The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-06-01

men or more, have only two surgeons attached
to- each, a medical force wholly inadequate to
the duty demanded in the field and the hospi-
tai The Medical Aid Association should at
once organize body Of minute men, selected,
if possible, from its most skilful surgeons,
ready to hasten to the scene of action the mo-
ment the telegraph brings the news of battle,
so that our wounded soldiers may be properly
cared for. This is not the least important duty
of those left behind, and we hope that our
patriotic physicians will not fail to attend to it.
Important Measures to be Brought Before
the New Congress.
From limitations that reach us through the
newspapers and various other channels
there is reason to believe that number of
measures of the highest Importance, financial
and economical as well as political, will be
brought under the consideration of Congress
when it reassembles next month. The facts
that have transpired in reference to the charac-
ter of those measures induce conviction that
the approaching meeting of the national Legis-
lature will be one of the most dignifed and
practical in its results of any that has been held
for the last half century. There will be less
time wasted in idle discussion, less attention
paid to private interests, lees lobbying and cor
ruption, and more consideration given to the
public business, than have marked any of its
former sessions.
The war will of course demand it's first at
tention. 1t will have to occupy itself at once
with the raising of the ways and means for
prosecuting it to prompt and successful con-
clusion. The wants of our army and navy pro.
vided for on scale commensurate with the
vigor that the urgency of the crisis demands, it
will be necessary to protect the Executive
against the consequences of any departure
from constitutional or legal restrictions that be
may have been compelled to commit in yield.
ing to the pressure Of public opinion for ener.
getic measures against the rebels Questions
have arisen in connection with the Suspension
of the habeas corpus and the disposal of fugi-
tive slaves which may render it necessary for
Congress to pass acts of indemnity covering
the legal responsibility Of the President and of
those acting under his orders.
These, the more pressing necessities Of legis.
lation, provided for, there are others which,
though not immediate in their urgency, do
not the less demand the attention of Congress
We are just now passing through q fnan-
oial and commercial revolution unparal-
leled in our history, and which will result
in the most sweeping and radical changes.
When the war terminates we shall enter
upon an entirely new order Of things,
or6 N Cd MI Nt,r1 luns
to it, our endorsements aud sufferings
will be of loDg duration. With the banks
broken all over the country, our strength ex-
hausted by costly war, and commercial CON
fdence utterly destroyed, it will require the
exercise Of the greatest care and forethought to
speedily reunite the discovered links which
lately bound together the commercial interests
of the North and South. For this new financial
and commercial measures of legislation will
be required. We cannot otherwise hope to
meet the exigencies of state Of things for
which orr previous experience has not pre-
pared us, and which, in its exceptional con-
ditons, has 10 parallel. We shall in fact, be
turning over an entirely new leaf in the
history of remarkable commercial revolutions;
and it will not DO for us to suddenly emerge
from this war to find ourselves compelled to
grope our way unintellgently through the
fresh difficulties which these changes are about
to create for u.s. By calculating beforehand
their extent and probable operation, we can
meet them by measures of legislation which
viii render tke transition comparatively
easy and natural one. Among these the most
Indispensable are
IA National Bank, with $l00,00O,0O0 of
capital so as to give the country currency at
once uniform and secure.
"A general bankrupt Law, to control the
State banks and to relieve business men from
the difficulties brought upon them by causes
other than their own indiscretion.
3.--An equalization of the tariff, which will
reduce the duties that are now prohibitory
and raise those which are unfairly low to an
equitable standard.
The first of these measures will at once re-
etore confidence in the currency, and will
enable the government to raise whatever
further loans it requires by its taking half, say
S50,0O0,O00, of the stock of the new bank. The
want Of general bankrupt law has been 80
long and 80 seriously felt that it does not re.
quire the pressure of the difficulties by which
the commercial classes are now overwhelmed
to render it acceptable to the country. An
equalization Of the tariff will relieve us from
the hostility aroused against US abroad by the
inpolitic bill of last session, and will, at the
same time, afford all the protection that our
manufacturing interests can justly claim Con-
gress it will be seen, has plenty of work
cut out for it in the maturing of these mea.
sures; but with disposition to avoid all use
less discussion, and to address itself at once to
business, it can be got through in three CT four
weeks. Our financial aud commercial systems
th,,n rononst-,-ntnd in adranna we can look for.