The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-11-07

armies Gen Scott insists, and the Iegeneer insists
for him. for the past and in time to come that he should
receive breyet lieutenant general four hundred ana
eighty dollars per month and because iosooth the Pres
den does in that opinon be is denounced as
having acted in illiberal spirit
We believe that we have shown the utter groundessness
of such charge but choose TO go further, and to
show that General SCOTS professions not merely ex
ravagant and unreasonable but to the last degree AFRO
giant and absurd For this purpose quote single par
agraph from the hateugeneer's article;
Every the statute book relative to double roton
raons that they given to enable the
officer the additional imposed by position
they given in consequence OF the command exercised b
the officer, and not appurtenance OF the rank which
the officer holds in the army"
What was the poslroNn of Gen Washington in 1898 rela
lively TO that of Gen. Scott in 1855? Our cheek NANTES
while we aude to it, The mind involuntariy turns from
such comparison as hardly less than sacregous Con-
cede Gen. Scott all that his most ardent admirers claim
for him, and what relation he any other citizen
who has vedand labored his country, bear point of
position to the commander of the armies Of the revolution
the president of the convention which framed the consttu
tion the President of the United States during the first
eight years OF the republican word, to the "Faher of
his Country
Again what Is General Scout command Z AS mijoI
general of the line he is by order Of the President in com
mand Of the actual army Of the United States Whilst in
the ed he not in fact in command of all the armies
because those armies under separate commanders
and that case the President has decided anal
ogy that command Of less than eight regiments shall
be regarded ms ente him the pay and allow
ances Of lieutenant general
Moreover, General SCOTS commission is only that of
lieutenant general by braye subject to such orders and
directions from time to time lac shall receive from the
President of the United States and other officers set
him according to law and the rules and discipline of war;
Such Is the command Of General Scott
General Washington the other hand, was, by his
commission Lieutenant Genera, and Commander n-chief
of all the armies raised or be raised - the service
of the United States" Not only this, but we hnd, on
careful inspection of the original commission of Gen
eral Washington file in the Department Of State that
the phrase which in every other military commission
ever issued under the government and which makes the
officer subject to the orders Of other officers set him
according to law was carefully expunged from the
prted form of the parchment So that Gen. Washington
and he alone in the history Of the government was sub
et only to The orders of the President Of the United States
Was not this q commission ncomparabiy higher than
that Of mere lieutenant general by brevethe only one
which has been or could be- conferred on General Scott
under the Joint resolution Of the last Congress?
As to command Gen. Scott entered upon hia brilliant
campaign in Mexico commander OF portion Of the arm
les the late with that nation The fact is referred to
matter of history having obvious bearing upon the
question of position" and in spirit of unkindness
that General Scott was, at the commencement OF the
war with Mexico in the military service Of hs country
in the profession which he had chosen in youth and pur
sued through leand that it not until he received
second order and not till after General Taylor had sent
thrill Of grateful and exultng JOY through the heart Of
the country by he achievements of our at Pao Alto
Resaca and Monterey that he proceeded TO take the
mand Of one column in the Geld; whilst the Faher Of his
Country WAS called from his retirement 1T Mount Yer
non to command all the armies raised TO be raised
by the United States and to command them in antic
paed war against the French republic, whose
already crowned with mpershabe glory by the victories
of Napoleon Bonapart Italy, and possessed the generals
and the troops which n few hor, years destined to
conquer nearly the whole Of Enrope,
How will the people of country regard this most
arrogant assumption of superiority in position and 4eom
mand which, it is urged should have induced the Pres
dent in the absence of law, to make regulation in vo-
laton Of all precedent to comparative pay proper and
pay by the way of raons in order to give to General
Scott by double raons the of two thousand eight
hundred and eighty dollars per annum for that single
ITEM more than assigned to General Washington
Gen. Scott and his Jealous bat discreet friends
will learn that there is limit to public patience yhen
pretentous claims upon tho treasury persiseny
insisted upon and made the ground of bitter complaint
against the President who has been acuated by
tive but to render the ample justice to Gen. Scott in
all respects
Presidents decision in this case, we commented upon
what we considered hasy and indscreet advice on
the part Of tie New York Express when it ntimated
the hope that General Scott would reject the pittance
The position assumed by the Iellgysey 1--WE take it
for granted not without the appreciation of Geaaral
Scott) induces to soy, in addition, that, in our
opinion General Scott after assailing Thus the decision
the President rs unsound and unjust cannot consistently
with manliness honor take the ten thousand dollars
additional back pay awarded in the settlement of his ac-
He is bound either to disapprove Of the assaults
referred to- go Congress and the threat
that the Presidents decision % there to be and
that instead Of ten thousand dollars additional back pay
he is to receive between thirty and forty thousand This
obviously the only consistent with the honor
Of General Scott and just 10 tho President Let the people,
through their representatives psss upon the question
intelligbly and distinctly presented