Newspaper Page Text
Aug 31 323 William O Bell, for <l<> due him on his muster roll, for
son ices, do 137 09 ;
Sept 1 8*2.5 George AV Nelson, lor do do do do 316 70
Sept I 826 VVilliain llnno s, for do of nudited sce't allowed him do I'2 7(9
Sept 1 827 \\ orlhv A.W nllnce, lor do do do them do 13 I'2
Sept 6 831 William Mc Afee, for do do do him do B'2 50
Sent 6.136 Jin I, Harm's, for do due him on Captain Nelson’s
mn-I'r roll, for a lost horse, &c. do. 113 00
Sept 8 833 Asa l> Smart, for do due on his muster roll for scr-
' ices, do. ('9 75
Sept 15 311 Moses l»>i(il. 1. for do of audit 'd ncc’t allowed him do. 5157
Sept 18 846 Ransom I’arham, for do due on his muster roll, for ser-
' ie< S do. '202 91
Sept 95 851 S A Smith, tor do of audited aec’t allowed him do. 120 09
Sept 26 352 J Beall, for do do do d.,_ 13 50
Sept -10 856 CII Nelson, t r do due him on his muster roll fora
n lost horse, ,| o . ]OO 00
Oet 5 859 \N I i.'htloot, hr do us audited aec't allowed him do. 25 50
Oct 10 863 F.nos R Flewcllen, tor do d t do do. ‘25 00
Oet 16 8.2 t.l Malone, tor do do do ns agent, do. 51 27> ;
Oct 16 873 Hardt Hews, lor do <’ him on Captain Malone’s
mu«l 'r roil, fora lost horse, do 109 CO
Oct 95 833 Jourdnn Driver, for do of an lited aec’t allow ed him do 35 00
Oet 31 836 John Maxey, for do do do do. 7 50 ;
TW ll.Vri-FIFTH f'ONOHl'SN—Second Session.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Tuesday, January 24, 1838.
Mr. Johnson nf Louisiana, asked the consent of the House to
submit a resolution instructing ilie Committee on Private Land
Claims to inquire whether any, or if an.', what further provisions
ought to be made by law, lot the legal decision of claims for land.
Objection being made, Mr. J. moved a suspension of the rule, but
the House refused.
On motion oi Mr. Smith, and by general consent, the House took
up the engrossed bill, postponed some days since, entitled “An act
to secure the pa mi nt of certain commissions on duty bonds to col
lectors ofthe customs,” ami after a few explanatory remarks between
Messrs. M’K.iy, I'.. Whittlesey and Smith, the bill was passed.
Mr. Hoffman moved a suspension of the rules for the purpose of
calling the States for petitions and memorials ; but the House refu
sed—9o to 59 : not two-thirds.
SEMINOLE INDIANS.
Mr. Cambrelcng, on leave, reported a bill making a partial
appropriation for the suppression of Indian hostilities for the year
1238.
The bill having been read twice, Mr. C. sent to the Clerk’s table
to be read, a letter from the Secretary of War, and another from!
the Acting Quartermaster General, setting forth the absolute neces- !
sity for an immediate appropriation.
Mr. C. then explained that he bad been unanimously instructed i
by the Committee of Waysand Means to report this bill of one j
million of doll;;;lhe amount required for the year being $2,480,000.'
\v hen that bill si dd come up, there would, undoubtedly, be a gen- j
eral debate ; i order that the operations of the War Depart
ment might m>t I topped, and that the necessary payments might |
be made, th ' m inittee had directed him to report this bill, and ask
the House, wl.. : it was referred to the Committee of the Whole on
the state of in- I nion, to go at once into committee upon it.
Mr. Downing expressed his hope that the mo ion of the gentle
man from New Aork would prevail, for it was indispensable that this
bill should be passed without delay. He was daily receiving the
most pressing letters on the subject, seltingforth that, at this time, the j
troops in the field were absolutely suffering severely for want of j
subsistence, and that the people, ere long, would be compelled to re- j
sort to what they were before driven to, to feed upon horseflesh. :
Two thousand of the Florida Militia have been disbanded without
having been paid. It this course is followed up, and moneys are
not appropriated, the result will be, that the people in that section of
country will lose confidence in the Government, and it will not be in
its power hereafter to enlist men into the service. It was his opin
ion that this war would bo brought to a speedv termination, if the
means were put in the hands of the Government for carrying it on ;
and gentlemen need not be apprehensive of its prolongation. The
late efforts made there were decisive, and he believed the war would
be brought to a close in a very short time.
The bill having been committed—
Mr. Cambrelcng moved a suspension of the rules to enable him to
submit a motion that the House go into Committee of the Whole on '
that, and the bill for the prelection of the northern frontier.
Air. \\ ise inquired if the motion was a debateable one.
The chair replied that it was not.
Mr. \\ ise said if it had been, he should have offered some objections
going into committee on this bill, for he saw no reason for taking up
a partial bill when there was a general bill already before the
House.
Mr. Cambrelcng might he permitted, after the remark of the gen
tleman from V irginia, to repeat what he had before said, that, when
the other bill came up, he anticipated a general debate, but the ne
cessity of the present bill was shown from the fact that the War
Department had nothing to pay but drafts, and they were returning
protested.
Mr. \\ ise. If the appropriation is now made, tlie.ewill be noth
ing to debate about.
Mr. Fell had examined, as well as he could, the grounds upon
which this partial appropriation was made; and be believed that
there was a necessity for s< me amount —b >w much, it would be for
the House to ascertain. •
Air. Cambreleng’s motion was agreed nocs not
.counted. 4
The House accordingly went into Committee of the Whole en the
state of the Union, Air. Connor in the chair, and proceeded to the
considcration of the above bill.
As soon as it had been read by the Clerk-
Air. AA ise inquired if this bill did not also contain appropriations
for other branches of the Indian service.
Air. Cambrelcng said this bill was like all appropriation bills. It
waSjfor appropriations for the suppression of Indian hostilities gen-
The bill was then read by the Clerk.
Air. Wise said this bill was precisely of the character which lie
expected, before the House went into committee. Instead of its be
ing a mere partial appropriation bill forthe immediate exigencies of
the service in Florida, it was a genend appropriation bill for all ex
penditures in the Indian service. It was in this way that appropri
ations were extracted from this House, like teeth, without the pro
per investigation and inquiry, The officers of Government waited
until appropriations were immediately wanted, and then they calhd
upon the House to pass them, without investigation, without inqui
ry, and without discussion. In this manner that nine-tenths, if not
all of the eight, nine, or ten millions of dollars which had been ap
propriated for this fatal, disastrous, disgraceful Seminole campaign
had been obtained. V* e have been told by the delegate from Floi i
da that ti e troops had been discharged without being paid ; and the
chairman of the committee tells us this money is wanting without
examination and without debate. Was this the way appropriations
were to be made ? Would any corporalion or company take thirty
millions of dollars to pay the expenditures of this disgraceful Indi
an war. He, for one, would take the responsibility of saving, and
acting out what Im id, that In* would not appropiiatc another dol
lar for this purpose until he had some information as to the manner
in which former a ■> • .nations had been expended, and until he had
correct data as to t,< ns now 1 needed. He wished to know how
niuc i had been exp .cd for steamboats which had performed no
service to the Government, and the amounts paid to heartless con
tractors, who rendered no equivalent for the money paid them. He
wished information, too, in relation to the. perfidy which had been
practiced by officers of the army towards these ' Indians, with all
other necessary information, before he was prepared to vote for any
other and further appropriations ; as he believed the greatest out
rages had been committed upon than, which was the only reason of
the war !>< ing kept up. He fell sufficiently humbled by this outra
geous and di'gr teiful war, and he would rather vote, t'» secure those
unfortunate Indians in their hammocks than from them.
