The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-03 00:00:00

THE LEGISLATURE AND THE PRESS.

In the House of Representatives yesterday Mr.
Harding, of Kentucky, said the emancipation
proclamation bad united the South and paralysed
the efforts of loyal men so as to leave little hope
of the restoration of the Union. The proclamation
was war upon the constitution. It was an absolute
assumption of despotic power which would wrest
from the people the right of self-government.
No state could be safe with such a power
suspended over it. No stronger disunion
doctrine was ever issued. Those sanctioning
it were ready to yield their liberty and
confess themselves slaves. Secessionists furnished
the fire, and abolitionists the fuel to kindle the
conflagration now sweeping through the land.
Withdraw the fuel and the fire would soon burn
out. He had no hope of reunion under the present
radical policy. The democratic party north and
south would crush out the abolitionists and seces-
sionists, and snatch the government from ruin.
Resolutions censuring Commodore Vanderbilt
and others for negligence in fitting out the trans-
ports for the Banks expedition, have been intro-
duced in the Senate.

The New York State Assembly met at Albany
last evening. The floor of the Assembly was
packed with persons not entitled to the privileges
of the floor, the upper galleries were locked, and
persons on the stairs and in the outer hall could
not gain admission. The democratic members de.
flounced the locking of the doors of the galleries,
and insisted on the doors being opened for ad-
mission to the citizens. The Assembly then ad-
journed. After the adjournment the crowd broke
open the galleries and rushed in.
The New York Hindi{ urges upon the New York
State Legislature to pass resolutions denouncing
the manner of conducting the campaign, and calling
upon the President to place If Tlellan at the head
of the War Department, and some com-
petent naval officer at the head of the
navy department, and says :—" The country is now
satisfied that as long as the present cabinet remains
in office there can be no hope of bringing the strug-
gle to a successful conclusion, and President Lin-
coln cannot and dare not disregard a formal declara-
tion of this kind on the part of the State
Legislature."
The New York Tribune urges the reorganisation
of the cabinet, to be composed wholly of states-
men who not merely acquiesce in Lincoln's eman-
cipation proclamation. As the necessary and inevi-
table sequence from the proposition that the nation
has • right to live at whatever cost to traitors,
the Tribune urges the dismissal of all officers
cavilling at or exciting hostility to the policy of the
government, and the calling out of the uniformed
militia for three months to garrison Washington,
Baltimore, and the western cities, whilst all the sol-
diers are sent to the front for active campaigning.
The Tribune further urges the arming of every
man, native or foreigner, black or white, who
will fight for the Union in the meantime. "If
foreign powers interpose the North cannot," says
the Tribune, " be expected to consider proposals
of mediation until they are first accepted by
the rebels, and it would be next May before
the North could be asked to reply to offers of
mediation. If three months' earnest fighting do ,