New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-12-10
Neh Orleans 4aiIp Crescent.
MONDAY MoRNINe. pEcEMBER 10. lseo.
FROM WASHINGTON.


just now, public interest centers on the city of
Washington if any one wishes to become hope
lessly insane, let him read the various dispatches
from that point, wherewithal the telegraph has, for
the last few days, been favoring US. Such a con
fused, unntelligible jumble--such succession Of
contradictory reports and rumors-such a mass Of
conjectures, inferences, and on dts, never before
vexed and puzzled people anxious only for plain
facts and not for vague suppositions, and wild,
reliable rumors.
The especial object Of attention, at the present
time, among the telegraphc fraternity, seems to be
the rotund, jolly, and easy-going gentleman who
presided over the late Treasury Of the United
States. Mr.. Howell Cobb has, every day lengthy
bulletin devoted specially to himself, which must
be gratifying circumstance to him if he is like
most public men, ambitious of figuring largely in
the newspapers. We are not much surprised that
on the eve Of general smash and breakup of the
Government, there should be a sert of scramble
over the few mopusses which still glitter in the
vaults of the sub-treasury. But that Mr.. Cobb
should be held accountable for the stringency in
the money market, and the inability Of Uncle
Samuel to pay honorable members their per diem
and mileage, is, we submit not exactly the fair
thing towards the First Lord OF the Treasury. Mr.
Cobb is just like other people-he cannot pay
money unless he has it. WelIaye never seen the
man yet that could. And as Mr.. Cobb did not
elect Lincoln to the Presidency, but did all that
he could to prevent it, we regard it as particularly
hard that he should be held accountable for the
troubles that are upon us, and specially selected
for persecution by the telegraphic correspondents.
One day they report that he is not to be found at
al-leayng it to be inferred that he had either de-
camped stealthly from Washington, or had taken
a cup of cold "pizen" to sooth his SORROWS, or
had secreted himself among the money boxes in
the lowest subterranean vault of the Treasury
building, refusing to come out into the light of
day. The next day he is reported to be in deep
consultation with the bankers, Corcoran & Riggs
the next day he is said to be dangerously i'll in his
bed !; then he and Senator Hunter are gazetted as
having had their heads together " on the state OF
the country - and finally it is stated that he is 60
ing to resign his office, desert the Old Public Func-
tonary altogether leave the treasury to administer
itself, and take the first boat for Georgia. Now
we would like to know why Cobb should be thus
pursued and prosecuted, and we should like to
| know further who can gain, amidst this mass ei
confused and contradictory reports, any clear and
intelligent idea of what is the real truth of the
| matter.
The other reports sent us by telegraph are scarce
ly more satisfactory. We can only gather from
them that the Presidents Message is acceptable to
neither seetion-that the Black Republicans are
truculent and defiant, and refuse to believe that
| the Union is. dissoved-that Mr.. Crittenden witt
the best intentions, no doubt, proposes to engage
in the hopeless experiment of closing the chasn
which separates the North and the south-that tht
money in the Treasury is all gone-and that tht
Old Public Funetionary is in state Of tribulatiol
and utter despair incurable by the most frequen
doses of his fayorte medicine, tile mountain-dew'
of Western Pennsylvania. This seems to be sum
mary of the Washington news, as sifted out froI
the volumineus verbiage which the telegraph dali
supplies US with.
The truth is, the Government is virtually dis
solved, and the Union thing of the past All tall
Of compromise, of patching up settlement, o
gathering together the scattered fragments of wha
was once the Union, is waste of words. TIL
proverbial folly of singing psalms to dead hors
is wisdom in comparison with it.