Newbern weekly progress., 1862-08-30
INTERESTING FROM THE
SOUTH.
MEETING OF THE REBEL CONGRESS.
/ ONION PRISONE RS IT RICHMOND,
| &C., &C., &C.

we take the following items of interest
Rebel Congress-SecOmd Session. =,
From the Richmond Despatch, Aug. 16.l ,'
Congress will meet on Monday 1t will
have many important measures to discuss and
| to decide. Let us hope that discussion viii
| be limited and decision quick. This is no time
| for talking The crisis demands, if ever crisis
did demand the brieest possible consultation
and the most decided action.
The first and most important measure to be
decided is connected with the c,nscription.-
That law is manifestly imperfect, and demands
immediate revision. The Yankees have already
called for an addition of COO 900 men to the
forces they already have in the field. The
order for resorting to draft went into opera
ton on Friday. There can be no d0udt that
tie men qcW be f0rthc0ming at cery sAort
noti"F, and that unless Congress acts at once,
and with the utmost energy, we shall be taken
| at a disadvantage. We trust in heaven that
the experience of last year may not be thrown
away upon that body, and that it will take such
measures as to render the recurrence of such
disasters as then experienced, an impossi-
bility for the future. 70 do so they must put
into the field force as large as that OF the
enemy. That can be done by calling out all
the conscripts between the ages of thrty-five
and iorty-hve, and by extending the list to
sixteen on the one hand a ID fifty-f five on the
other, and that 100 without any very great in
convenience to the agricultural interest of the
country, we think is quite evident. Youths from
sixteen to eighteen are, in general, fully able
to carry musket, as ever they become after
wards. If there should be especial cases where
such ability does not exist, there S Iould be
special exemptions to suit them. The general
law would not be affected by such exemptions
For the rest, man fifty years old is, in gen
eral, as strong, though not perhaps as active,
"a man at any other age whatever Although
he may not be able to double quick it with
younger men, yet there are many duties which
he can perform just as well. Battalions of
men Of that age might be placed in all the
earrisons thereby releasing younger men for
field duty. They can serve heavy guns, and
field artillery, as we'll as younger men,
But, above all there Is no reason on earth why
they should not serve as drivers and as cavalry.
We sure that the government could find
employment for one hundred thousand such
men, without making them serve as infantry
VI here the youngest and most active should be
employed. And they would leave thereby one
hundred thousand young men TO serve in the
infantry. We think, too, that Old men mi ght
be employed in the public offices entirely with
great advantage to the public. 1t would give
whole battallons of youag men an opportunity,
which no doubt they eagerly desire, to serve
their country in the field. We hope the gov
ernmcnt will sake this view Of the subject and
begin the work al once
If the measures here proposed be followed
out rigidly we can put into the field force
quite equal to that called for by Lincoln, in
'Iumbcrs and superior in every quality tha, goes
to the making up ot good so.der. "
get our consCripts into place quite as soon
he can get his, and instead of dIsast er and de-
feat, such as marked the winter of '6l-62, we
may calculate on pushing the victories that
have attended our arms Of late to their most
remote consequences. But, above all, let Con
gress act with decision and at once. They
have time TO loose, for the cool weather is
rapidly approaching, and the ranks of the
enemy are rapidly filing up He trust tAey
acW not be deiuyed the drcana cJ i1.tercea-
tim, which some OF our coutpnlporarics find it
50 hard to awaken from IHcre IS less cause