The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-06-18
BALTIMORE.
TUESDAY. JUNE IS, 1861.

Mr. LINCOLN and his Cabinet appear at last to
have discovered that it is one thing TO raise an
army, and another thing to support it. The
former, it seems, is in America at least, of very
easy execution. Provided the Executive has the
impudence to call for the troops, there is evidently
no lack of fools to obey the summons. But Mr..
LINCOLN cannot whistle for money, as he has
whisIled for men. Funds will not pour in, at the
nod of his imperial head, nor will bankers unlock
their strong boxes, unless they have some guaran-
tee that they are to receive, ss pledges for their
gold, certificates issued with more constitutional
authority than it is in the power of the Admins
traiion to offer at the present moment That the
worthy Secretary Of the Treasury, Mr.. SALMON P
CHASE, has not already invented some brilliant
contrivance by which the men under arms could
be as legally and readily paid off as they have
been mustered together, would be rather a matter
of surprise to us, were we not aware that there
are lucid intervals in all fits of lunacy In the
midst of the mad frenzy which has lately charac-
terizad the actions of Mr.. CHASE and his friends
a stray glimpse of their real difficulties has at last
beamed upon them, aud they now quietly fold
their arms, and look to the country which they
have ruined to extricate them from the embarrass-
ments which their want of foresight has brought
upon themselves
More than two months have elapsed since Mr.
LINCOLN declared his intention of repossessing him
self of ''rhe forts, places and property which had
"been SEIZED from the UNION" and since the lead
ers of the Republican party declared that the war
should he short and speedy one but this mighty
threat is still far from being executed. SewelPs
I,
oessively attacked, without any remarkable re-
suits, other than the crippling Of the Pawnee and
the conviction on the part of the Federal COM
manders that it nexpedieDt to try it again.
There has been au attack on l. 200 men ensconced
behind some sand batteries at Great Bethel, and |
over 1000 Northern troops have been tremendously
put to flight; and the famous General BENJAMIN
P. BUTLER who, with large garrison in Fortress
Monroe, imagined that he held portion of Vir-
ginia under suIjnga'ion, has suddenly discovered
that he is completely invested, and has applied tor
double the number Of troops and ampIer means of
transportation, to enable him to commence often
sive operations. Annapolis to be sure, has been
sejzrd, large bodies of troops have been marched
to Johannesburg aud towards Harper's Ferry; |!
General MCCLELLAN has advanced trium phantIy |
through Western Virginia, where he was every
where received with open arms. But so far from |
re-taking any single post or from any actual
invasion Of the t-rrilory which The Confederate |
States have undertaken to defend, General SCOTT
Is this day busily engaged in strengthening his
position opposite Washington City, for the pur.
pose OF protecting that city from an attack from |
the Southern army, which he evidently considers |
imminent. The greatest CONSERVATION prevails |
there. Women leaving; troops are hurry
ing thithei; and, more significant still, several
regiments have within the past two days been con-
gregated on the western section of Baltimore
city, probably with view to protect that
portion of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and
prevent any mpediment to a rapid retreat, via Lo-
Gust Point, in case of defeat at Washington. In
a word, the Republican Administration is in IA
qnandary. 1t has got large army, bat still it
hesitates to advance. 1t has been two months de-
clding upon speedy plan of suhugaIion, and is
no Ter the end than it vas in the beginning |
More troops sun are needed; more men are called |
for, and every day only adds TO the perplexity and
embarrassment of the situation. But what is |
worst of ALL is, that all this soldiery requires an
immense amount of money. One hundred and
fifty thousand 10 two hundred thousand men can |
not be equipped, fed, clothed, to say nothing of
paid, without funds. When we reflect upon the
cost OF transportation, munitions, bridges, roads,
hospitals, and outside attendants of every descrip-
ton, 1t is evident that the expense must be enor-
nous. There is no need of swelling the calcula-
ton with the two very important items of cheat
ing, aud scount in bonds. We estimated the
q at
mum. Several Of the leading and most reliable
New York journals estimate it $40. 900, 900 per
week. If this is correct, the Government has al
ready incurred an Indebtedness of nearly $780,
600, 600, and ''nobody is hurt'' yet.
The Honorable Secretary OF the Treasury is
alarmed. The Cabinet is staggered What is to
come OIL? Where is it to end? Who is to pay |
the piper? FInanciers have been consulted
Leading merchants have been written TO, and, as |
the only means of even temporary relief, it has been
determined 10 increase the revenue by duty or |
q cents per pound on sugar, cents on coffee,
aud 10 cents on tea. A proposition to this effect
will accordingly be submitted to Congress as soon
as it assemblies. How this will he received by tn
people of the West, to almost every one of whom
these articles of prime necessity, remains to be
seen. But even this tax will be but drop in the
bucket, and will not in year furnish more than
enough for three weeks expense of the war
probably not even sufficient to liquidate the debt
that will accumulate while Congress is discussing
the expediency of the measure. The next demand
Will be for direct tax and an excise, with which
The people will be sadded for the support Of war
which can serve no end but TO plunge the whole
country more deeply into misery 1t ia a moor
consolation to fleet that the result of this course
must eventually be to hand down the names of the
nquitous leaders Of the Republican party to igno-
miny and ezecration.