Daily American organ., 1856-03-15

The report OF the Naval Committee will show us
how utterly Immaterial the testimony Of Rhind
really Was 80 eF
M President, the position Of this brave and
msritodous officer, whose vindication have thus
imperfsctly stte1spted hss been most cruelty and
uVustly sssailed Ar the decisions OF that Naval
Hoard, Vhie others, members of IT, equally liable
70 malicious attacks, and who exercised great
an influence in that council, have escaped notice.
The reason for this is understood TO be that in the
judgment Of the friends of those who have been
dropped or retired from the Navy, this gentleman
was leader among his brother naval officers. II
is but just compliment to him to say that he
never plays second par. among any officers old
young, when his duty TO his country requires
him to lead. Superior intellect will always subject
any man " the impStation of controlling Others
and 1t Ia the highest compliment which his enemies
couds shave bestowed upon him in reference to this
whole matter, that he is believed by them, how.
ever nntruiy, TO have been the ruling spirit in that
board. But all men who are intimately acquainted
with him would tell you, cir, that he Is utterly in.
capable OF setting aside any man from the active
list OF his profession except upon evidence clearly
conclusive to his own best judgment. There never
lived . man more disposed, by the kindness and
generosity OF his nature, to put the most charitable
construction on the conduct Of others
When this Board was organized, he earnestly
desired the Secretary of the Navy to excuse him
from service upon il. i know that service was a
bitter cup to him, which of all things he most de-
sired should pass from him; but the Secretary,
knowing his high qualifications and his elevated
character, 80 well adapted to give confidence In
the Board to the public mind, was inexorable
and no alternative left TO Captain Du Pont but
to serve as he was commanded. have said, here
tofore, that, from my knowledge of him, believe,
he would rather have gone into action with one of
our frgates against line-ofbattle ship OF the
enemy than to have served as member of that
Board. Some of those who were dropped from
the active list were among his former personal
friends, and the objects OF his deepest sympathy
But his moral like his physical courage, was equal
to any emergency. Forced to discharge most
unpleasant duty, he did it according to the very
best judgment which God had given him. The
members of the Board were compelled to investi-
gate facts. Like judges, they were compelled to
express definite aud conclusive opinions. In such
cases the individuals, if honest, exempted from
personal responsibility for their Judgment.
No man is allowed with impunity TO insult the n
for their opinions; yet the officers of this Naval
| Board ought, in the judgment of some of their
most malicious enemies to be shot down or degra-
ded for the exercise of their honest Judgment
! They removed no one from Office The whole re-
sponsibilty of the removals rests upon the Secre-
| tary of the Navy and the President whose duty it
was, in obedience to both the constitution and the
law to have satisfied themselves Of the justness Of
| the decision of that Naval Board. The Secretary
recommended to the President to adopt the whole
report of that Naval Board without a single excep-
| tion. Nothing would be more unworthy, for either
the Secretary or the President than to retreat be-
hind the Naval Board and suffer fifteen of the very
best officers in the Navy to be vctimized for the
purpose of stunning that just responsibility which
belongs to the Erec,ttipe alone. / cannot believe
that the President or Secretary will shun it, The
noblest act the Chief Magistrate could now per-
form, would be to inform Congress, while it is
wasting its time on this subject that he would not
permit hs constitutional power to be usurped by
Others that he acknowledged no right of appeal
existing in this Senate in the House, or in both
combined, to sit in judgment upon his acts of re-
moval, over which they have no control that If it
cyud be shown to him that injustice had been
done in any one of these naval removals, he would
redress the wrong when satisfied it had been COM
mitted but that he would yield nothing to popu-
lar clamor, got up by interested parties, or their
friends or relatives in high low places and that
he would suffer no man to degrade him by assuming
that he had exercised no Judgment in these matters
or to throw the responsibility due from him alone
upon those nnonending officers in the naval SER
vice who had been compelled to obey his orders
in the expression Of their honest opinions.
| That sir, would be worthy of jackson in his best
days Were jackson now President that is the
very course he would adopt.
Sir, will venture to say, II the precedent is to
be set in this of trying these naval judges
charges made by the accused after they have de-
cided against them, no honorable man in the Navy
or Army will ever again consent to serve on such
board Of inquiry he wonld prefer to resign his
commission. 1t would seem as if there were an
effort making to compel some of theae members of
the Naval Board to fight every one of the two
hundred and one officers, or to submit to be abused
and denounced in the most scandalous manner.
There is no view in which any Of the Naval
Board could be justified, according to the prnci-
Piles which govern men Of honor in the Navy, in
seeking personal satisfaction from one who has
been thus removed from the service The mess
attempt to do It would injure him in the estima-
tion OF all officers of his own rank, and be most
disastrops in its consequences to the naval aeryice
Such is the position Of the officers of this Nayai
| Board. If they are TO be tried and condemned by
the Senate for their honest obedience o the orders
of the Navy Department, if they are to receive no
protection here for the faithful discharge of their
duties agreeably to the instructions Of the Secre-
tary in the execution of our own law their condi.
! tion is rendered intolerable and desperate; and
repeat that after establishing such precedent as
would result from condemning them, VIC could never
expect any honorable man to serve on board of
i inquiry.
As to Captain Dn Pont have made these ex-
pianations without the sightes. knowledge on his
part that it was my intention to address the Senate
to-day on this subject want no higher evidence
to sustain him than the eulogistic testimonial of
Commodore William Branford Shubrick, then the
commander in the Pacific. whose eminent services
during the war with Mexico were attended with
such signal success, and whose bravery was illus
tratcd ny his participation In one of the most bril-
| liant naval victories during the last war with Great
Britain. "The annals of war" he says, can fur
nish no instances Of greater GOODNESS or more in
domitable perseverance,, Of more conspicuous bra
very and of sounder judgment" than Du Pont has
exhibited No man is more beloved or honored
by his brother officers in the Navy, or more res
pected as an accomplished officer, sailor, and gen