Air. Downing said it was with the deepest regret that he had lis
tened to tlm remarks of the gentleman from V irginia. He had in his
possesion into: mation which would show the House the necessity of
making this appropriation.
1 '" :i - l!! ■ . god that the war was iniquitous in its in-
cc/.io'i, ?, i .vis in its uses and would be ridiculous in its
emu oidor,. • , *. r ilt dl hat gentleman, and ho defied con
tladicti< ■ , t was based on a solemn treaty with the Indi
ans, niKp and W || j ( their full consent. Hitherto, there
not I, ( , *t charge against ir. validity ; not even a
whisper had I; ‘thed about unfairness or fraud. The treaty
had been executed on the part of Government, not in a hurried
manner, but in a calm and deliberate wav ; the chiefs on the part of
the Indians haxmg had ample time to reflect and consider the propo
sition. But it wa., with the Semino!,' ~,sit was with tho Cherokees;
who, after having received our money beforehand, for their lands,
when the tune arrived for their evacuation, they then set up the cry
of fraud, of unfairness, and of the treaty having been made without
their consent, etc. I his trait in the Indian character was fully
known to all conversant with them ; and they might rest assured that
as tn this, so tn every other ease, after tho money had been squander
ed and spent, the Indians would r«f. <• to comply with their agree
ment, and invariably raised such groundless and idle objec
tions. J
The gentleman had called it an unfortunate war. So it was. Tho
war bad been j olonged b< yond the calculation of any human being.
But whose fan’ was it that it had been so prolonged ? Was it the
~h - in it, or tlm iniliiiii raised for its snpprcs-
Y : pr< lo " | - : " io " C!| uscd by the gentleman, and
the friends of tho gentleman who now opposed the appropriation. It
was well known, and lie challenged proof to the contrary that every
officer engaged in tho war had a- part zealously and effective-
ly ; but the evd was that they had to cheek their efforts, because
they were compel! d to bend to that sympathy manifested so gene
rally for tho “red man’in the North and other portions ofthe
Union, where the true slate of things was not known. The only
leason that the war was not ended long ago, was, that the troops had
been compelled by that sympathy to hold out the white fl a a to the
“ poor devils,” to give them time to make peace, when they were
entirely in our power. If the people of Florida had hoard nothing
from the pulpit and the press about the wrongs of the “poor Indi
ans,” and such ebullitions of blind for ling, the war would lon<r since
have been suspended. Had the people of Florida been permitted
to adopt their own measures, and if the rope and the gallows had
been us-*d, as they would in the case of w hite men committing such
enormities,the affair would have been settled long hetoie this.
But, not wil list, i ruling the at ioc ions co ml net of these villa turns ob
jects of sympathy—notwithstanding they had murdered our citizens,
destroyed our property ami besoiged our towns—notwithstanding
all this, yet the gentleman refused to grant an appropriation tor
the purpose of protecting our citizens from a rccm rencc ot such
outrages.
/?«/ public s ntimi nt and sipii’ iitln/ was crer ready f.> cri rt itself
for the red man and she negro. r l'hc white ineii e l the South might
be butchered by hundreds, and thi act looked upon with indifference;
but when colored skins were concerned, (hen it was that an outcry
was raised. It was forthe in Ilan and the negro for whom public
sympathy boiled and bubbled over.
The gentleman had intimated that tho p 'oplo of ! lurid:t wen;
“fattening tpon tho appropriations.” He would ask that gentleman
to cast his eyes upon their desolated cities, their wash d and impov
erished country, and then say from whence had they the means ol
“ tai toning on the appropri it ions.’’ 'I heir hot st*s, their wagons, their
provisions and snstennice was gone, and the wind ■ ot their proper
ty bad been destroyed and taken bv the enemy. I lad the gentle
man been able to show l.ut one instance n here the puldtc money had
tell to the share ol the people of Florida, and been improperly used ;
could lie adduceone instance ot' fraud on their part I It was true
that charges had been made in the House, through the medium ot
ttilo (Vinous letters, about ;si() being paid f.ir wagons,when the same
could be had lor |5, etc ; and it had ah > been alleged that a cost tin
quartermaster had taken a receipt for more than an article had cost,
sot tin* purpose of pocketing the money. But were they thus to be
influenced by chaiges through such sources ! If gen’lemon knew cf
anv such cases whore fraud had been practised, it was theii duty to
make complaint to the proper department, when I ey might rest as
sured that ample redress would be obtained. But forthe people ol
Florida to be told, when they had been deprived ot tho necessaries
of life, that they were getting licit and fattening upon the spoils—
Air. Wise assured tiie gen'lenitin that he v.as laboring tinder a mis
take. lie littd charge <1 nobody, but had merely expressed a hope
that the House would direct its inquiry to the points where suspicion
existed. He did not allude to the people of Florida, but io the Gov
ernment contractors.
Mr. Downing begged to inform the gentleman from irginia, that
in the whole Territory of Florida, there was not a single Govern
ment contractor. The conn acts wi re made elsewhere, the horses
being chiefly obtained front Kentucky, and the provisions aTirFaiu
munilions from New Yotk and (iltat liton. The poor citizens of
Flotida had received nothing but th:* small pittance of six dollars per
month for all their labor ; their sweat and their blood; and of even
that small sum, gentlemen sought to deprive them, by refusing to
vote for the appropriation. Was that proper, after the citizens had
been engaged to fight the battles of their country, to refuse to grant
them that slender recompense I
Air. Wise did not mean to be understood as opposing the payment
of any just claim against the Government. AU he wished for was,
that if an appropriation were made, that steps should be taken to
insure the people of Florida in getting their due, and to prevent the
money from being swallowed up by harpies, feeding on the carrion
of that war.
Mr. Downing contended that it was the duty of Government, hav
ing contracted a debt, anti when satisfied of a jast claim, to pay it
immediately ; and then, if any fraud was suspected on the part of
agents and others, to make it an after subject <f investigation. He
had not the slightest objection for a full investigation ofthe conduct
of Government in relation to lhe war, as he was confident the Gov
ernment could be justified in every art.
The business bad been transacted through the means of agents,
and if the agents themselves had been deceived was that the fault of
Government? Had there been any abuses made known to the pro
per authorities, which had not been rectified ? But because one out
of the thousand officers of the militia, wlio from necessily were made
disbursing officers ; because one of these had acted dishonestly, was
the Government to be held responsible? Was it upon such charges
that the appropriation w as refused, the time of the House wasted, and
the Government assailed ?
