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A tJAHOXAL PAPER, PUBLISHED VVK DN ESP AYS AND SATURDAY* KY JOHN FENKO, No. 34, NORTH FIFTH-STREET, PHILA DtLPH I.V
[No. 65 of Vol. IV.]
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CONGRESS.
WEDNESDAY, January 1.
DsbAtb on Mr. Steele's motion for
the Reduction of the Military
Establishment of the
United States.
In Committee of the Whole. Mr. White
in the Chair.
Mr. Clark observed that by the debates
this day, it would appear as if it was de
signed to dilband the whole army, and to
give up the whole western country ; but
this is by. an mMDs the cafe; the object
is merely to reduce the number of the re
giments, not to dismiss a single man. He
supposed three thousand men would be
fufficient to contend with 1200 Indians;
the effect of the motion would be to (lop
recruiting ; —it is said the President is em
powered to disband the troops when he
thinks the public service will admit of it;
but this is a point of delicacy ; the law
provides for railing five regiments, the re
cruiting therefore will go on, unless per
haps the Legiflatuie (hail take some lleps
to prevent it. He therefore suggested the
idea of an address to the President of the
United States on the fubjeft.
Mr. Parker said, he was in favour of
the motion. It had been observed, he said,
that the President had it in his power to
disband the regiments; but he observed it i
wag not known what his sentiments are 1
on the fnhicdi. and therefore it. may be_,
highly pinker for this House to express
its opinion. Mr. Parker then fuppwted
his former affettion, that militia was su
perior to regular troops, especially such
as can now be obtained ; the belt men
cannot be* obtained, the war is unpopular ;
and ihetefore such men as turned out in
defence of the liberties of the country
cannot be enlisted. He adverted to vari
ous expeditions against the Indians, be
ginning with Biaddock's defeat. He no
ticed several actions during the late war
with Great-Britain, beginning with Btir
goyne's capture. He gave the militia the
principal credit for many ps our principal
and most brilliant fucccffes. He said, he
had no idea of a speedy peace with the In
dians ; but he exceedingly reprobated the
present fyfttm of prosecuting the war.
H« wm (or reducing the regular establish
ment to a number fufficient to gauifnn
the forts on the frontiers, and to give the
Prelident powertocall militia in such num
bers as he may think proper, and to strike
the enemy where the bed profpeft of suc
cess may appear.
Mr. Boudinot, after remarking that
the present difcuflion was merely a repe
tition of the various observations which
had been offered in the firft deliberations
on the befl mode of carrying on the Indian
war, said the majority determined on the
mode which had been adopted—For his
part he had been in the minority ; but the
the sense of the majority mull be fub
witted to; he therefore exceedingly
doubted the eligibility of deviating from
the system, and thus betraying an inlla
bility in the public councils. He advert
ed to tl»e existing Rate of Indian affairs,
the dnpofition recently discovered by
them to treat, and imputed the alteration
in the hoftilc appearance to the arrange
ments made by the United States to pro
secute the war: he therefore exceedingly
doubted the expediency of weakening the
public force at this crifij. He noticed the
interference with, and encroachment on
the Executive, which would be the con
fequeni-e if the measure (liould be adopt
ed. Tiie encrcafed expences occalioned
by the addition to the regular troops
were fully cuulidatcd at the time wben
'I'H"!?' n .ff to i ftVM'awri
Triiimrity For ever keep theii
opposition on foot, by bringing forward
the bulinefs in various (hapes ? He enlarge
ed on the ill policy of adopting the pro
pofitiou at the present moment, and said,
he hoped that nothing would be done to
derange a system which had becu the. re
sult of so much deliberation; on (lability
and firir.neCs, the eventual measures now
pur Cuing to bring about a peace, appear
j to be Cufpended.
r*
Mr. Willis opposed the motion. He
said he had been originally against railing
the additional regimeuts ; but the mo
tion, he conceived, went to such a re
duction of the defenfive force of the fron
tiers, as would leave them in a very ex
ppfed (ituation indeed. No gentleman
would fay, he prelumed, that two regi
ments would be fufficient to garrison all
the posts on the extensive frontiers of the
He had always be<»n of
opinion that volunteers and militia were
the bed species of force to be employed
against the Indians; but tho' he had been
opposed to the system adopted, yet he
now considered himfelf as differently situ
ated, and that it was a different cop.fi
deration to oppose a law before it is pas
sed, from continuing that opposition after
it is enadted : he hoped therefore, that
the motion would not be agreed to.
