from 4 to 35 thousand men, the labor of the secretary must be increased proportionably. This he believed was altogether a mistake. If there had been no corresponding increase of officers, to preside over and conduct, under the directions of the secretary, the various increased branches of duty, growing out of this augmentation, his drudgery would indeed be insufferable. But such is not the fact. He defied gentlemen to point out a single branch of duty, heretofore superintended directly by the secretary, save that of invalid pensions, from which he was not to be relieved by the authorisation of a particular head for each; and surely a secretary is not wanted to superintend invalid pensions, a duty heretofore satisfactorily done by a clerk? When, therefore, gentlemen talk of the increase of the ar my, as imposing duties which no individual can perform, they should treat the department which superintends it, not as it was, but as it must be, when the whole military organization is filled up. For what have you created an adjutant-general, an inspector-general, a commissary-general of purchases, a quartermaster-general, and their respective numerous deputies, assistant-deputies, and clerks, but to superintend and perform the duties respectively assigned to each ?-Even from the great and oppressive labor which the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Grundy) seems so much to deprecate, the " issuing of military land warrants," he has been relieved. If the gentleman will examine the law establishing a land office in the treasury department, passed at the present session, he will and that all the duty which the secretary of war has now to perform in relation to that subject, is comprised in affixing his signature to the warrant only.-Under this view of the subject, he could not but believe there were thousands of individuals perfectly adequate to the correct arrangement and prompt execution of all the duties of the department.

pre

But the worthy gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Troup) has said, these sub-secretaries are necessary, because the organization and arrangement of the war department is no better calculated for the parations of a war, or the successful management of it, than an or dinary counting house. He could not admit this to be the fact. But if it was, he apprehended the remedy proposed would not reach the disease. To him, nothing appeared more unreasonable than to expect order and correct arrangement from a monster with three heads, as a "bashaw with two tails."

He was bound to credit the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr.Grundy), as he was of the committee of foreign relations, that these under-secretaries were to be the counsellors of the principal one; but even in that character, he could not feel reconciled to them. In his opinion, that would only tend to increase their independence, and in the same proportion to create disunion, discord, and indecision. He submitted to the gentleman, whether the right to advise did not in some degree involve the necessity to obey. Besides, he considered that on all great questions, requiring counsel, the President and his cabinet were in some measure of counsel to him.

[Concluded in No. 35.]

CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER.

No. 35.] TWELFTH CONGRESS.... FIRST SESSION. [1811-12.

Debate on the bill supplementary to the "Act to establish an executive department, to be denominated the Department of War."

[CONTINUED.]

WHILE felected as they had been, for the excellence of their characters, he wanted to fee no difcordant fub-agencies introduced among them. When fuch falaries and patronage as they enjoy, fhall fail to call into the public fervice counfellors fuffi ciently wife and able, he could not but confider it unnecessary and defperate to attempt it through the medium of $3000.

It has also been faid, that all those who are ferioufly difpofed to perfect our preparations for war ought to fupport the meafure, feeing the Prefident, on whom the responsibility and conducting of the war refts, has recommended it. This he confidered the ftrongeft argument that had or could be urged in favor of it-certainly it was this confideration that had induced him to labor with himfelf for conviction of its expediency; but the objections were, to his mind, too ftrong and clear to admit a doubt; and although the profligate injuftice and outrage perpetrated on the rights and property of his country had convinced him of the dreadful neceffity of maintaining them by war, he could not therefore confider himself bound to relinquifh all his judgment, little as it may be, to the conductor of the war.

Mr. W. concluded, by obferving fuch were the mischiefs he apprehended might arife from paffing the bill, he should vote for ftriking out the firft fection.

Mr. TROUP faid, that he was not surprised at an oppofition coming from one quarter (the federal fide) of the Houfe. Gentlemen who are equally oppofed to war and every preparation for war were confiftent when they object to a measure which was as necessary to the war as arms or ammunition. In the wretched, deplorably wretched organization of the War Department, it was impoffible either to begin the war or to conduct it. In its present organization it was a mere counting-house establishment-a principal and eight clerks without gradation of authority or diftribution of duties-Gentlemen were miftaken in the object of the bill-they were not clerks which they wantedthere were clerks enough-it was refpectability of character and knowledge of military detail that was required-how was it to be obtained? Certainly creating a respectable office with a refpectable falary-a mere clerkship, with 1500 dollars a year, could No. $5.

not be expected to command either. A man who had never gone to the department to look into its organization would naturally fuppofe that the various and multiplied duties of it were divided and diftributed among the clerks, and that in that way they were enabled to get along with the bufinefs; but what was the fact? Why the clerks were little more than fo many bookkeepers, whilft the general powers and details of office devolved almost exclufively on the Secretary-a weight of bufinefs to which the induftry and capacity of no one man were adequate. Gentlemen ought to confider that the labor of office, like every other defeription of labor, to be productive ought to be fubdivid ed. In the organization of office three things ought to be con fidered-The general power, the details, and the execution, the union of thefe in any one perfon is the worft poffible organization -it is the judicious diftribution of them, the confiding the gen. eral powers to one, the details to a fecond, and the execution to a third, which conftitutes the molt perfect organization of office. By the bill under confideration it was propofed to confide the general fuperintending to the Secretary, the details to the fubordinate fecretaries, leaving the clerks of office where we found them-the two under fecretaries were made fubordinate to prefrve refponfibility-refponfibility divided is destroyed it was therefore left in the Secretary of War, unimpaired. If gentlemen were not fatisfied with what he had stated, they had only to go to the war office and fatisfy themselves.

