MAY, 1812.

Assistant Secretaries of War.

H. OF R.

But if I saw my neighbor begin to cut down his trees and prepare his ground, in the month of April or May, for the purpose of entering upon his crop, I should know that, whether it was expedient or inexpedient for him to go into that cultivation, he was working wrong; and you must be sensible that this bill is proof as strong as if drawn from holy writ, that, whether our policy be wise or unwise, patriotic or interested, we have worked wrong. A Canadian campaign, like a crop, must be made in a summer. I had once a sagacious neighbor, who used to say of a dilatory man, that he would be a very good planter, if the summer was long enough for him; but the frost always came before he was ready for it. What is to be the consequence of this course of proceeding? You are, on the first day of May, to give efficiency or organization to an army, which is to take the field, as I have heard, next

ten pretty good subordinate men, you will only have to fill the highest place with some man of straw, who will cut a pretty good figure in the drawing-room or at the head of a table at an official dinner. This is a state of things which I do not wish to see produced. I said that the salary to be given to these two deputies was high; not perhaps in itself, if you consider abstractedly the sort of character necessary to fill the places and the expenses of living here; but they are relatively high; not high when taken in relation to the salaries of clerks and inferior officers, but very high when taken in relation to the salaries of the great responsible agents in this country, whether in the General or State Governments. Three thousand dollars a year may sound very low in the ears of gentlemen who are in the habit of voting millions; but it ought to be recollected that a Judge of the Supreme Court, who is harassed by attendance on his duty from the ex-month. The thing, if it were not out of order, I tremest points of the United States, has but three thousand five hundred dollars; that the Chief Justice of the United States himself receives but four thousand dollars; that verv few, perhaps not three, of the Governors of the individual States receive as much-I know that the Governor of Virginia does not ; under all these considerations, the salaries proposed for these officers are certainly too high.

But it may be said that this organization of the Department is necessary to its efficiency, let who will be at the head of it. I cannot bring myself to believe, sir, that this can be so. It is now, I believe, about one month since the embargo was laid preparatory to a state of war-nearly six months we have been in session-and it is almost twelve months since we received the President's notification that matters of great public concernment required our presence here. And has it just now been discovered that the organization of the civil branch of the War Department is utterly insufficient? What, sir! we are to go to war certainly on this side of the fourth of July, because the embargo expires on the third-and are we just now to set up the civil branch of the military service, in order to give form and system to the formless mass authorized to be raised by bills passed at an early period of the session? I cannot bring myself to credit this. Sir, I am a plain planter. What should I think of my neighbor-I am not now arguing the policy of war or embargo; for argument's sake I give up all thatbut now, after a session of six months, and the embargo has been beggaring our people for thirty days, we are about-to do what? To set up the civil branch of the military service-to put a few more supports into a tottering sort of establishment. I cannot believe it, sir. What would a plain planter say to his neighbor, who told him that he was going this year to make a crop of tobacco, or of any other product which hitherto he had not cultivated. Well, says his neighbor, I think you are wrong; tobacco is falling in price. But, says the other, I will force a sale; it shall have a price. The two parties differ as to this, as we differ on the subject of war or embargo.

would say, is absolutely ridiculous. It will not bear touching; it will not bear examination; it will not stand the proof. It winces; it shrinks from everything like examination. Can it be believed-for I look at the measure as it is presented to us-that a measure affecting so deeply and vitally the best interests of all classes in the country, but more especially the agriculturalthat the embargo should have been laid thirty days ago as preparatory to war, and we should now have to organize a department preparatory to carrying on that war? No, sir; there is, to be sure, for this bill, as there was for the other measure, a Message from the Executive. That is the alpha and omega-there is nothing elsethere is a Message from the Executive recommending it.

On the first day of April, of all the days in the year, we laid an embargo; and on the first day of May thence ensuing, we began to do what? To put troops in motion? To provide supplies? Although we have appropriated such vast sums for the current expenditures of the year, a part of which only will be defrayed by the loan opened to-day, have we laid a single tax to meet the necessary expenditures? And now we are called upon to build up a War Office! I do trust, before this bill passes, that some distinct and satisfactory reasons will be offered to the House and to the people, other than any we have yet heard, for its adoption.

