Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-05-15


Inent hEre added together all the expenditure
OF your Goverement since 1870, embracing the
Army the Navy, the civil department, and 81 the
other objects Of appropriation; and hnd the sum
total to be 81 3I3 65S COO This Is the large sun
which has been drawn from the people since -
Government was established how wueh OF lhas
has been expended upon the Army and Navy In
country where the preudices Of the people aud the
genius Of the Government are against standlng
army in a country where the standing army has
been mt doWp to the lowest possible point, how
much of this 81 SIS, 658, GOO have been consumed
for military purposes Here where you say your
Amy Is in miniature, where your Navy has not got
cut Of its swaddling clothes, how much has been
extended on these two departmental Eight hun
drsd and sixty seven million five hundred ana sew
enfv-three thousand dollars have been expended on
these two arms of the public serviee and that toe,
while your standing Army has been kept Gown ~
the lowest point as We are told TWo-thirds OF the
entire revenue collected from the people o. 'he
United States has been expended upon his army
and Navy IN miniature Let Them grow until they
become men; let them get matured let mem ge'
full strength and how much Of the people sue.
stance viii il take to sustain this Army ana navy
As I remarked It has already taken the sum oil
1857, 573 OOO leaving S446 O65OOO to be apPheo 70
ali the other purposes of the Government
This should. think, teach very important
lesson. What lesson? Here where they have been
kent in miniature where they have been kept down.
where their influence has been felt less than IN
other Governments the Army and Navy have con
sumed two thirds Of the revenue drawn from the
people Go 10 the Government that nave risen ana
fallen before u.s. and what has been the cause q
their downfall and decline Il has resulted from
,bo ira1eDca If armies and navies Standing armies
and navies sustained by money drawn from the
people are the two arteries that have oied the
Nations before us to death They are the two cries
that are now bleeding our people more freely than
apv others in the bodypOlitic. Shall we not proht
by experienced Shall We not stop and CONSIDER
know it is very easy for Senator'S ana Ihose WIN
are not Senator's TO speak disparaglngly OF those
who count the dollars and cents when an approprla-
ton is proposed for this or for that purpose; Oul
We see where our appropriations have brought
NJ They have brought just where We are
in the midst Of extravaganza, IN the midst
of proaigacy, in the midsty Of improper appiea-
lions of the peoples money Is there way
to arrest it? I tell the Democratic party, es-
pecially when they find the opposition willing to
mite with them on this question, nov is the time to
eUrtail the expenditures Of this Government. If il
is not done now, when you get up a sufficient stir
here, and 20 on constantly increasing the govern
mental expenses, the people will hear the noise
They win hear the struggle, and now and then a
few of them will come up and look IN and ascertain,
if they can, what is going on; and when they do
ascertain that there is a considerable struggle going
on to reduce the enormous expenditures Of this Gov
eminent to enable the people to retain the product
of their honest labor in their own pockets, to be ex
pended in their way, they will come to the rescue
If the party that is for ting the eXtravagant
expenditures of this Government. now admonish
those who have charge Of the Government to CON-
mence the work in time; to commence it now.
But. sir I come back to the more immediate ques-
ton before the Senate and that to calling out
additional military force. We are tOdby the friends
of the committed billtbatWe do not want volunteers
General Washington in l79 ordered out fifteen thou
sand OF the militia to suppress the instruction Of
what were called the whisky boys in Pennsylvania,
and General Washington at that time acted upon
what he understood to be the theory Of the Govern
msnt, as contained in the Constitution.