Mr. D. then alluded to the treachery ofthe Seminoles, ami said be
was ready to prove, that although here they pretended to desire peace,
yet when they returned to their tribes, they breathed nothing but war.
He adverted to the conduct of the two chiefs, Jumper and Alligator,
in instigating the enemy to hold out to the end of spring, as Con
gress would make no appropriation, etc. He referred tti three let
ters which he had received in proof of it, and which were being pub
lished in the newspapers of Florida.
It has been clnrged by the gentleman from Kentucky, (Mr. Un
derwood,) that there were more troops' in Florida than the whole
number of Seminoles. including stpiaws and children. For his part,
he did not profess to know the exact number ofthe enemv, b it if
from the obstacles presented it was found that ton thousand troops
were not sufficient, why it was their duty to se'nd twenty thousand.
But one gentleman had proposed to draw the troops from Florida.
This was certainly a strange course, and he (Mr. D.) was entirely at
a loss to ascertain by what rule of arithmetic the gestlem an bad ac
ted, when because ten thousand were not enough, he proposed to
leave but two or three thousand.
Mr. IJj-lhcn alluded to the peculiarity of the Florida war, and the
impossibility of mcetingthe Indians in a body, so as to attack them
with any chance of success. Sir, said Mr. D. they arc scattered
over the country, cast, west, north, and south ; they are here and
there, and yet nowhere. Thev were ju-t like a flea, the momenta
man put his hand upon one, thinking lie had caught him, that instant
it would lie in some other place, lie appealed to the gentleman, if,
for the sake of a few paltry dollars, they would sacrifice the lives of
our troops, when fighting with a while enemy, by sending out only
a certain number. \\ hen the war commenced, it was thousht that
an appropriation of five millions would be sufficient. lie thought
so too. But because, from a combination of un'ooke I for events, a
greater amount was requiicu, gentlemen comp! lined tb it the war
was unjust, and demanded an inv. st'ga ioa. 1: was the first time hr
had been told that, after the people of Florida l.a I stil.ered so severe
ly, their savage foes were to tie pitied. He wished gentlemen v. ho
said so, would first take the trouble to go and ext :: ine for lb'mselves.
■ Mr. D. here drew an amusing comparison of t':<* notorious .\at Tur
ner, once concealed in the Dism d Sw. mp, and the Fiori i i Indians.
He then alluded to the many efl'.i ts and applications from various
quarters to induce the citizens of Flmidi to allow tl.e Indiansto lo
cate on their territory, and to free their slaves; but l.e would as
sure them that they would never submit to dictation ; for lhe people
of Florida would not fret: their slaves, neither would they allow the
Indians to remain among them.
Mr. D. went on at some length to comment cn the numerous ob
stacles presented to the troops in cairying on the war, the t hies of
which was the misplaced sympathy of tlm public, which compr-lled
the officers to relax from a policy which otherwise c-miJ n->t fail t<>
bring the contest to a spe dy t- rrnm.iti >:i. H ■ allude I to the u ’d:e:.’l
•hy climate of Florida, which prevented anv action during the sum
mer months, and contended that tl.e whole of tlie fighting season,
from the commencement of the war, did not amount to more than
nine months. By tint means almost ii s irm mutable obstacles were
presented, lor the provisions hid to be recarlcd, the lost time to be
regained, and then the season for exertion was so short that scarcely
any thing could Im accomplished. Mr. D.concluded bv maintaining
the justice of tie treaty, and the utter falsity of the cli.'ir-es of fraud
made by the Indians.
Mr. \V ise reiterated his former charges as to the cli.’racter of the
war and its inception, and declared he would pn ve them if the
House would give him a committee - f investigation for that purpose.
He expressed his surprise, that the gentleman from Florida had never
heard the fairness of the Seminole tr; aty questioned, for it had been
designated as a fraud upon that floor a year ago. It hid m ver been
ratified by the Indians, and was no m re a valid treaty than was tho
Uherokce treaty.
Mr. Downing exp!med that he would not take lhe testimony of
Indians or negroes in opposition to that of white people ; and the va
lidity of the treaty had never been questioned in Florida.
Mr. \\ ise sai l that he would take tho le-t'tno :v of the Govern
ment, of our own agents and our own peoph-; a.id theii testi nmiy
was that the treaty ha ! not been fail ly obtained, a:t 1 that it weis
nevi r made with the -Smiiiaeh- nation, as a nation, in making trea
ties with the Indians, th v ar-a to be heard a;we I ::s mi. .clvi >. He
would appeal to tho deleg i‘e from Flm i la, who was u 1 awv< r, to ay
whether it was not m er s- u y wb natrem i was m i 10, ibat bm!i pir
ties th.mid be heard? A';d he would now s>v that h ■ b -liev. d when
the whole matter was fully invest; g.t:<• I and ex- used, that it would I c
found and proved that there was no trea’v made but a fraud’ll.*nt
treaty. He bcheved it coni', b• I tirly slmw.'i and proved that these
Indians had been inlamomdy treated, and hi’ wmd l now take occa
sion to say that he ha<l b -n fitrmslm ! with a letter bv Sccrcsi y
Gass from Governor Eaton long before !i islilities broke mil, asking
that a force might Im sent there t > overawe the Indi ms and suppress
Indian hostilities ; yet no force was sent, and no appropriations
were asked for, until hostilities acta illy broke out. Tim gentleman,
therefore, would find it a harder task th in )m was aware of, to sustain
the War Department in the cnnrsn it had taken in relation to these
Indian hos’ilities. The people of Florida have been struck down,
and they ought to know who wis responsible to them for the de
struction of their houses an 1 their property. (He. Mr. W.) hid
been the friend of these p>ple, a’i-1 ha I vote I appropriations for
their defence without inquiring as to tlmir amount; but these appro
priations have been mismanaged by your Govct imient, and the war
procrastinated by the course of tho e in power; and bo would irnt
now vote for at appropriation which wool I go still furlher to deso
late the homes and tlie altars of the suffering citizens of Florida,
until he know how it was to he expended. Iln would not wait for
the Committee which he desired for investigating this subject, with
all the delays and embarrassments which were attendant upon in
vestigations instituted by this House ; but he would inquire of tlm
Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means for a statement of
the amounts that might be necessary, and if they were not informed
on the subject, he would call upon tlm Secretary of War to com
muaicate it to tlm House for the use of all who desired to look into
the matter. He was told t'laf the present expenditures in F'lorida,
I for the suppression of Indian hostilities, amounted to $73,00') a day.
iWe have already expended ei'lit or nine millions of dollars, and we
are no nearer to the end of the war, to all appearances, than wo
were when tlm predecessor of the gentleman from Florida made bis
: first sympall otic apjx al Io the House on tlm subject ofthe sufietiligs
I of the inhabitants of Florida, from Indian hostilities.
lie (Mr. W) had tjoted time tifter time, and year after year, for
appropriations to suppress these Indian hostilities, without itiquiiy,
until th'* amount of numey struck him with surprise, and Im was
compelled to pause and inquire into the matter. He considered it a
public duty that ho sb mid do so, after eight or nine, millions had
been expended, and troop after troop had been defeated; and tho
Indian-., although but a handful al first, still remained masters ofthe
j soil. \’i hat a spoctm Io we \.ere presenting tothewoild! Ashoit
time ago this Government threatened Fi ance "’ilh a war, and were
now talking about calling upon England for an explanation ; yet
with dl her surplus millions, her regular army, her mu: .'ties, her cho
sen I ennessee troops, and all her militia, could not put do'vn some
eight hundred or a thousand Indians. Il was impossible for the gen
tleman to defend the War Department after such management as 17
had been guilty of, and he contended that that department wtis re
sponsible for the act of every one of its agents, whether petty or
important agents. Ila went on to charge perfidy and treach 'rv upon
the officers of the Government, in seizing upon Oceola and Alica
nopy. while they were tinder tho white flag which ought to have
protected them, lie charged upon th.! War Department or its
agents, the employment of a delegation of Cherokees as mediators,
and after tli 'y brought in some of the leaders of the Seminoles, they
wete treac’ierotisly seized upon by Gen. Jesup, and sent to ptison.