It is in vain to tell us of an accumulation of business in the War Office; of the inefficiency of the Head of that Department, which has

to use the expression of the gentleman from Tennessee-been more than buzzed about for many months past. Is it possible that the necessity of this bill could not have been seen before the present time? It is not to be believed. Really, sir, if a man begins to clear his land in the Spring of the year, to make his tobacco or corn hills in the Fall, we may easily think what would be the result of that kind of management. I cannot bring myself to believe that the Government of this country is so entirely ignorant of its best interests, as, in case a bill of this sort had been necessary,

H. OF R.

Assistant Secretaries of War.

to have sffered that necessity to have laid asleep until this day.

MAY, 1812.

the Secretary at War. But, gentlemen will recollect that we have a bill on our tables providing expressly for the duties incident to this office, so that the Secretary at War will be relieved from the laborious duties incident to its details.

Mr. TALLMADGE said, that having delivered his sentiments at some length when this bill was before the Committee of the Whole House, he should not discuss at large its details-he intended to move a recommitment of the bill to the Military Committee, which he now distinctly stated, that the Speaker and the House might see the relev-ry General's department, amply furnished with ance of his remarks to that object. He begged the House to be assured that he was induced to this measure, not from any motive of opposition to an efficient Department of War, whatever might be his opinion as to the propriety or necessity of the measure: but because he felt convinced that the proposed organization was radically defective. To induce the House to consent to the proposed commitment, Mr. T. said he would briefly examine the prominent reasons urged for the passage of the bill now on the table, and hoped so to dispose of them as to convince the House that the proposed enlargement of the War Department is unnecessary.

The advocates for this bill have said that the duties relating to the Indian department had become so burdensome, that additional assistance was indispensably necessary. Mr. T. inquired for what purposes has the Government authorized an Indian department, with a superintendent at the head of it? Have we not a bill now on our tables proposing to give an additional salary to that officer? And of what use can such a separate department be if the same duties and services are to be performed by one of the Assistant Secretaries at War?

Mr. T. further remarked that we had very recently established two important offices denominated the Quartermaster General's and Commissadeputies and assistants, which would greatly relieve the head of the War Department from particular attention to the principal purchases to be made for the army. In fact, said Mr. T., the Government have been so liberal in making provision for all the arrangements called for, that we seem to have a most unwieldy establishment of departments under this military head. In addition to these, we have a Paymaster General, Adju. tant General, Inspector General, etc., with their several assistants and deputies, all which are es sentially necessary to the discipline, order, and movements of the army; but which being made would diminish in a very considerable degree the labor, and materially lessen the necessity of appointing two other officers as assistants to the Secretary at War.

Mr. T. said that he was solicitous to know of the honorable chairman who reported this bill, where he found the recommendation on which the peculiar features of this bill were to be ingrafted? It was manifest that it grew out of the Message of the President; and sure he was that no such office was recommended as is provided for by this bill. Can it then be that the Secretary of War has asked for this additional advisary aid? Nothing of this sort has been urged by the committee who originated this bill; and it can

The duties relating to the Pension Establishment of the United States have also been urged in favor of this bill. As to the payment of pen-hardly be conceived that he would, by such a resions, said Mr. T., it is well known that it is done without the smallest interference of the Secretary at War. The admission of pensioners upon the list and the increase of pensions were particularly pointed out by law, which required the accuracy of a clerk to arrange, and when duly registered were reported to the House, and by them always referred to the Committee of Claims, whose report upon them was final and conclusive.

Another class of claims upon the time of the Secretary at War, was the issuing of military land warrants. Now, said Mr. T., the members of this House have had so much to do with obtaining land warrants, that all must recollect that the head of this department does nothing in this business. It is exclusively committed to the same clerk who takes charge of the pension roll, and both branches of this business are now done very correctly by a clerk, as they heretofore were managed by Major Rogers, who is now no more. This leaves no imputation upon the Secretary at War; for so long as the business is faithfully done the Government need not complain; and that it has been and still is well conducted, I entertain no doubt.

