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WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1837-184,1
on the Frontier; and again, that the said troops shall elect their officers, but the time and place is not designated in the Act. The President is required to place in the hands of a Quarter-Master, appointed by the Major-General, the sum of twenty thousand dollars. The Act is, in every feature, objectionable. The President by the Constitution, is Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, as well as the Militia of the country. It is within his province to call out the Militia when he may deem fit, but it is not in the power of Congress to compel him to do so. To call them out at this time would be impossible, and employ them on the Frontier, as there is not bread-stuffs in the country to subsist the in- habitants, and the scarcity is greatest on the Frontier where the troops would be employed. The appointment of the Quarter- Master is contrary to the Constitution, which provides, that the appointment of all officers whose offices are established by this Constitution, not herein otherwise provided for, should be made by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Senate have the right to confirm all nominations, or to reject the same. The Act does not say to whom the Quarter-Master shall give security, (for the sum of 20,000,) nor that he shall give the same, until after the money has been paid him. Some discretion should be left with the President, where the Constitution has placed it; and as he is accountable for the defence of the nation, that the means should be placed within his control. It may be asked who are the hostile Indians? vVho is to decide the fact? If men are sent to the Frontier, without the most abso- lute and particular instructions, they will feel disposed to do something that will distinguish them; nor will they ever want a pretext to declare any and all the Indians our enemies, and attack a camp of any tribe, if they should chance to be on their way to sue for peace. The last winter and spring have exemplified this suggestion, and the blood of some of our best citizens, has paid for the dis- obedience of an officer and his men, who abandoned his post on the Brazos, and, instead of pursuing Indians who had stolen horses, crossed their trail, proceeding to the Three Forks of Trinity, with a view to steal horses from Indians with whom the Government was then treating. This has broken off, for the present, all prospect of a Treaty, until those Indians can be approached through our friendly tribes. This subject has not
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