I he Setiimofi s were tempted to a consultation in consequence of tin
arrangement < eingma 'e with the Cherokees for that purpose, and
when they* came into the consultation, they were seized and he'd as
prisoners of war.
?dr. Downing stated that the Indians alluded to, came in after Gcn
; eral Jesup hads'atid to them, through persons that had seen them,
that he would re- eive nothing ai their hands but an unconditional
| serrendr r. Mr. D. knew not what information the gentleman from
\ irginia miu'it have in his possession, or what testimony might be
given by otl: r, en the subject; but this that what be had stated he
believed to be the facts; and furthermore, he would say, taking into
consideralion the cold-blooded and inhuman murders these Indians
had committed, if he (Mr. D.) had been in General Jesup’s place, he
would have hung themttpon the crooked limb of a yellow pine tree.
Mr. \\ ise said, that the gentleman’s personal feeling might have
led him to do an act of inhumanity which he would have repented
afterwards; but he couki not believe, if the gentleman had made a
pledge tc these Indians, as Gen. Jesup undoubtedly did, that he
■"weald have been guilty of perfidy in disregarding that pledge. If
Im had '".lit the Indians by fair means, or by a stratagem laid
without violating a pledge to them, it would have been a very differ
ent matter, and then he might perhaps have been justified in using
: harsh means towards them. Air. W. then went into some details
; in relation to the Cherokee mediation: that they had been employ
ed by the Gox eminent; that they ha I gone out to consult with the
Weminoles; that they had brought in some of the Seminole chiefs at
the second consultation, and that the? had failed in their third con
sultation because of the perfidy of General Jesup ; which news had
been carried to them by an Indian runner, sent up by the Seminoles
jto await the issue. Mr. W. then stated that letters had been writ
' ten to the Cherokee delegation, as well as to the Secretary of 'Var,
i by General Jesup, testifying to the manner in which the mediation
had been conducted by these Cherokee Indians.
Air. Everett here produced ti e letters alluded, to, and they were
read from the Clerk’s table.
Mr. Downingthen produced and read letters addressed to himself,
j from persons acquainted with the facts, setting forth that the Chero
kee delegation had informed the Seminoles, that if they held out this
i winter, th t they would be left in possession of their country, as
Congress would make no appropriations to carry on the war.
Air. Glascock remarked that the delegate from Florida might state
; that it was understood that General Jesup himself now believed that
'j tho Cherokee delegation had proved treacherous.
Mr. Wise proceeded, and stated that the gentleman from Florida
bad been guilty of precisely that which had been charged upon him
j (Mr. W.) —the reading to the House of an anonymous letter; but (as
j he had iooked into the gentleman’s letter by his permission) he would
now tell the delegate fom Florida, that the same person who wrote
that -otter should c< ire upas a witness, in consequence of other let
ters which he had written him (Mr. W.) in case he ever obtained an
: investimitii’.e committee. He went on again to charge a double per-
I fitly on the officer at the hea l of affairs in Florida, in the taking of
tho Indian chiefs before alluded to. lie then referred to, and road
extracts from, a letter of Gov. Eaton’s, written in Alarch, 183.5, be
ing the Alarch preceding lite December in which the war broke out,
in which tho Govern or doubted the legality of the treaty, and the
propriety of carrying it into effect; but recommended, if it was to
bn carried into effect, th it a large force might be sent to overawe the
Indians, otherwise the consequences might be fatal.
Air. Downing explained that Gen. Eaton had retracted all that had
been said in that letter ; an I legislative a tion had been had upon it
in Florida, and he believed the Governor was ashamed that he had
overwritten it. The fact was that every citizen of the United
States, who went into that Territory, went there with his heart over
flowing witli sympathy for those Indians; but after removing there,
and seeing the treachoiy and dishonesty of them, their opinions soon
I became very much changed. lie had no doubt if the gentlemen
- who had so much sympathy for them on this floor, had had their cat
j tie and servants stolen, and their relations murdered, that their opin-
I ions would change.
Mr. Wise resumed, and went on to detail the manner in which Mr.
Eaton had been induced to retract what had been said in the letter
just referred to. He (.Mr. W.) had called upon the War Depart
ment for information in relation to the Seminole war, a id Mr. Cass
himself had sent him various letters, which, he said, were sent confi
dentially, and in those letters he had learned how it was that Gov. (
Eaton hid been induced to retract what he had before said. These
I tiers were sent to him as confidential when he called for informa
tion, but Im was not to regard letters as cpnfi lential when they were
the regular letters ofthe Departments, on their files.
Mr. W. referred also to a number of other letters confirmatory of
lhe views, and recommending the same advice, as Governor Eaton,
and then en’ereo in!?’ a review of tho Indian policy of the Govern
ment, wliich he was convinced would, in the end, icsult in a general
combination of them on the while of our western frontier.
Mr. CI LLEA defended tho policy of the Government; which,
he insisted, was Lum n? and benevolent. The sympathy evinced
for the tawny red men, he described to be of tho same character as
tl c hobby professed for the race a little darker in the Not th. When
he II tied li's country at war, he was not for slaying to inquire into
its origin, or to juvi .sl’gate little, petty, miserable details about it,
but to take such ,;m:isu:es as would be most likely to bring it to a fa
vorable termination. Wbether the Government had pursued the
best cour■ e or not, whether there had been a prodigal expenditure,
he feared there had, he could not say, but he was for continuing the
'.•■ar with vigor, on the old -w England plan, where the* Indians had
been wholly exterminated ; fir it was false policy and false philan
thropy to carry on a feeble war.
Mr. V.'addy ".'homyson expressed his regret that this discusiotl
hid been brought on ; the only relief for his pain was in the
bol l truths told by the l ist gentleman. Mr. T. then entered iuto a
reply io Mr. V; sc. He de: ied that Mr. W. could prove there was
no treaty ; and if Im could, he had not proven thete was no necessi
ty for this appropriation to give meat and bread to those who had
beer, fighting the battles of tlmir country, not was this the fitting oc
casion to go into that question. Mr. T. then entered into a review
of the circumstances of the Florida war, and defended the plan
originally proposed by General Scott. Mr. T. adverting to the
synqiathies at the .North foi the Indians, said he could not shut his
eyes to tlm fact that it aiosc from a hatred to their own race. He ex
piessedhis strong disapprobation and unmeasured condemnation of
what In* regarded as the dishonorable cqiture of Oceola, offering, as
it did, the first instance in the history of ibis country where an
American officer had refused to respect a flag of truce.