Similar remarks may apply to the Ordnance department, the arrangement of which has heretofore undoubtedly occupied much of the time of

quest, impeach his own abilities. As it does not, therefore, appear that the President or Secretary at War have either of them requested this sort of collateral aid, Mr. T. said he was not willing to wound the feelings of either of them, by imposing upon them characters, in a highly responsible station, which should, in the smallest degree, embarrass their measures. He moreover wished to be informed what duties were to be designated and assigned to these Assistant Secretaries which could not be performed by men who might be styled principal clerks? If more of this sort of aid had become necessary, he would cheerfully afford it, but could not feel willing to break in upon a department long ago established, and which had the sanction of the first military characters in this as well as in other countries in its favor.

Mr. T. remarked upon the second section of the bill that although he was willing to remunerate men amply for services rendered to the Government, yet he could find no justification for his vote to tax the Treasury with six thousand dollars additional salaries, or sinecures, for services which could be performed by able, competent clerks, without deranging the present ministerial system of the War Department.

So also Mr. T. objected to the principle of the

third section, providing for the right of franking to two additional officers, which in his judgment did not become necessary, inasmuch as all the publie despatches of the War Department were now provided for, free of postage, and an increased indulgence would proportionably lessen the income of the Post Office.

H. OF R.

There will be no economy in making the Head of this extensive Department a man of labor, in the drudgery of the business; he should be a man of leisure, his mind at ease, and his attentions given to arrangement, to the distribution of business, to the employment of those that are under him, and a general superintendence of the entire concerns of the Department; to see that every thing is done correctly, to the best advantage, and Assistant Secretaries, will enable the Secretary to adopt this arrangement, if it should meet his views.

Having thus attempted briefly to explain to the House his views of the ground on which the bill stood and the reasons by which it has been sup-in due time; and the aid proposed by the bill, of ported, and being unwilling in any manner to fetter the operations of the War Department by thus multiplying its nominal heads, or to encumber the Treasury with the payment of useless salaries, Mr. T. hoped the House would consent to recommit the bill, that it might be rendered more conformable to military principles, and acceptable to the House.

Mr. McKIM said: Mr. Speaker, when this subject was first taken up, I had great doubts of the correctness of the principles of the bill. But the discussion has thrown much light on the subject, and I am now perfectly satisfied with it.

Mr. Speaker, the business of the War Department, embracing a vast variety of objects and of considerations and attentions extending to every part of the country, is probably too much for the capacity of one mind to perform with accuracy and with benefit to the nation; and the bill under consideration is intended to aid the Head of that Department, by the appointment of two additional assistants, to be called Assistant Secretaries. This mode of aiding the Secretary of War to perform the arduous duties of his station, is, in my opinion, the best calculated to promote the public interest that could have been devised. It gives to the Department additional talents and a great capacity to perform the laborious parts of the duty attached to the office, while it preserves in a single individual, the Head of the Department, that responsibility so essential to the public interest. The Assistant Secretaries are subordinate to the Head of the Department, and are not intended, as some gentleman have supposed, to exercise co-ordinate powers with him; and this arrangement secures responsibility in the Head of the Department, which would be lost or lessened if divided among so many.

Mr. Speaker, I have no knowledge of military concerns; but I have had some experience in the arrangements of public office; and I am satisfied, that to conduct business advantageously in an office of such extensive concerns as that of the Department of War, loaded, as it recently has been, with a vast increase of business, there ought to be talents and clerks, or Secretaries sufficient to transact all the ordinary business without the Head of the Department-leaving him at liberty to arrange, distribute, authenticate, and superintend the whole; and the bill is calculated for this arrangement of the business-it proposes to bring into the Department an increase of talent, and a greater capacity for labor, to be employed under the direction of the Head of the Department.

