The New York herald., 1862-01-08

ment u whiskey growing out OF the agitation OF pro
posed excise tax all distilled liquors. The sales en-
braced 500 bbls 22c., which advance Of be-
tween 1c. and &c. per gallon
The Small Politicians of Congress and
the Great Necessities of tho Country.
Promptly after the recess of the Christmas
and New Year holidays we had supposed that
the House of Representatives at Washington,
charged with the exclusive authority of initial
ing the ways and means for the relief of the
Treasury, would enter upon the consideration
Of some financial scheme for raising the sinews
of war, for maintaining the credit of the 60
vernment, and for saving the country from the
dreadful calamities, at this crisis, Of an ire
deemable and constantly depreciating shin
plaster currency But what is the fact
Promptly after the meeting Of the House on
Monday last the disastrous battle at Balls
Bluff and the almighty nigger" are brought
upon the carpet and monopolize the days de-
bates.
Mr.. Roscoe L. Conkling, Of New York, rose
to a question of privilege. The House, he said,
had passed resolution requesting the Secretary
of War to inform the House whether any steps
have been taken to ascertain who are response
BILE for tbe disastrous affair at Balls Bluff and
the Secretary, for an answer, had sent in the
information that tho General-in-Chief had ex-
pressed the opinion that an inquiry into the
subject would not be just yet compatible with
the public interest. Mr.. Conkling contended
that this was triAing with the dignity and privi-
leges of the House, and so he moved a pream-
BILE reciting the resolution heretofore adopted,
concluding with q resolution that the answer to
the nrst Inquiry is ueirner responsive nor sat1s-
factory to the House, and that the Secretary of
War be directed to return further answer.
Upon this proposition the day was exhausted,
beginning with an elaborate exposition by Mr.
Conkling Of the whole budget Of blunders COM
mitted on our side, in the fatal movement upon
Balls Bluff, including some very broad insinu-
ations of treachery against General Stone, and
some suspicious that even General Mcclellan
desires rather to conceal than to make known
all the responsibilities connected with this dis
astrous affair. The sensible arguments Of
Messrs. Richardson and Crittenden against this
proceeding had no other effect than to bring
out the inevitable Lovejoy with lis infallihle
nigger. He said ''the regular military officers
are more in the way of an advance than any
other class" that "the idea is if we don't hurt
anybody the rebels will return to their alle-
giance;" that "the fear in which we stand of in
juring the twin relic of barbarism paralyzes the
whole army" that "ths reason why we are
not successful is that we stand before an in
censed God;" that we are false "to the princi-
pies of justice and truth, and those of human
equality-namely, liberty throughout all lands,
and to all the inhabitants thereof" OF course,
with the everlasting niger thus introduced,
Balls Bluff for a time was forgotten in another
useless, and worse than useless, discussion of
Southern slavery.
And thus from day to day, since the first
House has been frittered away upon this ruin
GUS abolition idea of changing this war for "the
integrity Of the Union" into fanatical crusade
for the extirpation of slavery. Of the six hun
dred and fifty thousand men in arms against
this Southern rebellion, there are not, perhaps,
five thousand who enlisted to fight upon this
abolition platform. Our soldiers have volun-
teersd to fight for the restoration of our South
ern revolted States to the Union, leaving slavery
to take its chances. We are fighting to put
down Southern white rebels and not against
the hundreds of thousands of Union men
throughout the South who are awaiting the day
of their deliverance from Jeff. Davis; we are
fighting to save the South, not to destroy It; our
object is to restore the blessings OF our fede-
raj constitution to the rebel States, and not 10
transfer them from one irresponsible military
despotisin to another.
We have an army and navy sufficient for the
immediate work in hand; we have our army
aud our navy so organized and distributed as to
indicate the inevitable overthrow OF this re-
bellion, and in very short time. But the money
question is assuming an alarming shape. Sixty
millions OF cash receipts make sorry figure
against six hundred millions Of expenditures
The receipts Of the Treasury must be in
creased TO the extent OF hundred and
6fty millions, and that right soon, or we
shall be deluged by O general outpouring of
shnplasters, and tho fearful revulaion of 1887,
ten times magnifed in Its evils. will again como
upon us. The solvency and safety Of the
Treasury, our currency, our credit, our COM
merce, as people--our very existence as an in
dependent nation-arc oil now depending upon
the action of Congress on this all important