Mr. Eve; t! then obtained the floor, and expressed his regret that
any di ba! 'bouid have arisen cn this subject at this time; the more
so, because la had every reason to believe that the House and the
country would he jwrfeclly satisfied with the response of the Secre
tary of War to Mr. E’s resolution on the topics adverted to in this
dist il ?,ion. This was ri lalionto lhe capture of Oceola.
.Anotlier subject npnn which ho wished to make a remark or two
wa ; a mare painful one. v iz: in reference to the capture of Sam
Jones and Ills companion:-. Mr. E. had every reason to know that
these men came hi undei tho most sacred pledges, and that it was
with the greatest difficulty tho Cherokee delegation could induce
them to come in. Aid when they did, what was Gen. Jesup’s first
proji* s't'o:.? Why, as j>r< limiliary to any negotiation,' that those
]> *<>ph* should hriii ’ in their wives and children ; and what was Sam
Jones’answer? Why, that Im never heard of such a preliminary
to a treaty as that of surrendering the children and arms, and that he
could not assent to it.
After some liirtlmr ri*mnik», Mr. E. avowed himself unwilling to
carry on this war any longer, though ho was not for yielding. He
wished a pacificatory course to be tried. He would arm the Execu
tive with authority and apjiropriatiuns to enable him to adopt a course
wliich should terminate il pacifically.
Mr. Haynes said, without intending to answer, or attempting to
rcrom ile, the mist.iken opinions he had heard, and many of which
he bad regretted to hear, Im had risen solely forthe purpose ofbring
ing back tlie committe.’’ to the question before it. Some weeks ago
th.' Committee of Way s and Means reparted a bill to cover the whole
sum nrce ; ary lor tlm current year. Since that bill was reported,
the committee had been called upon or notified by the War Depait
inont that drafts were lying ovor for services already performed, and
s ipplics alrcadyfnrnishcd, and there was no money to meet them.
Upon this i(-presentation the Committee of Ways and Means had
come to the House ami asked a suspension of its rules, for the pur
pose of considering the propriety' of makinga partial ajipropriation
lor the suppression of Indian hostilities. Now, neither tlie commit
tee, nor, as Mr. 11. h< Hi ved, had anv other friend of the Administra
tion, who proposed to support this hill, designed taking the House by
surprise. '1 he very dociinmnt lead at tlm Clerk’s table gave to the
I louse the information that this partial apjiropi iation was asked for
under extraordinary circumstances; audit was equally well known
that the bill everting the whole sum estimated forthe service by the
Secretary ol AV ar then remained iintonclied, for as general, liberal,
violent discussion as geiilh tnen please <l. Why, then should so many
irrelevant topics be Inotijjlit in now, of national honor, the validity
ol the tri aty, tin condm t of the war, the treatment of tlm Indians',
the conduct nf lhe ('herokee delegation, or any thing else? The state
ofthe case called iqion them to act promptly ;it asked them for an appro
pi iation under circumstances of great stress upon the Department of
War; and ho did hope, under these considerations, and with feelings
as strong upon some of the topics introduced to-dav as any other
man, and as willing, if not as aldo, to discuss th ?m ; he implored the
Committee Io lepoit this bill, and lake a future occasion, when the
genoral bill was brought up, to enter upon the general debate.
Air. Bell adverted to the remarks made bv him ibis morning in
favor of the bill, an wished th- House to bea'r them in mind, for he
was opposed to tlu: course of his friend, from Virginia, lie then
made some strictures tipim a lettei from the V.'asbingtoa correspond- !
ent of lhe Richmond Enquirer, which he pronounced to be an un
founded, false, and malicious slander.
After some furlher remarks by Messrs. Robeitson and Cambre
leng, which will tippear hereafter.
Air. Wise moved to amend by striking out “one million,” and in
serting “five hundred dollars ;” when, without taking the question,
On motion, the committee rose, and reported,
Aitd the House adjourned.
.. ‘ KOI 1 AIR. DUNCAN, of Ohio,
In the J i.ut sc. .f pre nut utives, Dee.fS, 1837—0 n the resolution’
offered by Air. II gN’i’-s of Georgia, which was as follows, viz:
I'esolred, '1 h i so ut'wfa us I’t esident’s Alessage as relates to
the I’m a nee', a i d every 11.!,/’ e -*nm < • > d t ker*-u itli ; to the safe-kec p
ing of the* ;• -tbli' money -, ano . ' : :’V tl mg cm:i r ctcd tbereu itli ; ami
so much as relates ’■.> the of ;!.<■ United States; be referred to
the Committee of Vi'tt'. ■ or.: ?l -a': -.
Air. Dm:’ an said it ■ not hi v, idi Io (b'fain ti.e com ilfec;
he merely uislit dto whirl 11 gen ii man fr< m
Alassachusi'tls, (.dr. L.■ 1 . ( ■:: ’,■ ■ iatin 1 ■ •*>:t 'act, in i I:-
tion to the political or :. :.- i. ■ r ( .f im- ,’u ; itt<’< s ot'
this House—statements v'.b b, : !‘ / " o: i •srio dc'ila-
ted, coming from the sou:< e tbev did, i!:<- -•! a: r cl :l.t '
Speaker by whom they v.cn* appoin'c I —to I r< : ’’ice tl eD; mc
cratic party, and t'm Administration uh m ■: :ma id (1-y :!:< Oppo
sition) the committees favor, without i ■ t. -‘d to pF .ciple, or the sa
cred nature of their duties. The gentleman objiti is to r.-fi r.ing the i
resolution in question to lhe Comm ttee of Wavs and M; ans. “it is
an improper committee, became there is a majority of it th; t are in 1
favor of the Admiaistration.” lie say s all the comm; tees, or near
ly so, are of the same character. He - aid the time had << tm when
the two great contending parties cf this nation were nearly equal,
and he thought the character of the startling committees, with re-i
gard to party, ought also to be as nearly equal. Indeed, sjjjd Air.
D. the burthen of hisson.--, ami tbevohmu- of Id.-; speech, con- is'cd
in complaints and chat;:-s <d t!.;.'iiieqmdity of the committees in a
party sense. Hi ; complaints l ave gone abroad, swift as the mail can
carry them ; they arc now spread over the country; and while 1 am
now correcting his errors, his political friends are weeping over the
vast injustice which he leprcsents to have been dime to the Opposi
tion by the partial and uneqti d party character of the standing com
mittees. How stands tlie matter? Lotus disclose the facts as they
arc ; and in doing so, I do not intend to charge the gentleman with
wilful misrepresentation. I think him above doing any thing disho
norable to his age, his occupation, the office he holds, or the seat he
occupies. But how are the facts in relation to the party character of
the committees in question?
Air. D. ren 1 from the list as follows:
1.1 he Committee of Eleclre-ns preserrts a majority in favor of the
Administration.
