Mr. J. DAVIS said,
with no unfriendliness to the object of the gentleman from Virginia; (for he
thought it was one of the great objects to be accomplished in connexion with
Oregon—the establishment of a regular mail to that territory,) he must object
to the gentleman's amendment, and he hoped no amendment would be incorporated
into the bill. Immediate action was essentially necessary; any amendment which
sent this bill back to the Senate, would produce such delay as would almost
defeat the object of the bill.
Mr. HOPKINS (Mr. D.
yielding for explanation) said, the amendment which he had sent to the Chair
was not likely to delay the final action of Congress upon this subject. It was
an amendment in direct conformity with the bill already reported to the Senate
by the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads of that body, which was
likely to meet with favorable consideration there. The bill of the Senate
differed from this amendment only in this, that it proposed to give to the
President of the United States the power to have this mail transported to
Oregon by detachments from the army of the United States, while his amendment
was specific in its provisions, and referred directly to the regiment they were
about to raise by this bill a regiment assigned to this particular line. His
amendment, therefore, had that peculiar merit over the bill of the Senate, and
would doubtless be concurred in in that body without delay.
Mr. DAVIS resumed.
The bill, as it was now before them, (he said,) had passed the Senate. To
attach any amendment certainly would beget the delay of sending it back; if the
Senate would act immediately upon it, it might not be so objectionable; but
they were now so involved in the discussion which was now occupying their
attention, and over-riding everything else, that there was no certainty when it
would be reached, if sent back there again.
Again, he held that
there could be no necessity of giving in the law authority to the President of
the United States to direct that these troops shall escort the mail, since he
had that authority now over every existing regiment in the army.
Mr. HOPKINS (Mr. D.
again yielding for explanation) stated that, without this amendment, there was
no law authorizing the establishment of a post office in Oregon; there was no
law authorizing the President of the United States to send the mail of the
United States to Oregon; and any mail sent there would have to be entrusted to
somebody or other whose duty it was not made by law to distribute it, and it
would be equal or worse than no mail at all. It would be better to put the
whole line under the direction of the general post office law and the
Postmaster General. And he understood that the President, though he had not
conversed with him on the subject, was exceedingly anxious to have this
provision incorporated in the bill, that he might send the mail to Oregon.
After some further
conversation on this point between these two gentlemen,
Mr. DAVIS resumed.
He attached much weight, (he said,) as a friend of the Administration, to its
recommendations, when they came before Congress in a proper form; and he
considered the providing facilities for the transportation of this mail highly
important, but he considered this regiment still more important. By the 20th of
next month, the emigration would commence. Then it was necessary that this
regiment should be organized and ready for action, which could be accomplished
alone by passing this bill into a law without delay. This was the only way of
raising a proper military force for this service: let the officers of this
regiment—the company officers—go into the western country to enlist the men to
serve under them, where there are men competent to ride, hunt, and acquainted
with the dangers and hardships of the service to be found; and with the state
of feeling that now exists, let it be known that the regiment was intended
expressly for this Oregon route, and there would be no difficulty whatever in
finding sufficient recruits, which difficulty would exist, to some extent, in recruiting
for the army generally.
As to taking for
this service a portion of each company as it now exists, all must be aware that
it could not be accomplished. A man would object to being transferred, if he
was eminent in his regiment; and such men only would answer for this service.
Again: it would be
extracting from every company the picked men of the company, and leaving the
rest scarcely fit for the service in which they were now employed.
They had constantly
heard about the ability of the President to mount a regiment for this
particular service. The President had no such power, unless they gave it to him
by law. There was no regiment of infantry not now employed; and we knew not how
soon we might be called to increase our army now in Texas.
As to expense, he
considered that it was usually much over estimated. While in service on this
route, the men would nearly support themselves upon game, and their horses
would subsist on the grass at their feet. It was only when they returned to
garrison to be recruited, that the expenses for forage, &c., were incurred
to any great extent.
He touched upon the
question of nativeism [sic], opposing
the amendment of Mr. LEVIN, and arguing while the West was principally to be
relied on to furnish the men and officers, fitted by education and experience
for this peculiar service, that the discretion should be left to select from
among foreigners, as well as elsewhere, those who were best qualified. He spoke
in high terms of the value and efficiency of service of many foreigners, and
instanced the case of an Englishman, (of whom he gave some anecdote,) who was
the best dragoon he had ever seen.
He concluded by
appealing to his western friends, especially, who knew the necessity of this
bill, and that the force proposed under it should be raised and ready for
service by the 20th May, to reject amendments, which would embarrass the bill,
and pass it without delay.
SOURCE: Dunbar Rowland, Editor, Jefferson Davis, Constitutionalist: His Letters, Papers and Speeches, Volume 1, p. 36-8
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