The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-11-13

ana Wills, OF New York; Cook, OF Georgia, and RAN
THE RECENT RECRUITING
mr. uAkFiELD, rep OF Ohio sent to the Clerks
desk and had read letter from tho Secretary OF War;
defending himself from charges made against him in
Saturdays debate In regard TO recruiting OF soldiers
since inc Army bin was before tho Committee on APP
preparations. The Secretary claims that The enlist
ment Oh recruits IS expressly authorized by law and
That therefore, II can bc carried on even IN The
uosen'c OF an appropriation. Nevertheless, he had
not deemed best TO recruiting after tho LIST
OF July, not Tor want OF authority, but because no
snousn, ihexpedicnt TO muster men into the service
whsn there was no money to pay them 0raers
had been accordingly issued TO stop recruiting
on inc Isl OF July. Subsequently, an urgent appeal
nad come from Major General Mcdowell, commanding
the Military Division OF the Pacific, approved and
urged by the General Of the Army ing authority to
enlist recruits Tor tho cavalry regiments engaged in
dian war Tho Secretary had yielded 10 that APP
psr ana recruiting had been for short time
permt.cu Tor that purpose The order for
TINS recruiting was not only lawful, but
urgent ana necessary, and refusal to mako
Jecteu tue department TO grave especially as
INC smainess OF the force engaged In that indian war
pea0e ahu OF me death OF many brave officers and
men. THIS order for recruiting had been counter
manded as soon as the emergency seemed to be over
anu no ehhstments mad been made since The I'm
preston that some five hundred had been enlisted
recently was an entire mistake, growing out OF mis-
construction oil the AdIutant Generals telegram.
A supplementary telegram from the secretary was
also read stating that the order Tor enlistment was
the 9TH OF July,
Mr. BANNING, tdem.) OF Ohio chairman OF the Com
mitee on Military Anairs also sent to the Clerks desk
ana nad read telegram received today from the
Adjutant General stating that the recruiting
showed that 1928 had been enlisted since Tho LIST
been enlisted the Pacific coast by authority OF tho
General OF the Army, given on the 9Th OF July to
meet the cxigences OF the Indian war.
MR.. uEwtrr's CRITICISM
Mr.. HEWITT, tdem. OF N. Y. "a member OF the APP
preparations Committed criticised the Secretary's
letter. and SAID II there had been any mistake or mis-
apprehension II was due to the conceamcnt facts
on the part OF the Secretary Of War and officers OF Tho
army aud to their of candor In stating TO the
committee tho facts OF tho case. The effort on
tho pat OF the committee had boon to ascertain the
force OF tho army, and tho Secretary OF War had
stated II IN telegram 10 he 81 1868 Then tho General
OIL tho Army who had come before the committee and
stated the number at 2l,9o2 as by the last
been reduced TO less tnan thousand ny tho
stoprage of enlistment tho expiration ot service aud
casualties. Then tho AdJutant General had and
confirmed the statement OF the General OF tho Army,
and had stated spec caly that cnlstmcnts had stop
ped since the Isl OF July BY The telegram just now
road from the Atjutant General the House had been
informed that recruiting had bceD resumed on the SIN
81 July ana had terminated some time In August
that TACT had been known to the Adjutant General
when he was before the committee, and yet no
bad not stated II, but had, on the contrary, gwen
as reason for tho cessation OF recruiting, that
the appropriation was exhausted, aud that no money
was available for kooping the army to the standard
6xod by law The Secretary OF War was sitting In tho
committee room when this statement was made, and
he has not given the committee tho information
furnished In his letter. Therefore. whatever rcsponsi
longed TO tho Secretary OF War; tho General OF the
Army and tho Adjutant General He then proceeded
TO discuss the rgut asserted by the Secretary OF War
TO authorize eniistmcns the absence of approprIa
TONS and claimed that there was such right tho
part Of the President. Ii tho President had that
power II would be the concession OF every principle
Tor which the Anglo-Saxon race had struggled from
tho time OF Charles l. to the present time. Tho
claim OF Charles was that had not only the right
TO maintain army, but that he had right go
side aud raise money Tor It's support For that purpose
he had Imposed tho illegal snip money tax agansts
Hn md hnr mn rtnfo r0hat lad
That long controversy mad been settled by the Bill OF
Rights. under William Ill, which declared that
standing army should not DO maintained IN time OF
peace except by consent OF the people. He quoted
Judge story as saying that the control OF the people
over the standing army was absolute by reason Of The
House OF Representatives, 10 direct the appropriations
Tho proposition OF tho Secretary Of War that
the President might maintain the army up to It's limit
IN the abscDce OF appropriation. II meant thing.