2. The Committee of Claims, for the Opposition.
11 of ays and Aloans, fortlie Administration. ■
4. lhe Committee on Revolutionary Claims, for the Opposition.
5. Tho Committee on Commerce, far the Administration.
G. The Committee cn Public Expenditures, for the Opposition.
7. I he Committee on the. > iibhc Lands, forthe Administration.
8. The Committee on i/üblic Land Claims, forthe Opposition.
9. The Committee on the Post Office and Pcs* Roads, for the
Administration.
10. The Committee on Alaniifactnrcs, for tho Opposiiion.
11. The Committee forthe District of Columbia, for the Admin
istration.
12. 3’he Committee on Agriculture, forthe Opposition.
13. The Committee on the Judiciary, for the .Administration.
14. The Committee on the Alilhia, for the Opposition.
15. The Committee on Indian /Affairs, for the Administration.
IG. The Committee on Territories, f>r the Opposition.
1/. I lie C ommittec on .Military Afiairs, for the Administration.
18. The Committee on Invalid Pensions, for tb.e Opposition.
19. The Committee on 'aval Affairs, for the Administration.
20. Ihe Committee on Roadsand Canals, tor the Opposition.
21. The Committee on Foreign Affairs, for the Administration.
22. The Committee on Revisaland Unfinished Business, for the
Opposition.
23. The Committee on Revolutionary Pensions, for the A Imin’s
tration.
24. The Committee on Expenditure in the War Department, for
the Opposition. *
25. The Committee on Patents, for the Administration.*
2G. The Committee on Expenditures for the Navy, forthe Oppo
sition.
27. The Committee on the Public Buildings and Public Grounds,
for the Administration.
23. The Committee on the Expenditures in the Department of the
Post Office, for the Opposition.
29. The Committee on Accounts for the Administration.
30. The Committee cn Alileagc, for the Administration.
31. The Committee on the Expenditures of the Department of
State, fortlie Administration.
32. The Committee on the Expenditures ofthe Dapartment of
the Treasury, for the Administration.
33. The Committee on the Expenditure on the Public Buildings,
for the Opposition.
This last is an entire whole-hog modern W'.’g committee. Tims,
with tlie exception of the three next preceding the las’, we see that
: the committees runj;ari passu so far as party is concr rued. Now,
■ sir, what has become of the gentleman’s lamentations about injustice
'to the minority in the appointment ot" committees. Ti:ev have gone
j abioad like other Fe ’cral bowlings, to have their effect on subsequent
I elections. 1 would not have been so minute in presentirg the errors
j contained in the member’s remarks, but for the dailv eforts used to
send abioad such misrepresentations for the purpose of destroying
the influence of the Administration and bringing it into disrepute
with the people. Here are letters and figures, which show, (o' die
; understanding of all who may see them, that the whole groundwork
■ of an hour’s labor to bring the honorable Speaker and the Adminis-
I tration into disrepute, is without existence. 1 say dailv are such
I misrepresentations sent to every part of the coimtrv -to the fireside
■ of the rich and lhe poor; and that, too, at the exjiense of lhe pco
; pie, for no other than the tmha'lowed purposes of poliihal delusion.
A word of and to the gentleman fiom Indiana, (Mr. Ewing.) He
| objects to the ref rencc in questions He denotmees tho Committee
■ ot \v ays and Means as a party committee, unworthy the confidence
of the House or the people. ’“They have administered to the peo
ple, and their doses Lave been found wanting.” “We have had to
..waiio'.v their doses; they are bitter doses ; tbev na iseate without re
lieving. The people have re jected them as imipp'icablc to the com
plaint. To the dogs with their medicine.” Sir, it is not my busi
ness, said Mr. D. to dc.fi nd the committee from abuse and detraction.
Each of them is more able to defend himself than I am ; nor does
such abuse require defence or answer ; it carries with it its own anti
dote with all intelligent, honorable, and high minded people. I on
ly think it necessary here to say that the Committee of Ways and
Means is a finance committee, ai d tb.e committee to which all finan
cial matters ought to bo and al ways 1 ava boon referred. This is the
regular channel through which regular fin ncial business flows to the
House or Senate; whether presented for the consideration of Con
gress by the President of the United States, the Heads of Depart
ments, members of either branch of Congress, or bv private indi
viduals; and Mr. D. saw no necessity now for crossing th;* usual
channels of legislat ve busmess merely to gratify party hostility and
vindictive whims. Mr. D. said he had some professional advice t>
give his friend from Indiana ; and ?>!r. D. honed I:e would receive it
in a kind spirit, as lliat was the spirit in v. hich it was offered, and no
chaigc or fee should be made. lie v.mtdd recommend to his -friend
the political doses prepared and p’esciih*.*d bv tho Committed of
\V ays and Means, The gentleman would eventually find them to
be well calculated to improve his political hca'lh. '! rue, thev would
be nauseous for a while, it wa ; proper that they shmd Ibe so. It
was a wise order ot Providence that al! v ( hiable med'e lies, sucli as
were intended for the cure of ol) la to diseases, wei cna us rous and
sickening, disagreeable to tlir; taste a. I offensive to the smell. If it
were otherwise, their constant and daily use lor trifling causes would
render them useless for the purposes for which they wen.* made ; for
it was a principle in the animal economy to adapt itself to tint use of
almost any application to the destruction of the effect of that appli
cation- Hence the obvious necessily for those peculiar qualities of
the most valuable medicines. Political matters were so arranged
that the gentleman was compelled to take tho committee’s doses, let
the quality and quantity’ be what they might, nolens videos. There
was no let up in tho matter; the people hid so ordered it, and the
gentleman ought to be satisfied. Ho ought to take them in a spirit of
resignation; and, moreover, inasmuch as the people had indiroctlv
appointed them the political physiciami to constitute the Commitleo of
VI ays ami Means, to presc; im; for him, ho ii, in conformitv wilh the I’tm
dnmental principles of the con .titulion and government he lias swern to
snppott, boimd to take their preseri otions iii perfect confidence an.l good
faith. Faith is all important iiithings that relate to lime as well as to
eternity. The great miracles tliat were wrought by the apostles were
wrought by faith. If my fii md wishes th;.* fill benefit of tho commit
tee’s prescriptions, lie ma t leave faith. True, the gentleman is labor
ing under'd-y malignant and obstinate political maladies, mid those
too of longstanding. Still Mr. I), wotdd unhesitatingly give it. as his
professional opinion, that if his friend would take in good faith the com
mittee's prescriptions, lie would rceovt r. The nioilus op:rutnli, it was
said by eminent physicians, of calomel and other mercurial prepara
tions, was to produce a new ili ea.- e; that is, a u ercurial <list ;i ,c, which
ncuti'alizcs mid counteracts the di. cn e which the mercurv was given to
cure; and this from a principle of the animal economy, that the litmimi
system will not onteitain tn o tliscast sat one and lhe some time. The
mercurial disease being the more potent, the natural dhe .se i ; ejected,
and the patient has only to recover from the mere mi a! disea ■(■, which he
is almost sure to do, and th.’ consequent dehi'itv ihen'itpon, which is
soon overcome by n judicious admmislralhm of the aponqu into tonics j
The modus or. rnnl'i of the eoimmtlee's prescriptions to my friend, wil! ,
lie similar Io that just described. \n-w | ii.'ili.'.d disea v. ill !>:* form I
e<l, whicli will lake the place of t] ,t under whi.h lie now labors, an:'
ho will be restored. Tin’ artificial disease v. hi.’li '.'cur ; restoration
will probably be l.oco I'oco, for mi explamition of which I would refer !
