WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1843
296
superior to the civil government itself, by placing the Major General in a situation in which he can defy not only the Presi- dent but all the civil officers of the country. To enable us to form our conclusions as to the future we should refer to the experience of the past. If we do so, we cannot but feel assured that nothing beneficial to the country could result from the adoption of the proposed measure. The Executive cannot see any possible advantage that would result from the election of a Major General at this period. The multiplication of military officers of high command, is calculated to produce chisms and dissension. There are now four brigadier generals in the country. It is to be presumed that they feel mili- tary emulation and becoming pride of official distinction. They have been elected by those who are subject to military command: and if the Honorable Congress were to proceed to elect a Major General in any other mode than that in which they have been elected, and thus supersede them in rank, they would consider that they had not been fairly dealt by; and that Congress had assumed to themselves this mode of pretermitting their rights. And men acting under the influence of chagrin seldom afford that cordial cooperation in sustaining either an individual or a measure by which they conceive they have been injured. The effect of the bill would be to supersede all the duties of the brigadiers, render them nullities, and produce in the organization of our service endless conflict and confusion. The bill provides, also, that in the event of a vacancy in the office of Major General, the Senior brigadier general shall have command. The same right would be exercised now by the Senior brigadier general; and as the brigadiers . have been regularly created under the law, it would seem unnecessary that an election of Major General should take place, for no other purpose than to swell the number of general officers. And it is to be presumed that if a brigadier who is now in service were to be elected, it would add no efficiency to the individual, and merely be an in- crease of rank and file. If the command contemplated by this bill were called into service it would not exceed a number greater than a major in the line has the right to command. Hence, every field officer in Texas would feel that the Honorable Congress, by this bill had dis- regarded their claims and made a special exception in favor of an individual, whom neither the men nor officers of the Republic had any voice in promoting to the command.
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