, 1861-09-24

~~ANAN~A~Aa
The Weakness Of the South Exposed
by one Of Its Leadtn. Organs.
fF1om the Charleston Mercury, Sept. 10.1
WHAT THE CONGRESS has DONE, AND WHAT
IT has FAILED TO DO.
Whilst, On the other side Of the Potomac
the liberty Of the press is crushed BY nobi
and the military arm, It is: cur boast on this
Side o. the Potomac, that this great rIght and
safeguard to free government Is preserved IN.
touched ard untarnished. To discuss freely
CUR public afairE, aitE ongh in the discussion
many fal6e views may Represented, Is necsssa.
~ to correct understanding of them ;
whilst the spirit Of liberty such discussion
e1icitE is absolutely necessary to the preserFa-
tion Of free institutions Of Government All
men are mere or less resolve at their opinions
CT policy being disputed, and the stronger the
Demonstrations sgainst them the fiercer the
classification. But liberty is restraint. It
cons1cts not in every man enforcing his own
cpinIcns OF Passions, but In obedience to gen
cee in their ebfo- cement.
We propose to discuss, briefly, what the late
Congress has done, and what it has failed
to do.
In the first place, Congress has voted an
army Of near hall million Of meu, and a IA
o1r only objection to this le gisla:ior is that it
is IN imitation Of the bullying On the other
side Of the Potomac The Congress of the
United States voted four hundred Thousand
men. We brag oVes them. We get to near q
half million; and when We come to money,
they are not > circumstance to us. This is 5
scurd1rg patriotism nst in the very best taste.
We should have legislattd without regari to
the p1etentious bullying OF MI. Linco1n's Con
grese, and have simply voted in the field the
force ne thought adequate to the military exi-
gencies Of the Confederate States. Hc haye
no sdfa that the half nailzioa Of men Tie Con
gTess has Authorized sciU eyer Be raised, o7. The
.ne4zds for their support ersr Be required. TIE
lind it d.DfcstH to put an army Of elghty ltsus-
and men together In Vi7yinia, and eighty Ueus-
and men - are enough, and ace fear n.ore than
enough, fer day military atse Ee can put them TO-
Thiers says that there was but one man In Eu-
roIe who could WELD one hundred thousand
men In the field, and that man was Napoleon.
We mag have crop Of Napoleon's coming On
to maturity, but At present they have not ap-
peaTed. 40 general on either side in our soaT'
~'1h the United Stltes has vet appeared 4eho has
gToaed himself abe efficiently 10 handle thirty
thousand men in the ytatld. Troops that you
cannot tight are elements Of weakness They
consume snd comp1lcate sn1 emtar1ass-help
to dlsorganizatiop, and may spread panica. So
We are Of cpinicn that If we had been little
more mccerste in our army and 1naac;al de-
monstratIocs, we would have been a little
more esteemed. We admire uRpretentio4s
governments, as We DO unpretentiQus mca4-
uree. Simplicity is positive virtue. Yet ne
viii not quarrel with *he fred imagination,
Ehich will beat the enemy, eyez III figures.
Full nuEberE a1e certainly very desirable
Appropriations hare also bee1 made tc In
crease our ravy. This ID q department which
Eae been greatly neglected. According to the
CoIttltnt1on, no appropriations can be voted
bJ Congress unless previously recommended
BY the Executive. Little or aothing has here
tcfole been 1eccEmeEdld by the Executive
for the defence Ct our coast. Yet, il daten-
siVe WAT w2s to be the policy Of the Com
Mander-ir-C -Chief, 1t Was clear that our coast
must be aesalled, the chief advantage Of our
enemies being the possession Of The rayy
Let the Northern armies have no occupation
in defending the Northern States, and thew
must frd employment On cur seabosrd, B,d,
tya strange Inconsistency, anhRe our army has
6ttn soIty Organised, and is Kept i7actite, our
coasts are ut unprotected Congress, although
ne tesr too late, 1eem5 to be now somawhat
sliye to this result, ard has appropriated two
millions ct dollars for the coast defence. Our
need is gurhoats- But what can VI now do
II applying this money? TIE hayy Yard Al
!t7sacota st1nds oelcag.se9,ed dAd nseIess to as,
The Navy Kara at Norfolk IL fully employed
in repairing and preparing for sea tae ships
tuled the Navy Yard. Are the Instrumental
ties ct land at Charleston, CT Savannah, OF
MOBILE, to build the iron clad guabo.te, OF
ircn clao floating batteries, which cur d.fenca
impe e1atiFe]y rsqUifes? We fear they are not
Where, thep, can they be obtained? In Eu-
rope-whera they ought to have b-en ordercd
Or obtained long ago. But will the energy Of
the AGminf6tratiHn be equal to the emefgen.
ey?. The question will be answered according
to the confidence in the efficiency Of the Gov
eminent. The very appropriation Of but txo
millions ct money iaetead Of six, Which the
ex1gencies OF our defence would fully require,
does rot seem to argue much confidence IN
the Efficiency Ct the Administration in the
Navy Department Tie States, ue fear, aciU
hdse 10 defend thfasttsts BY their eacn deviess ana
Githout gun1odts or naea{ assistance,