The gentleman from South Carolina (Col. Williams) was in. correct in his ideas of the organization of the old revolutionary Board of War-at the commencement of the revolution the board was compofed of five members of Congrefs, felected for their military talents and general intelligence-they had their clerks. As well qualified as the members of that board may have been, it was foon difcovered they were unequal to the business of the office at thort intervals, as appears from the old journals, other members were added to the board-but in lefs than fix months from its first inftitution the Congrefs Ending it imperfect in its organization and inadequate to its end, diffolved it-in its ftead they fubftituted three principal fecretaries, felected from the whole country, and diftinguithed for their military ability-the firft named was their prefident, and they had a secretary, and as many clerks as they pleafed to appoint. As the bufinefs of the department increafed Congrefs went on making additions to the board from their own body, and as well as I collect it was this board, fo conftituted, which carried us through the revolution. Let it be remembered that they had not on an average of feven years more than 30,000 men in the field; that their duties were appropriately thofe of a board of war only-that they had no invalid penfion, no Indian, no military land bufinefs to manage, and that above all, the quarter-mafter general, commiffary general, and ordnance departments were diftinctly organized and

admirably conducted. Whether the organization of this board was the beft poffible organization, he would not pretend to fay certain it was, the war had been brought to a fuccefsful termination. He would fay nothing in relation to the military eftablithment prior to the year 1800-in that year however the military peace establishment confifted of one regiment of artillery, and two regiments of infantry, the quarter-after's office was cftablifhed-The Secretary of War then had to perform, befides the duties appropriately belonging to the War Department, the duties of quarter-mafter general, commiffary-general and matter of ordnance, the bufinefs of the Indian department, military lands, and invalidl penfions. Fortifications, arfenals, armories, magazines, and military posts, advances to contractors, and all the correfpondence growing out of thefe various branches muft have made no trifling addition to them. Small as was the eftablifhment of that period, there must have been an accumulation and preffure of bufinefs far exceeding the ability of any one man to difcharge with fidelity to the public. How, it may be afked, was he able to get along? The answer is, at beft, badly. The ftate of the country was a ftate of peace-the inattention, the neglect, the overfight infeparable from fuch a furcharge, injurious as they must have been to the public fervice, ruinous as they would have been in a state of war, were not felt-if felt, were not feverely felt-if feverely felt, were not complained of. With all this accumulation and preffure upon the department we went on to increase the duties. In the year 1808 we added 6000 men to the establishment, more than doubling the duties at a dath. We gave no additional aid or affiftance to the department. It was in the year 1809 that General Dearborn, a man of vigorous mind, of extenfive knowledge of detail, and of indefatigable induftry, going out of office, declared that the bufinefs of the department had increased beyond what the capacity of any one man could perform, and that fome aid and affiftance were indif penfable to the public fervice, whoever his fucceffor might be. His fucceffor (the prefent incumbent) accordingly addreffed a letter to the chairman of the military committee of the Senate, reprelenting the neceffity of additional aid, and particularly adviling the establishment of a quarter-mafter's department-the fubject was confidered, I believe, but no bill paffed. Now, in the year 1812, we add 25,000 men to the establishment, are about to enter into a state of war, and gentlemen cannot yet fee the expediency of new organizing the department. Suppose we were thus to multiply tenfold the bufinefs of any other department, without increafing the officers or falaries of that department, do gentlemen think they would not be called upon for affiftance? It is true we are alleviating the burthen by the organization of the quarter-mafter, commiffary and ordnance departments; but let gentlemen afk themselves in a fpirit of candor if the direction of a force of 25,000 men, the general orders and

the general correfpondence, are not enough for any one man, loaded, as he must be, with the entire refponfibility of the department? Let them afk themfelves if the details of fuch an office, divided between the two fubordinate fecretaries, would leave much leifure to men who, befides the ordinary duties, will have the re-examination of all contefted accounts, the afcertain. ment of balances, and the making advances to contractors, the bufinefs of courts martial, and the more troublesome bufine fs of members of Congrefs, who croud the offices from morning to night, and who can never be turned off unfatisfied? Sir, the furprife is not that every thing has not been done, but that, loaded and oppreffed as he is, any thing has been done with advantage to the public fervice; that it has been well done nobody can expect a fecretary and eight book-keepers are not equal to one half the duties. The reafon urged by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Nelfon) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Johnfon) cannot be too much infifted on-the Prefident has recommended it. Will we refufe him the means of either beginning or carrying it on? If gentlemen reject the bill and are earneft for the war they muft fubftitute fomething-aid must be given to the department; not the aid of clerkship, but the aid of refpectable character, of competent knowledge of military de. tail-to command it the office must be refpectable, the falary must be refpectable. One thing is to me abfolutely certain; the department muft be new organized or the war preparations must top-No man in the country is equal to one half the duties which devolve on the prefent fecretary.

Mr. HARPER obferved, that after the able remarks on this floor, fhewing the importance of adopting the meature as preparatory to a great event, he would not confume the time of the Houfe in attempting to offer any new ideas either as to the propriety or the policy of the queftion. He would confine his obfervations, Mr. H. faid, to a fingle point. It has been intimated in this debate, that this mealure has been propofed, not on account of its intrinfic importance, but to prop up an inefficient officer of government, who has been tardy in the discharge of his official functions. Permit me, faid he, to ftate a few facts, and it will readily be perceived, that the executive, instead of being tardy, have followed up every measure adopted by Congrefs with promptitude, and in fome inftances have gone in advance of that body. It will be recollected, fir, faid Mr. H. that on the eleventh of January laft, an act paffed raising 25,000 additional troops on the 15th of the fame month, orders were given by the war department to the purveyor of public fupplies, to furnish, in addition to the fupplies of the old army, clothing complete for the additional 25,000. In this order the Secretary of War took upon himself a refponfibility never before affumed by any officer of government; for the law making appropriations for the army did not pass until the 21ft day of February.