Thursday, Jan. 3, 1793
Mr. Steele, after adverting to the state
ments offered by the Gentleman from
Connedticntj and observing that they dif
fered from those which he had laid before
the House, said, in oider to remove eve
ry prejudice to the motion, he had been
induced to make from motives of regard
to the public good„ he (hould now more
particularly refer to the documents from
-wltewee-he had drawn his information.—
Mr. Steele then refeied particularly to
the several a£ts of appropriation—to prove
the jultnefs of his (tatements ; after he
had gone thro' with these, he obfeived,
that from hence it mud appear incontior
vertible, that the sums itated to have
been appropriated for thewat department,
were in fadt so appropriated—whether
the sums were expended or not, it re
mains for the gentlemen who controvert
those (tatements to (hew. He then (hew
ed that the whole sums were expended,
and monies called for to supply deficien
cies.
Mr. Wadfworth rose to explain—he
observed that he believed the gentleman's
statement just now delivered by him was
accurate—he did not mean to controvert
it. In hrsobfervations yesterday, he had
reference to the statement offered by the
gentleman in his fpecch when he brought
forward his motion which had been pub
lifhcd, and the accuracy of which, the
gentleman had not denied ; it was
that statement, Mr. Wadfworth said he
meant to controvert, and not the one now
offered by Mr. Steele.
Mr. Clark said he could not conceive
for what purpose this debate was spun
out to such a length ; he thought ihe
business might be very soon fettled by
proceeding to filling up the blanks in the
motion : he disapproved of the compari
sons which had been made between the
militia and the regular troops ; they had
both, at different times, behaved well,
aud both had perhaps been to blame.
Mr. Milledge rose in opposition to the
motion—he called the attention of the
House to the extenfivenefs of the fron
tiers of the country, particularly of the
State of Georgia : he noticed the con
duit of the Indians particularly on the
frontiers of that (late ; —the citizens of
Georgia adopted the constitution of the
United States, in hopes of deriving ef
fectual prote&ion from the Union ; have
they received that proteflion ? A treaty
has been formed with the moll formida
ble tribe on the frontiers—we have been
ainufed with expectations of their fulfil
ing the coirtraft on their part—but their
their treatment of Mr. Seagrove may
Saturday, January 12, 1 795-
257
so».i tSuK stto uwi"' l '
lent to running the permanent line.—.
Mr: Milledge then noticed the treache
rous conduct of the Indians on fcveral oc
cafious, and from the txtenfivenefs of the
frontiers, being more than 1500 miles in
extent—theirexcecdingly eipofed situati
on, &c.—He argued that the force ori
ginally intended to be raised, was so far
from being too great, that it is not ade
quate to the objtft; he was therefore
opposed to the motion. If any of-the of
ficers of government have embezzled the
public money, or have been guilty of
abuses, said Mr. Milledge, the way is
open plain to bring them to account,
and he (hould not think, that any member
of the legislature, knowing of such abuses,
who did not bring them before the public
tribunal, did his duty : He concluded by
faying, that as a defender of the rights of
his conitituents, by affording them aU
t£g m the- of "the go
vernment, he should vote againlt the mo
lion.
Mr. Findley. Sir, how far tlie
army is to be reduced,being a blank
in the motion before you, does not
come directly under debate, and
the re is a difference of opinion a
mong the gentlemen who i'uppoi't
the resolution ; the gentleman who
moved it, exprefled a design of re
ducing it to two regiments, and a
gentleman from New-Jersey (Mr.
Clark) proposes to reduee then) to
three, or to difcliarge none actually
enlisted ■, at any rate the principle
is open to debate.
J he difcuflions with refpedl to the
expenditure of the revenue, and
the comparative merits of the regu
lar forces and the militia, have been
nifficiently difcuiled ■, nt lf»0 «s tar
asnhey relate to the quellion under
conftderation, therefore 1 fliall pass
those fubjeifts at this time with only
one remark.
From the oblervarious of the gen
tleman who moved the refo)ution,t> e
firft and great objetft is, by disband
ing a great proportion of the ariny,
I o obtain money for the redemption,
of the redeemable part of the pub
lic debt. 1 agree with him that this
is an important and desirable ohjetft,
but we differ in this—that 1 take it
to be a secondary object. I consider
the defence of the union to be supe
rior to every other consideration ; it
was the firft realon for forming the
government, and claims the firlt pi o
vifion aud earlielt attention from
those who govern.
