSsrs. Weller g. LaNe---RelnO
walls frcm Office.

MT. DTduUury FeSOIuiOu FeldtlEe 10
removals from office, was forced upon
the Senate and occupied the attention of
grave Senators at the expense of impor-
tant business. Mr.. Ewing briefly and
mildly gave the reasons for the removal
of Col Welie- and Gen. Lane by Gen.
Taylor's Administration. Not satisfied
with this expose, made under the cncum-
stances, their friends provoked another
speech from the Senator from Ohio and
a further expose of the reasons which
induced the late Administration to act.
Well might these unfortunate gentlemen
exclaim-'Save us from our friends. =
We copy the following abstract of the
speech from the Washington correspon-
dence Of the Baltimore Patrioi:-
Mr.. Ewing made strong, able speech
in the Senate to-day, in justification of
the removal from Office of Col. Weller
and Gen. Lane, by the late President
Taylor. He was very ani;nated, if not
excited, in his manner and he carried
the war into Africa. ling "a ~..
"He produced documents 10 show
that at the time Col. Weller received his
appointment al the hands of President
Polk, he was defaulter 10 the treasury
of one of the counties of the State of
Ohio in the sum of $4,000. He decla-
red that he Mr.. Ewing, was in posses
sion of this fact at the time Col. Weller
was removed by President Taylor, al
though he had not then the record of the
fact in his possession. He stated that
Col. Weller had received his appoint
ment, because Of his political services to
his party in making the canvass for Gov
ernor of Ohio, and getting defeated
that he was known TO be bitter parti-
san, and that he had exer,ed himself TO
oppose and defeat the election of Gen.
Taylor TO the Presidency-that he hur-
ricd off, after he got his appointment, SO
as TO be out OF the country before the
suit against him for defalcalion should he
decided, and before the incoming Ad-
ministration could supercede him in his
newly obtained otfice-that he was not
"a fit or qualified person for the Office to
which he had been appointed-that the
office was one of great responsibility
and trust-and iha. Col. Weller's we'll
known and every where admitted habits
Of intelnperance, Of themselves, disqual-
flied him from holding the Office and cor
rectly discharging its duties. -#...
'.in regard TO Gen. Lane he went over
the same ground occupied by Senator
Mangum yesterday, only he was far
more severe upon the Indiana General
"From an Address to the Public which
Gen. Lane signed and published in To-
diana during the last Presidential cam
paign and just before he left, with his ap-
pointment for Oregon, Mr.. Ewing show
ed that Gen. Lane had grossly impugn-
ed Gen. Taylor's personal honor and
veracity, by charging the "Old Hero"
with having stated in his official report
respecting the conduct of the Second In
diana Regiment at the battle Of Buena
Vista, that which he, Gen. Taylor, knew
was not true. He showed, by the rec
ord, that in order to fortify himself in
making his charge against Gen. Taylor,
Gen. Lane had stated in his Address to
the Public that Gen. Taylor knew, at
the time he was making up his official
report of the battle of Buena Vista, that
what he was stating about the Second
Indiana Regiment was untrue, for lie
had before him at the time his, Gen.
Lanes, report conlradicting the state
ment the commander in chief was ma
king.
"Mr. Ewing then read from Gen.
Lanes official report alluded to. and
showed that il had been altered by Gen.
Lane to suit his purpose and sustain his
charge. He next read from the official
reports Of Col. Jefferson Davis aud Gen.
Wool, TO show that Gen. Taylor stated
precisely the same thug, and no more
than those officers had done relative to
the conduct of the Indiana Regiment re-
ferred to. In this connection Mr.. Ew-
ing bore down upon Gen. Lanes con-
duct with great force and effect. 1t was
absolutely scaihing. Poor Gen. Lane!
Ii would have been better Tor him if his
Senatorial friends hac never stirred up
this matter.
"Mr. Ewing, in conclusion. held up
these two prescribed worthless as sort
of sample of the general run of those
whom President Taylor had seen fit 20
remove from office. He said he knew
of none who had been removed without
charges other than Of a political nature
being made against them, and the call for
the charges answered, there would go
before The country an array of facts
which might not be altogether agreeable
TO those calling for the same"