my friend to tho member from Virginia, (Mr. Wise,) in whoso keeping j
the term seems to be. Should my friend from Indiana pursue thecourso
hero pr. criiied, tin . is no doubt, in my mind ol his perfect restoration’
Thr’ woiiml; . bruics and pulrefyhig sores, that now beset him from
the crow n of his head to the soles'of his feet, will disappear; the scales
will fall from his eyes, the )< prosy will depart from his body, and the
polluted, . b'keaed, and pestilential waters of federalism, that inundate
his sy j m, w ill dry up ; ami, before, the end of the present session, he
w ill come cm. a healthy, sotmd* and energetic w hole hoj#to j/son Van
Buren anti-hank Democrat, from head to heels.
Mr. I), said ho was. bound t■> notice some hard things that fell from the
mouth of the member from Virginia. (Mr. Wise) who immediately pre
ceded the t wo m nlleiir m that, he (Mr. D.) had in part. Imt impelfeclly,
responded to. Flic member commenced his speech on the President's:
Message, by imiiiiig with the Pre; ident in prayer and thanksgiving (i
hope he is not ironical) foi the happy, heal’liy and prosperous condition
our comilrv is in at this time. 'l’lie gentleman may be sincere, but this
recognition on hi- part of happiness and prosperity, for w hich he pro
fesses so devoutly to thank his God. docs not correspond with the Fede
ral howling, weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth with which our 1
ears h ive been greeted, or rather grated, for the last six months, by him
and his p.-n tv. for the /.r' fortunes and ruin of our poor country, by a pro
fligate ami orlhh ss .Administration, as thrysny, and in which howling
lhe member has always been foremo I and loudest. I thiiik there is a
Divine il-claratien that the prayers < f the w’icA'ed availetli not; how far
this declaration may apply t> lb',* genilemaii’s case I know not; it ix
sufficient, lor me to k .<>w that w e are enjoying temporal happiness be
yond any people on the face of the earth, and that there never was a
g’cater al iindance of all the comforts of life in our country, at any one
tlm than we mtweiijov; for w hich I trust we all feel that thankful”
ms; and grali’inle which become the people of a civilized and chri»-
tirm i.i ilion, to the Giver of all good. Bat the member no sooner finish
es |, : 1 < ..-otimtal exercises, than he d serts the President, and denounc-'
i s !: ;”e as “a poor tiling.” a “poor neglected thing.” a
Fo , o ; !. and the amhor of it a vile demagogue. In relation to
•he q ;• ; Mr.D. had come to a diflerent conclusion r
ai. ‘h '> •: io * he was not alone in that opinion. lie had
that d ''d letters from bis friends that he bad the
honor Wi *m tmt. t. lm ' talents and whose capacity to judge in these
matte.'; W’.'d'l nt I"■’ st compare with the members who united in their"
comim mrntioi. as •,'. !! of tlie measures recommended in it as the true"
ri i> •iimmq. h s it <■’ niairs; he had al-o received several rcspecta--
i.le ■ ( ■', j... . , ■ -•ions ‘oatious of tlm State ho had the honor in'
pm tto re,< :;t. all of y I'i'’li concurred in the same high opinion of
l!;o Me. ago. "But it w a j '»><»!' neglected thing.” How neglected?
. .d' ’ . !■<-. ; ;'-.<ry In i.r >’•ntisbed intellijri-m-e that it was hailed
bv th ■ ;'.•!< :• of I i mh’s, mi l supporters of thcconstitrtticn-
Wl,( 11. th h. • . :l !•’■( n it- lech,' 1 1 Not by the House, for it.
had its attention as semi as its L-i;:, wo.dd admit; as soon as the
committee w; ;-' f->rme:l and repo. te !. th--appr7>]>; i:-te rcf'-rcnces were
com.ucme I to he made, mid that would he continued as fast as tbevht
dictivetie s ami hoslilitv of lhe opposition would permit, who so far
seem determined, at all hazard, ami at any expense, to cripple the ad
mini-tration, and obstruct the regular course of busineis in this House.
The membi't. after denouncing the whole Message in these general
tcims, takes i’ up by parts and denounces it. From page ninth, he reads;
“Ou that occns’on—meaning and referring to the extra session—three
modes of performing this branch of the public service—meaning the
safe-keeping ami transfer of the public moneys—were proposed!” Here
the member stopped short, gave us one of his wondrous wise looks, in
which he manifested great astonishment and surprise; denounced the
statement of the President as fils', and asked emphatically, and with
an air of apparent triumph and defiance, ‘who will or dare say that
there were fliree propositions for such a purpose presented to Congress
at the extra session ?” “ Who, in this House,” he repeated, “date as
sert such a thing ?” I dare assert it, said Mr. D., and 1 dare assert it
without the fear of successful contradiction from any man from any
quarter. He said he had heard members before use the word dare in a
w rong and improper manner. To say a member dare not do a thing,
was using language that could not he carried out. It was too strong «n
expression. There were members here who da T e say any thing tho t
truth, justice, and moral principle did not prohibit. Mr. D. said ho
had surveyed most of the members ofthe House; he, with his eye, •
measured their length ami breadth, the!’ - circumference and tbeirdiamr
ter, and, more especi ally, the eye, which was the index to the heart;
and ho had seen nothing in thesbapa* of a modern Whig that ought for
a moment to deter a cion from saying any thing, lie repeated, that he.
dare s ay. there were three propositions before Congress at the extra ses
sion, for lhe safe l.ecping and the transfer of the public moneys, all of
which reciived the attention and the action of Congress; and this too,
lac dare sny. on his own responsibility, w ithout even turning to thia
journals. The first proposition lie would name was the sub-treasury
svstem. last;; ]]y so called, recommended by the President in his message.
The second was a pioposition made by a small party here, called the
Conf.eiia-it's, v liieh w as. in the language of the President’s Message,
*’ the revival, with modifications, of the deposite system established by
the act of tVe 23d of J mac. l &c. and the third proposition was a
natiom-.l bank; none of which can bo said to have received the definite
aition cf Congress, except the last named proposition; and that, it is -
hoped, got its last and final sentence, and everlasting doom, by a large
majority of both branches : so 1 throw back the charge of falsehood
upon the member front Virginia.
V, hen iho member finished his daring and bantering tirade, ho amus
ed himself and his friends awhile by singing glory and hallelujahs to
the recent \\ big victories. This he and his party had a right to do
when there was any tiling that would do for an apology for a Whig vic
tory ; for they were
“Like anajols’ visits—ftw aaa.l far between.”
They enme about as often as the locusts, but were n >t quite so destruc
tive as that iia-ect when sent upon the Egyptians as a divine curse
Here. Mr. D. said, as he w as about to trace up and present the genea •
logy of th * \) l.ig victories, it was necessary for him to explain what ho
meant by the term, as applied to the party opposed to the administra -
tion. lie w ished it distinctly understood, that when he used the term. •
B lug. it was not because there was any applicability in the term, to the
principles ofthe opposition: it was merely to accommodate them.
