The New York herald., 1862-11-20
The Coming Reports OF the sscreteriss
or Departments.


reports at the opening of Congress on the hrss
Monday Of the ensuing month. Never since the
foundation of the government have the prin-
cipal oficers-the Secretaries Of War, the Navy
and the Treasury-been in position to present
such important documents for the consideration
of Congress and Of the nation They are looked
forward to with profound interest; for they are
times and, were the officials equal to the task,
these reports would be the most interesting
State papers ever laid before deliberative as
sembly. Never was there so grand field for
craftsmanship or such magnificent scope for
eloqucnce. Never was so great a cause at stake,
or one that SO extensively involved the well
fare of the human race. We fear that, with such
unequalled materials, the reports will fall far
beneath the gravity of the situation and tho
dignity and Importance Of the subjects. Yet.
even as it is, these documents cannot fail to posS
sess more than ordinary interest for the country
and the world. The dry facts alone, if presented
in an Ineligible form, must speak volumes.
We will not expect from the Secretary of
War history Of the blunders and failures,
and how, according to the testimony of the
Prince de Joinvle, the interference with the
cooperating army of Mcdowell ats the decisive
moment lost Richmond to Mcclellan, and
with it the lives of thousands of men in the
seven days battles on the Chickahominy, in the
subsequent campaign of Pope, and in the two
battles of South Mountain and Antietam, all Of
which would have been prevented had a juno
ton been permitted between the Army Of the
Rappahannock and the Army of the Peninsula.
Nor is this all. Many thousands more lives are
yet to pay the forfeit of the tremendous blum
der of the politicians, to say nothing of the
vast amount of additional treasure which must
be expended to accomplish the object Of the
war. We do not expect that Secretary Stanton
will elaborate these fatal errors, or that he will
touch upon the frauds Of army contractors and
the generals who aided them to cheat the SOL
diers and the government But it is to be
hoped that he will set forth the magnitude of a
war in which million of men have taken the
field on one side alone-a war which will proba-
bly, cost three thousand millions Of dollars be-
fore it is brought to close-a war in which
comparatively raw troops have displayed the
cool courage and skill of veterans, battling all
the calculations of the military critics of Europe.
The Secretary Of the Navy has a grand
record, not for himself, but for the coun-
try We hope he will in some measure do
it Justice. If by some miracle he should do
this, the two and half per cent to Morgan
the contracts for worthless vessels, his dila-
toriness and want of energy in destroying the
Merrimac and the batteries on the James river
which resulted in forcing Mcclellan to proceed
by York river, and take the wrong side of the
Chickahominy, together with the Secretary's
supineness in attacking the principal Southern
seaports and allowing the privateers of the
enemy to play such havoc with the commerce
of the country, may be forgotten for little
while. Let him tell the world that in des-
pite of the red tape of his department, an
improvised navy sprang into existence like
Minerva in full armor from the brain
of Jove, and that such is the revolution
it has produced in the art of naval warfare
that by single battle it has rendered useless
five hundred millions worth of the war ships Of
the maritime Powers of the earth He has an
opportunity for the most thrilling descriptions
of the brilliant deeds of Dupont, Farragut and
Foote; of the capture of Fort Hatteras, Roa-
noke Island, Port Royal, Fort Pulaski, Fort
Corpus Christi and Galveston. And Secretary
Weles might foreshadow more formidable iron
clads now built or in course Of construction,
and the still greater captures that await their
operations. Let Mr.. Welles make it known
that such navy, under such circumstances, is
without precedent in the history of the world,
and all in the face of the old fogyism Of the
Navy Department and by the genius of indi
vidual enterprise.
But whence have come the means for such
vast organizations by land and sea? Let the
Secretary of the Treasury answer. Let Mr..
Chase proclaim that he started without a dollar
for a war of such magnitude that the peo-
pie of the great commercial cities and towns
of the North, particularly New York, supplied
him, on the spur of the moment, with $780,.
000, ,000 that they have since taken his loans
and put into circulation his demand notes that
they gave him good advice, ignorant as he was
of the duties Of his office, but that in refusing
TO follow it he has made shipwreck of the
finances of the country Had he paid the same
attention to the proper management Of his own
department that he did to intriguing in order
W dsarrange the movements Of the Army OF the
Potomac. and to turn the war from struggle
for the restoration Of the Union into an abol-
ton crusade, he might have been more success
full as Secretary Of the Treasury. But it is not
too late to repent and reform. He can tell
Congress that there are still ample resources
in store, and that he and they may turn
. new leaf BY postponing taxation, the
true basis for the demand notes, he per-
mitted the currency TO be deprecated and
deranOed. but the Tar bill will now soon