Mr. Speaker, it has been alleged that the Assistant Secretaries are intended to act as a council to the principal officer of the Department; and it is true he may consult them, and equally true that he may consult the meanest clerk in his office, if he choose so to do; but he is not obliged to consult them, or, having consulted, he may control their opinions-they are intended to act in a subordinate capacity, they are to be Assistant Secretaries, they are not to exercise co-ordinate powers with the Head of the Department. These Assistants, as well as the principal officer of the Department, are called Secretaries; and from this it has been inferred, that their powers and functions are the same as his. I know no difference between secretary and clerk, taken in this sense, except that custom may have given the former appellation to one who acts in a public office, and the latter to one who acts for an individual or in a private office. But these are called Assistant Secretaries; they are intended to aid the Head of the Department, but cannot control him.

Mr. Speaker, it has been observed, that the Secretary might, by a judicious arrangement, transact much of the business by clerks; and thereby leave himself more at leisure to transact Mr. Speaker, gentlemen have indulged thembusiness that can only be done by himself. He selves in conjectures, as to the object of the promight, it is said, commit all the business connected posed appointments, and the manner in which with the issuing of land warrants to one clerk; the Assistants are to be employed. They have to another, all that relates to pensions; and to a been placed in the station of counsellors to the third, all that relates to Indian affairs; and so with Head of the Department; one of them has been some other branches of the business; and then he placed at the head of the Southern concerns in the would have nothing to do in these branches, but office, the other at the head of the Northern conto sign his name when the papers are made out. cerns. The honorable gentleman from ConnecThis is very true-all this may be done by capa-ticut, (Mr. TALLMADGE,) who has thus disposed ble clerks; and I have no hesitation in saying, that not only this, but almost the entire business of the Department may and ought to be so done; ought to be transacted by clerks, and authenticated, when necessary, by the Head of the Department.

of them, may, I think, notwithstanding his general correctness, have fallen into some error on the subject. The bill is silent both as to the object of their appointment and the duties they are to perform; it goes no further than to appoint

them "Assistant Secretaries for the Department of War;" they are to assist in transacting the business, under the Head of the Department, and no doubt they will be employed by him, in such manner as he may think best calculated for the despatch of business, and the promotion of the public good.

MAY, 1812.

Roane, Jonathan Roberts, Ebenezer Sage, John Sevier,
John Smilie, George Smith, John Smith, Wm. Strong,
George M. Troup, Charles Turner, junior, William
Widgery, and Robert Wright-58.

NAYS- John Baker, Harmanus Bleecker, Adam Boyd, Elijah Brigham, Epaphroditus Champion, Matthew Clay, John Davenport, junior, William Ely, Asa Fitch, Charles Goldsborough, Bolling Hall, Obed Hall, Jacob Hufty, Richard Jackson, junior, Joseph Kent, Joseph Lefever, Joseph Lewis, jun., Nathaniel Macon, James Morgan, Jonathan O. Moseley, Joseph Pearson, dolph, William Reed, Thomas Sammons, Adam Seybert, Samuel Shaw, Richard Stanford, Philip Stuart, Lewis B. Sturges, Samuel Taggart, Benjamin_Tallmadge, Uri Tracy, Pierre Van Cortlandt, jun., Laban Wheaton, Leonard White, Robert Whitehill, David R. Williams, and Thomas Wilson-43.

Arunah Metcalf, James Milnor, Samuel L. Mitchill,

QUARTERMASTER'S DEPARTMENT.

On motion of Mr. CALHOUN, the House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the bill to establish a quartermaster-general's department, and for other purposes."

