, 1862-01-23
Chr Grihu1te.


Communicated
Congress and the Holidays.
Profound establishment has been created in
the minds Of earnest men, that Congress
should have suspended business, to 60 home
10 spend the holidays, at time when
the life Of the nation is trembling in the
f,alance-rreling and staggering under the
efforts Of cruel and implacablc enemies, seek
ing by every means in their power to over
throw and destroy .it-at a time when six
hundred thousand brave men were enduring
the pcrils aud su1c1ings Of tlle camp and bat
tic field, and measures to secure their sup
port and efficiency, and the successful tcrni-
nation Of This rebellion, remained unproyided-
II this nation should perish, aud in her ruin
our liberties ..and the principles Of free GOV
ernment be struck down, how will this Con-
Gress meet its account at the bar Of nations
AMI ps: t.rty. Nero fddled while Rome was
III. Ling Shall the historian proclaim to the |
coming ages that the Congress Of tho United |
Statesl fcastcd and rcyelcd while the Union !
was sinking in ruin: while au army Of more I
than one hundred thousand men beleaguered |
tlIc capital, almost in sight Of its donae2 As |
soon should VIC expect son to desert his dy- |
ing mother. or 4 husband his wife, in the hour |
of h.r agony. OF all the amazing things that !!
will excite the astonishment Of posterity, in
the conduct Of this war, this act Of Congress
will be the crowning wonder. 1t is incomprc-
henEiblc how they could, with the aSfu1 re-
sponsibilltics devolycd upon them, abandon
thcir posts, and their country, to pay visits Of
pleasure or ceremony with such IN army Of
their constituents in -the field, equipped at
such IN enormous expense, wasting the sub
stance Of the country in its maintenance, at
the rate Of 4 million dollars 4 day, 10 be re-
imburstd by taxation, when corruption and
peeul.sion are fostering and iattening in all
4, the departments Of Government, "with none
: 10 mo}est or make them them afraid, and
which it was the duty Of Congress to detect
, and punisil-whi1c measures vital to the credit
/ and being Of the Government required prompt
! and efficient action.
/ 1t can only be accounted for from the fact
that it occurred at Washington, where the air
is poisonous with Il malaria that paralizes ac-
/ ton and queuches patriotism, that binds sell
flsllncss in the hearts of those who breath it
where the tribuncs Of the people are prosti-
tuted by the 11nions Of slavery and tile greed
Of Official smiles and patronage-rohbed Of
their political virtue and manhood, and cowed
before ti,u threatening, brslzvn front Of that
great CRIME which has SO long held tue seals
+ of empire there.
This apparent inscusibi1ity Of Congress to
tie inl1! lucllcy Of the national danger, has
sent 4 thrill IF terror to the hearts Of the
people lest their representatives have caught
; tlle deatlly Infection which las filled Wash
ibgton with the llallucinltion that this war is
! Il mere political contest in which fle highest
! efforts urc directed to securing place and
!. j plu,:der for lariizans-:, campaign in which
1hc articles Of war arc put aside for ctte party
platforms. aud in which, rhetoric and the sub
! DUNG power Of money arc relied OIL to con
! qucr our enemies rather than the bay0net:
i: and bullets Of our soldicrs-wlile they know
that their enemies are ;tninllted ~ hate ane
n.ali:rity as implacable aud ineXorlbie a.
death, and that unless our rulers wake from
! their dc]u-ion and strike tho foe with tht
I lamrlcr Of destruction, and lucnch the rebel
I ion i'll llotd aud tlanles, this great Republic
!. will l,c br,kcu into aiscordant fragments an
hel1isrgcnt States, and blottcd from the fam
s iIy If nations. They know, aud Congres
knows, that unless God has made this natio
mad that He nlly destroy it for its sins u
rrcten=..S, Of the 'efFeetual check aud VA,
> inT proportions Of this Instruction are d,
lusifc or 1aessdacions, and If trusted, tend 4
surely destruction Us lie descending cul
rent CT Nissara. As we'll might the fuyitig
FROM tic rising waters uf the delu5c, Will
| strux.in. up tie mo1intain peaks declare the
/ tie waters we,e subsi0iug and tie danger Wa
past.