II meant that From that proposition he (Mr. Hewut)
dsscnted, in the name oil human freedom rho only
safeguard which the country mad In reference TO a
preparation bill and from no other source whatever.
SPEECH OF MR.. GARFIELD
Mr. GARFIELD, OF Ohio, replied 10 Mr. Hewitt. He
thought that the House would compare tho candor
tho just read from the Secretary OF War with
q way would not be unavorablo to tho Secre.
tary. He wished To know II the gentleman thought
there had been no appropriation made. II he did not
think that did no think that tho army should DO
allowed 10 melt away by death and dcserlion until IL
should become too inefficient to protect the frontier
Did he mean 10 say that tho President had power
appoint officer to Ill vacancy because no ap-
preparation had been pay that officer? Had
that doctrine been advanced by any lawyer until
the gentleman from New York had taken tho floor to
advance it9 rho whole Regular Army bill had
been passed without a dollar OF appropriate on.
1t stood entirely separate from the Appropriation bill
OF course Congress could refuse to the water
but tho mil stood still. The Army bill that mill.
Congress could refuse appropriate money, but the
army would still stand Tho law liked the number OF
the array at 26 600 men. In tho great pressure OF
danger on tho Pacific coast gallant had gone 10
the army headquarters In order to assist protecting
their homes against the savages, and had
been told that, there beng appropriation,
they would have TO trust to tho justice OF for
their pay When by this means tho country mad been
saved was Haunted in tho face OF tho Secretary OF
War that he was Improbable Tor high crimes and
msdemeanors Hc (Mr. Garhcld) did not believe the
majority OF the gentlemen on tho democratic sitc OF
tho House sympathizcd with that kind OF talk, and the
country would set II down being made for the pur
pose OF throwing obloquy upon the gallant army
which had done so much TO save tho country from
great peril Tho attempt to talk OF impeachment anu
TO blanc tho War Department Tor lis action
kind as II was unpatriotic and cruel to the army
Congress might, OF course, refuse to pay that thou
Sand men who had been recruited, but tho country
would then know whether Congress was tho cncmy OF
the army
REPLY OF Mr. HEWITT.
Mr. HEWITT, oil New York, said that the army
listed BY virtue law. and should not be dissolved by
reason OF failure oil an appropriation, but should
continue 10 exist as long the officers and men were
willing 10 serve without pay. But there had been no
necessity Tor the army going without pay. The Pres
ident had the right call Congress together
session before the end Of tho sca year. and his first
impulse Ia that direction had been sound and rght. IL
any trouble nad occurred II because the President
had not NJ 10 do so. He (Mr. Hewitl) had not,
to-day, said word about impeachment, as the gen
llcman from OHIO mir. Garneld) mad stated, but no
had last saturday stated that, II the secretary OF
War had expended the public money without
appropriation, he had violated the law ana liable
to impeachment. He tMr Hcwitt) charged the secrc-
tary however as we'll as the Gcnsra vi tho Army and
the AdJuiant General, with having concealed the tact
when before tho Appropriation Com:nlttec that over
thousand men had recruited since the end OF
tho last fiscal year, but had, on the contrary told the
committee that recruiting had ceased since that time
Tor want oil Appropriation.
Mr. CoSGER, rcp) OF Mich, said that he did not rise
to defend the secretary OF War, a man whose repu-
taton Tor honor integrity rankness and truthiulncss
stood as high as that oil any other man
tho country. Neither did he need to defend the
frankncss and vcracity ol General Sherman which
had been attacked. Tho country knew him, and no
therefore needed no defence, nor did tho Adjutant
General. The gentleman from New York (Mr. hewitt)
had said that the army existed by virtue OF law; that
law allowed the President ana HIS executive officer TO
Keep Ibe cayary companies up to a nxcd standard.
Mr. MANNING, of ONO, SAID mat If tho officers and
men OF tho army wore without their pay u bc-
the President had not called Congress together
before the end OF The fiscal year. under the consti
tpnoD be should have done He would vote for the
pill but before putting record his OPP