Arkansas true Democrat., 1862-01-30

DIT. OOnkIiOS OIcIeu pTe3mDIe, TeCIE ing the resolution heretofore adopted and the response, concluding with resolution that the answer to it is neither responsive nol satisfactory to the House, and that the Sec- retary of War be directed to return a fur ther answer.
 Mr. Richardson, (Opp.) of Illinois, en- quired whether this was question of priv ilege
 The speaker submitted the question to the House which decided that 1t was
 Mr. Richardson, in opposing the resolu- tion, this was not a matter of proper enqui- " here. If there is one point more prom inent than another, on which the country is agreed it is that those who fought and fell with Gen. Baker displayed as much cour- age and gallantry as have ever been dis played on this continent. But these things ought not to be lugged in here. Suppose any body living is found to be in fault, what will you do with him? Discuss him in town meetings? Is that the way you conduct the war? We must trust something to the proper department of the government. The men who have committed blunders and acted from errors of judgment will not hereafter be entrusted with important com mands. If dead, we should cast no oble- 1 quy on their ashes or disgrace their memo ". IHe time hos come lchen there Shoud be C moyeDem. The troops ought to be drill led and prepared with this view. Gentle men of the army, somewhere or another, knew quite as much about affairs as any member of this House The House should do nothing below its dignity This was not the proper place to investigate battles. He was opposed to the whole resolution It was subject with which they had noth, ing to do, and the sooner they stopped the proceedings as now proposed, the better for l the country.
 Mir. Edwards, Rep. of New Hampshire did not see that what Mir. Conkling had said implied any sensure on the general in chief. If the latter supposed it would be detrimental to the public interests to an swer the resolution, it was proper for him to say so. He regretted that there existed disposition here to deprecate the position of the general-in chief. For himself he felt We must place in him the most implicit con fdence if we would come out of this con- ' charged with an immense responsibility, and surrounded by so much treachery that he ] can hardly whisper his plans We should strengthen his hands and cheer his heart | in view of these facts.
 Mir. Crittenden, Union) of Kentcky, con tended that the House has,no power, under | the constitution 10 enquire into mat ters purely military The army is under the command of the President, who i. res sponsible for it's operations To intefere with this, therefore, would be an attempt to extend our civil jurisdiction. Even if we had the right to make such an enquiry, did not public policy forbid it? Could war be successfully conducted on such princi- pie? The gentleman from New York Mir. ! Conkling) had given an animated picture of the scenes of the battle, and spoke of the killed, wounded and dying. The gentle man had given clear description of the battle for the purpose of showing that | there was want of skill in its management l Our feelings may be aroused or affected .- | Let us be careful not to allow such feelings to lead us into improper measures. If l there was want of skill and fidelitT what was the remedy? Was 1t to be exercised l by the civil jurisdiction and power? If faults have been committed they are to be examined into and punished by the militia 1 " tribunal, By pursuing the course now proposed, we take the subject out of the | hands of those supposed to be incompetent Was this wise? Such an enquiry now would lead to future embarrassment. The effect would be to disavow our entire army We believed that the whole country had confidence in General Mcclellan. We had better weaken our army than weaken con- fidence in the general-in n-chief An army of hares, led on by lion, isImore to be dreaded than an army of lions led on by a hare.
 Mr. Conbling further explained the ob ject and purpose of his resolution, replying MT. Crittenden.
 Mir. Vallandingham, (Opp.) of Ohio, said, that if the House. adopted forty years ago, and in the better times, had di- rected the Secretary of war to report the in formation required, he would have voted for the resolution pending But it express | ly left 1t to the secretary to say whether the public interests justified furnishing the mat tercalled for or not. and it was now too late toobiect that he had exercised the discretion left to him. Otherwise he MT. Vallandingham) would have voted for res l olution, as he was one of those who be- leAed in the right of Congress to enforce the responsibility upon all the heads of de. partments, He thought the power ought never to be surrendered, and would, at all times, maintain the subordinaton ofthe military to the civil authority. The Brit 1 ish Parliament has exercised the right of enquiry into the conduct of the Crimean war. But here the Secretary of war had only exercised discretion allowed to him by the House, and it was now too late to complain of it.
 Mr. Lovejoy (Rep, of Illinois, entered his protest against the principle enunciated by the gentleman from Kentucky, having always believed the military should be sub ordinate to the civil power. The regulu- lar military officers are more in the day of an advance than any other class We are waiting in the fruitless hope that the rebel lion will put itself down. The idea is, If we don't hurt anybody the rebels will re- turn to their allegiance. The fear in which we stand of injuring the twin relic of bar barism paralyzes the whole army. The N reason why we are not successful IS that