In the enumerated powers of the Constitution,
We find the grant 10 Congress Of power
.To declare war, grant letters of marque and re.
prisal and make rules concerning captures on land
and water"
"To raise and support armies; but no aPpropria-
ton of money TO that shall be for longer term
than two years"
What is meant there? Does the Constitution con-
template a large standing army? Congress has
power to declare war; and the body on which this
bower is conferred is authorized to raise and main
tain an army. This is given as an incident as ne
cessary 10 the express grant to carry out the war
making power. Does that imply that you can Keep
fixed on the people large and expensive standing
army? Proceeding with The Constitution, we find
that Congress has power
ITO provide for calling forth the militia to execute
the laws of the Union, suppress instructions and
repel invasions. To provide for organizing, arm
ing. and dscplning the militia, aud for governing
such part Of them as may be employed In the SER
vice Of the United States reevng to the States re-
spectively the appointment Of the officers, and the
auth rity of training the militia according to the
discipline prescribed by Congress"
Do we not see that the militia was considered the
proper force to sustain the strong arm Of the Gov
eminent? It never was contemplated to have a
standing army. But it is said we do not want this
description of force. When we look into the Con-
stitution further we find that the States are pro
hibited from keeping a standing army. Our Federal
and State Constitutions we're made by our fathers
who we're familiar with the expressions of the Old
World, who had witnessed the entertainments and
dangers Of standing armies IL those old Govern
ments. Hence we find in all our bills Of rights
perhaps not in all Of them, but certainly in most Of
them-that standing armies are dangerous, and snail
not be allowed; and the Constitution Of the Unlted
States provides for calling forth the militia to sup
press rebellion or instruction against the Govern
ment What does this contemplate? 1t coutem-
plates most clearly that the power Of this Govern
mcnt is 20 be vested in the citizen sodery, that they
are to be called forth when the Government needs
them, and TO answer the purpose for which the Gov
eminent calls them into service. l am for that de-
:
upon the volunteers Of the country They are the
citizen soldiery in the proper scceptation Of the
term l am for that description of soldiers that 90
when war comes. ] am for that description Of sol
Iiers that c)me when war goes, who are not willing
TO enter the Army for a livelihood, and depend upon
the Army for their support. General Washington
gives us in his message of 1894 an illustrious ex
ample in what he said on this subject. He says Of
the fifteen thousand men who were called out to
suppress and put down the whisky boys in Penn
sylvania:
at has been spectacle displaying to the highest
advantage the value Of republican Government to
behold the most and the least wealthy Of citizens
standing in the ranks as private soldiers, pre-
eminenJly distinguished by being the army Of the
Constitution"
That was what Washington thought. He would
be considered a demagogue, pence calculator,
narrow minded politician if he were 10 live and
speak that language now; but he thought the true
army of a republican Government should be com
posed Of the most respectable and the least respect
able, Of the most wealthy aud the least wealthy,
fighting together when occasion required them
to tender their services. This was the army that
Washington presented an admirable spectacle Of
a republican Government; but when we come to
modern times and to more distinguished men, we
find different doctrine preached The honorable
chairman of the Military Committee am sorry he
is not in his seat-in speaking Of the citizen sol
QltISg OF u FOluutCSAo8 AdhNo use VI 1AS AOAO"A6
language:
Nothing wouldb be more unjust than to call people
from their peaceful avooations, and keep them for
long period at frontier posts guard frontier settle
mCnts. It would take lower material, too, than
compose the volunteers who turn cut in time Of war.
Among my objections 10 the employment Of vOlun-
teers for such service is the very elevated character
Of the young men who are often induced thus TO
enter the service; men who worthy Of better en-
pIoymeut; whose habits injured, whose train Of
thought pursuit of some profession is broken in
upon by this temporary service where cheaper man
would do as veil"
General Washington presented it as a noble spec
tace that the force which he had ordered out, in
obedience to the wants of the Government, com
posed of the most and the least wealthy and respeo
liable That was the idea that General Washington
had and he presents 1t illustrious example in
a republican form Of Government. But hear the
chairman Of the committee:
''If l may be permitted, without an appearance of
egotism to refer to my own observation, l would
say that when have travelled among the people from
wuom the volunteers were drawn who went to Mex
icO have had this fact more deeply impressed upon
me BY the sad cOuntenanoe Of some father the tears
of some mother, over the fate of promising young
man, who fell in performing the duties Of private
soldier The material is too high, except when the
hoaor of the country demands ii"
This carries US back TO the condition and material
Of which armies are composed in European coun-
tries. What is the material Of which they are