Mr. WRIGHT.-Mr. Speaker: I feel every disposition to gratify the request of the President, in supplying the Department of War with the proposed assistance, in order to the despatch of the business of that Department, which the Pres-Timothy Pitkin, junior, Elisha R. Potter, John Ranident has informed us exceeds the physical powers of any individual. Its great accumulation must be obvious to us all; but, sir, the President requires two Assistants to the Secretary of War, and this bill contemplates two Assistant Secretaries of War; I presume, he meant clerks, to execute the orders of the Secretary of War, and not co-secretaries, to advise and direct him-this sir, would be disrespect to the Secretary of War, and would lessen the responsibility. I have no doubt, he, with zeal and industry, has endeavored to do his duty-he was a respectable officer of the Revolution, though I am not prepared to say [This bill contemplates the appointment of two he is master of the duties of a Secretary of War. assistant quartermasters general; gives the quarI recollect but a short time past, a general dissat- termaster general command in the line according isfaction seemed to pervade the House; I confess to rank, when thereunto specially assigned; auI felt it, and I believe it was felt in the propor- thorizes the appointment of a barrack master and tion of our zeal for the progress of military pre-assistant barrack masters; authorizes the allowparations, to avenge the wrongs of our country- ance of office rent, fuel, candles, &c., to the offices and I confess I am pleased to find, from so high of the quartermaster general and commissary authority, such an apology for him. I shall vote, general; and repeals the sixth section of the forhowever, for the bill, as it is, if it is not the plea-mer law.] sure of the House to make the two Assistants clerks, which to me appears to have been the object of the President's Message on the subject. It will be recollected, that General WASHINGTON was the President of the United States when the present organization of that Department was established, whose military experience ought, in my judgment, to secure its permanence; though I am, for one, determined to furnish the Administration with such a supply of agents for the public service as they may think necessary; nor can I fear to trust them with such minor objects, to whom, by the American people, is committed the destinies of the nation.

The question on the passage of the bill was then taken, and determined in the affirmative, by yeas and nays, as follows:

The first and second sections of this bill, going to appoint assistant quartermasters with ranks of colonel, and to authorize the quartermaster general to take rank in the line, were, on motion of Messrs. WILLIAMS and WRIGHT, after debate, successively stricken out.

Further amendments were proposed; but the Committee rose, and the House adjourned, without having gone through the bill.

MONDAY, May 4.

The SPEAKER presented a presentment made by the grand jury at Detroit, in the Territory of Michigan, complaining of the non-execution of ritory, of the enactment of laws injurious to the a law of the United States applicable to that Terinterests of said Territory, and of misconduct on YEAS-Willis Alston, jun., William Anderson, Ste- the part of A. B. Woodward, one of the Judges venson Archer, David Bard, Burwell Bassett, William of said Territory, accompanied with sundry paW. Bibb, Robert Brown, William Butler, John C. Cal-pers in relation thereto; which were ordered to houn, James Cochran, John Clopton, Lewis Condict, lie on the table.

William Crawford, Roger Davis, John Dawson, Jo- The bill from the Senate allowing a pension
seph Desha, Samuel Dinsmoor, Elias Earle, William
Findley, James Fisk, Thomas Gholson, Isaiah L. Green, to Arthur St. Clair, and the bill authorizing the
Felix Grundy, John A. Harper, Aylett Hawes, John State of Tennessee to issue grants in certain cases,
M. Hyneman, Richard M. Johnson, William R. King, were severally read twice, and committed.
Abner Lacock, Robert Le Roy Livingston, Aaron Lyle,
Thomas Moore, William McCoy, Alexander McKim,
Jeremiah Morrow, Hugh Nelson, Anthony New, Tho-
mas Newbold, Thomas Newton, Stephen Ormsby,
Israel Pickens, William Piper, James Pleasants, jun.,
Benjamin Pond, Samuel Ringgold, John Rhea, John

The engrossed bill for the better regulation of the ordnance was read a third time, and passed.

The engrossed bill to annex to the Mississippi Territory that part of West Florida east of Pearl river, was read a third time.

Mr. PITKIN asked for information as to the

The House resolved itself into a Committee of On motion of Mr. BURWELL, the bill was orderthe Whole on the bill supplementary to the acted to lie on the table, to give further time to refor regulating and laying out a road from Cumberland, in Maryland, to the State of Ohio. [The bill authorizes an additional appropriation for this object, of thirty thousand dollars.] No objection being made to the bill, the Committee rose and Mr. LACOCK reported the bill; which was ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.