However, the arguments which
have been deduced from the origin,
the management and inisfortunet of
the war claim my partioular atten
tion. ] hat the war exifled previ
ous to theprefent government is no
more denied ; thai it was the off
spring and remains of the war with
Britain is confirmed by fads which
will lung be had in melancholy re
membrance : but iince the com
mencement, it mult be acknowledg
ed that the war has changed its com
plexion, the carnage and depredati
on have been much extended, and
the reientment and union of the sa
vages greatly increased. Mow that
has happened is a proper fubjecl of
enquiry. Gentlemen in support of
the iefolution have pretty plainly
implicated the war department as
the source of these evils. Let it be
observed as one excellence of our
government, that all officers, civil
and military, are f'ubjert to legal
trial and punifhuieiu ; there is *no
officer so dignified in the United
States as to be out of the reach of
legal responsibility ; —and if, there
fore, there is delinquency, let it be
aliened boldly and examined to ef
fect. It is the members of the le
giHature only that are out of the
reach of trial and punilhincHt ; up
on these we have no hold, except
[Whole No, 587.]
op iiS fhor cii;.r:«-fer, {heir roiuTi
ence aild their imeieU:. his tlieje
giflature that is oft he most
fuprenie (overcign powtr. ') hough
I do not appear as 1 lie :"N|vr>cate of
any other department, yet it is to
the conducts and neglects of the le
giflai lire that J now call the attenti
on of the coin mil tee ; it is from that
quarter that we can dtaw the molt
ufeful cautions for our deciiion of
this queition, and our future con
duct ; and it is more generous for
ns to examine and improve upon our
own faults in the firft instance. I
haxe already observed that the new
Congieft found the uniun in a state
of war.
What exertions were made to pro
cure peace, or grant protection, is a
very iiatnrai enquiry, One regi
ment was employed by (he old
Congress to fgr.ard t!jfronsier ;
though this whs a force infuffieienc
for !he purpose, yet it i 3 to be con
sidered tlmt the then government
had not the command of revenue,
and the individual States had com
petent powers,and the command of
their own revenue ; the enemy was
not combined, nor so much df the
frontier diltrerted. But did this
most pre/ling object obtain the ear
liest attention of Congress, or the
fii A provision ? No it did not. An
ill defined law was enai'ted,empow.
ering the President to call out the
militia, before any militia law of
Congress existed ; the conftquence
was that though they could not be
compelled, yet a number of thole
who were called upon went to the
Miami villages with General Har
niar ; with thole and his own regi
ment, tie arrived at, and dell toyed
those villages, and if he had had but
two regiments of good permanent
troops with the aliiltance of a few
chosen militia, he could have secu
red a lodgment there, notwithdand
ing the misforttines of his fkirinifli
ing parties ; and peace would have
been the prqbable confeqtience ;
but as the rime of fei vice of the mi
litia had cxpited, if he had been
ever so fortunate he mult have re
treated as he did ; thus the sava
ges were ex;reinely irritated, the
lignal given for union, and a great
extent of frontier formerly in sup
posed security became the object of
more than a common degree of sa
vage vengeance. In this diftrefling
(ituation of our affairs, the next Itep
taken by Congress was to enact a
law for railing a second regiment,
and to enlist levies for fix months
at two dollars a month, andjcloath
ing designed for to last half the
year ; just fufficient to take them
to the wilderness, there to starve
with cold in the molt inclement sea
son of they ear. The fatal catastro
phe in which this campaign ended
need not beiepeated, there is no
danger of its being forgot ; that ic
has encrealed the union and cou
rage of the Indian;), and encoura
ged them to treat with the most in
dignant insolence our overtures of
peace, is evident front the fate of
the brave men who fell with the
flags i for whose families we have
been jult making provision. Per
haps it may be said, as has at least
been reported, that Congress 011)3'
enacted into laws the plans recom
mended by the war department ;
how true this is in all the instances
to which I have alluded I know rot ;
but at any rate it is no apology. We
have no right to calt our legislative
responsibility upon the Executive
department—this power for which
our character is exclufivrly refpon
fi'ole,cannot be transferred without
a breach of trufl. And for liielir
objects there was no other iitforma
tion necefl'ary but what was pofc
feffed by the lloufe. Congress knew
»