CONTINUED FROM VOL. IX.

MONDAY, February 11, 1828.

Militia Courts Martial.

The report of the Committee on Military Af-
fairs, [made this day,] on the subject of the docu-
ments in this case, being under consideration --

Mr. HAMILTON offered the following resolu-
tion:

Resolved, That the report of the Committee on
Military Affairs, made to this House, on certain doc-
uments communicated by the Department of War,
touching the proceedings of a court martial which
convened at Mobile on the 5th December, 1814, and
a correspondence between the Secretary of War
and Governor Blount, respecting certain drafts of
the Militia of the State of Tennessee, be printed
with said documents, which have been previously
ordered to be printed by this House.

Mr. DRAYTON moved to amend the resolution,
by adding these words:

"And that the documents heretofore ordered to
be printed, shall, when printed, be appended to said
report, in the order in which they have been ar-
ranged by the committee."

Mr. HAMILTON accepted the amendment.

Mr. BURGES said, that, by way of apology that
the order of the House had not been complied
with, it had been said that it was one of the high
privileges of a committee of Congress, to say
when and how documents are to be printed. He
denied that. He denied that when the House
had said certain papers are to be printed, a
committee, or a member of a committee, may
put them in their pockets, and prevent them
from being printed. If such a doctrine were
to prevail, a committee might put documents in
their pockets and keep them there until the
end of the session. The mode of printing had
been indicated by the order of the House. This
is not merely a conflict between the privileges
of a committee and of the printer. What had
the printer to do with it beyond putting it into
type? that which was before the House is chiro-
graphy. Why then should it be stated that
this is a conflict between the privileges of a
committee and the printer? With all due def-
erence, the House had a right to examine the
documents at the same time as the committee.
He knew not why the committee had claimed
the privilege of giving their opinions, when
they were not asked for. When documents
were ordered to be printed, it was not the usual
way to retain them from the clerk, so that he
could have no opportunity -- should not be able to
send them to the printer -- but they had been
uniformly sent to the clerk, and from him to the
printer. It was now perfectly clear that it was
the object of the committee that the people
should not have the documents without a glos-
sary to accompany them. The Secretary of War
had been precluded from giving any opinion.
It was then the wish of the gentlemen that the
facts should go forth to the people without any
commentary. Now, the same gentlemen seem
to fear lest the people should have the facts
without a commentary. It is intended to in-
sinuate that the people have so little knowledge
that they would not be able to understand the
documents if they were presented to them by
themselves. He was astonished to hear such a
doctrine asserted. He did not know with what
kind of people the gentleman from South Caro-
lina was acquainted; but those of the people
with whom he was himself acquainted, he could
assure the gentleman, want no glossary or
commentary to serve as a guide to their under-
standings. This mode of accompanying the docu-
ments with a glossary might have a very different
effect from keeping the people from committing
errors of opinion.

He asked what friend there was of General
Jackson who would come forward and say that

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