1 ho opposition were in the habit of taking to themselves a now name
as often, at least, ns tho return of each Presidential election. They had
nearly exhausted the political vocabulary. They take a name for po
litical cf'.ect. They ask to be known by it so long as it will amwerthat
purpose, or matd it is degraded. The last name by which they ask t<>
he knowii. is “ \> la g”—not th at they possess any of the poli'ical prin
ciples o the patriots of ’7(>. who were known by that name, and which
was at that tame, and ready is now, synonymous with “Democrat ”
'J he term V. hag in the i nited States, at this time, is significant of
Federalist in !’G, a term that the self-named Whigs of this day were
then p; <u I of, bait their principles are still the same. Os this truth xvn
have some practical demonstrations. We are all aware of asangiiina
ry wai now rating on our borders in the Canad as. The pataiots of Ca
mad a have snalfea! the breezes from onrcmilm nt. and caught the spiiit
ol li >e:ty w hich we enjoy. They have, in the language of our gallant
ancestors. |il -d»ed tin ir lives, their fortmies, mad their sacred honor, in
the c US-' tai’ freedom, and are now ba’l'ing for independence.
Inc ci'izns of the t.'mted States have taken sides, (in feeling an-l
spirit.) Von find the Democtacyon the side of lhe patriots, who are
there called \a li-gs : ami the modern Whigs you find on the side of the
tools of ari i icracy arid the minimis of royal'y, there called Tories. I
hold in mv hand one of thnmnsl respectable bank organs ami Federal
sheets perh 'ps in the ( nited Sta'es, hearing no less title at its head than
N tienal Intelligencer, which contains a long article (’nd favorably re
ceived too) denomicing the patriots of Cnn.idn as radicals, disturbers of
the peace, agrarimas, etc and in char, ca rw i h he Fanny Wrights and
the l.sco Focis of the bni’e-d States. Then. sir. we find that the B Aig-.s
of ibis country are the Toriesol' (’ mad.i, and the Whigs of Canada aic
the b< mot-racy ol this emmtry. This is as it always has been, ami as it
will con-inuc to be. (lope now that I am understood, that when I
s; oak ol the modern h hI.:S as a party, I mean the same party governed
lay tli ? same principles that characterized the Federal parly in ’9fi, amt
who we e ki.own bv ;h ;t name.
I Lut io return to victoiies and B At;’’glory. 1 would advise tho
b A/g-sto " se their glory sparingly. I fear they are too prodigal of it.
t hey ougut to use it, that it n-my last until next fall ; for then the people
will make them sing glory to the tune of “Burn's Advice.” I think
too experience ami history of our country furnishes us with but three
A/g - victories. One of these was in the year 179(3, a triumph over
the principles* of Democracy that will be long remembered, and can
only be lost with the history of our country; a triumph that let loose the
foul waters of federalism to the inundation of the best prospects of pro
ductive liberty, This J)'/-ig victory gave birth to the atien ’ and sedition
laws, that constitute, to this day, and ever will, a foul and bl; c< spun
upon the American statute hook ; which, though they tarnish the proml!
character of er.r flee institution*, serve as an imperishable dixet that,,
great and ; ond as is oitr political fabric, and great as were the sacrifices,
of life, blood, and property by which it was purchased, it is but a human,
institution; an I to pre mrve it requires nothing short of the vigil; uteaud'
patriotism that wrested it from the hand of tyranny.
J.*' 1 ll ' < *' ,i! n '” ;t v i<‘tory is to be found in the clnonicles of 182 1. .
Tliis was a most glmions victory, inasmuch as it was a victory over •
popular sn'iia;:;■*. 11 was worth all the other v ietoi e< put together. It >
w :r. a ■. letory.ol tie nn-tocracy ofwenlih over the democracy of niini
b rs. line, it was obtained in direct violation of the spirit and meati- -
ing ofenr Constitu'ioi’, in the abuse of our free institutions, and in ih.-s ■
lace mid name, and nature of our (Javer.-man'; lint this did not mike
the victory the less glorious with those who can stretch the Constitu
tion t > the c rent of their own wishes. Tim glory of this victory 1 stel '
ou years, and was not uu'i’-:? a Barchan diau feast for that length <>(
time; but tlic people, true to t'wii - common country when it is in dan
ter, rallied in their majesty to the polls, and swept from the chess hoard
the political workers of iniquity of thatd.iy, and with them their glmy K
W c now com? to the victories of 1837, to which the gentleman his.
keen so long and so loud singing glory, assisted by those of his friends .
who could join in the chorus ; and those who could not, did their
by/ooAu'ng’ to tho best advantage. Sir, if justice to the subject'
would permit, 1 would not for a moment disturb the membee and his
friends in the enjoyments of their supposed victories; but 1 feel houu
t» make some expositions in relation to the recent elections. The ineie
her, in his ccstacics, makes some assertions that the true results of t
recent elections will not bear hint out in. He tell us in his shouts of
joy that the people have risen in their strength f rom .Maine to Missis-,
sippi, and denounced th" Bn ident mid bis Loco l-’oco Suh-Treasm y
scheme. I suppose I: ‘ Iris reTrence to the result of the elections i>»
Maine. New York, mid .Mississippi. As all this display of victory’ and
glory is for home consumption mid party effect it is a duty I owe to Iho
cause, ami the party I support, to give some statistics that will presi nt
these elections in a different light. Maine has not polled her strength
since 1 •’•34 ; there has been no excitement in that State since, suTieieur
to draw her voters out ; at tint thus her democratic vote was 38,00(1,
and her Whig vote 31.d'X)—the aggregate 72,0(11). In 18:37, the two
candidates for Governor had a' o-:t 34.0:10 each—it is not known which
isclected. '1 hs Senate of Maine is decidedly Democratic. Itisevi-
i dent that th:- Democratic str.mg-'h was nut nt the polls by’ between four
and five thousand. whtl.-’tlm entire Whig strength was, their vote being
tin-same that it wis in I 31. Tho absence of the Democratic vote enn
be accounted for from the fact that the Democracy of Maine, as well as
of every other State in the Union, are the laboring classes of society,
and neve;' all t.iin out to elections, unless there is an exciting question.
I . How is it with New Ymk ? By the returns of 1831—a year of ex
citement. ar..! the only one since that time—compared with the returns
of I 17. tn.re is an a?:;rc;;-ite deficiency of near 51,000 votes ; there
|h a Democratic d.-ficienrv of ll.fldT and a Whig deficit of 13,00(1.
. I L>w. then, let inenslqeim New buck bo said to have denounced the
i dresideiil aii ■' Ins Loco f’oc.i Hub Treasury’ scheme ? Does the result
I > ’ e. 'ct: n ; in New \«i 1, either show a change of political princi
; pie in th.it i iatc, or doe ; it denamcc the President in the unmeasured
■ terms represented by the member ? But how stands Mississipi ?—<ml
i. hint Democratic Mississippi must be lugged into the jubilee , s.l).q must