ElEuts lase been made to deceive the worl
rs 10 the cause Of this rebellion, and the pris
n ciples involved. It has armed the eneni:
: OF FREE Government with q weapon With the
have Il, os1 effectively nscd 10 turn away fro'
e, lis Tilt sy1nla:tlits of England. The world Il
hte1l a*scrv.l taai N're .se* no moral qncsio'
iu,v7rea III this contest. Hence the authority
r. Lord John Russell for asserting this - to be
- contest for cmpirc.'' The rcbelious Stat,
;, have bten presented before the world IS lu r
J. volt against What they assert tu he TO them ;
odious and oppressive Government, ana
Er.yc1y strln. ling to throw of its dominic
and therefore entitled to the sumo sylnpatt
! rs 1l:e HungarI:l11s and Italians in their bo
L, strike for fret dom. Tic audacity Of such
assertion, in the face Of the facts, is aulazlu
nc As we'll mig!:t it be assumed there was
moral question involved in the rebellion viii
broke out in heaven, when tile reyo}tin:: atlst
a.. attempted to subrcrt the government of Go
II is 1lsc duty Of Congress 10 yindicata IL
contest, cE thc part OF the frvc Statvs, lIo
ry this da1n.oins. assumption, and show to t
ia;11 q wora that there is involved in it one Of t
], - lnost ronlrntous moral questions that ey
shook The wor!d-a question involving t
=, right t" ptryer1 the divine. purposes Of ge
20 crnplcnt, to tlc i,erp-tua<ion Of properly
fuur millions Of God! children, descended
IE, cur common mother, and Of one blood
abolish among them the right Of marriage,
, y Ho5el.i;, God and read Ills word-to tear is,
- DIR and nlHkc merchandise IF the mother Q
IL, Ler child :-thc right to found IN empire
~ such 1iun=trcus wro1lgs, is what is clained
''s the revolted States, and are the questions
yG1ytd III Ills war. Make this known to
.,.- world, and produce the proofs, WHICH arc
:ats TX patent is tie sun light. Show them that
Id. was the election Of i President pledged to
ne position to I1le extension aud perpctuatlon
';I - this great crime aSanst humanity which 81
pretcDsc 10 this rebellion, and there is no
!. voice which is not 1eagued with dcspoti
Il" that VIII not invoke tic God Of justice for S
us cess to our c..ltEc.
- VI. also call upon Congress to interpc
End Save the further Eacriice Of our sons :
brothers upon the altar OF slavery. It has
ready cp=t the Uation i'll this war, moro tt
tl,e value Of I'LL the slaves iu thc co
try, in. thu military expenditures,
destruction of property and tue Industry
the couEtry-aud above Ill, the lives OF th
sands of brave men, who lave been called
tie field 10 peril their lives to prevent it Fl
destroying the Goyernlacnt, and yet \
been required to preserve and uphold it. 7
have been compelled to toll in sun and
and cold, i'll the erection OF forts and other
fences, frum which the slaves Of those
are required to meet in deldly conflict Y
waiting and anxious TO relieve them, but y
riusca permission to do SO, and Often
h*cl to tl4cir masters, to b. scouiged for t
offer. Who is responsible for III the sicil'
,S4 aud Gc:.tll which l4a5 occurred through
''s insare and c!url ro1icys
For nearly half a century tue policy Of
goyerElatii1 has been shaped by til. inter
>as5 and for tic bel.etit Of slavery, until every
or interest WI: i.adt secondary to the IN
tcra1ire and cx1cusion Of human bond
III. We ft,:slly trusted, and the South belle
;, ~. that Wlsr.! Mr.. Lincoln was elected tue II
Rnnd csts IF frye n.cn would bc regarded rs cq
Tiers to SAY tle least, with those Of rebel 81
ees' holders; tut still it lifts its trazen
Bags and voice Of command in the council
sly the Administration, and in til: ho
- of Congress, aud demands tic sub,
nation Of government and the patton itsr
= lis protection and preservation. It conc,
- and actually c}amors, HAT the houses, l.,
4 II tie bread to feed LIS children, his life c
and every living thing belonging to the r
sI;all br forfeited except lis property il
man flesh ard t'lood There is assumed
Is something SO sacred in this. that treason
cannot divest him Of it. To the loyal $
Faaas holder, who loves the Union better thal
,pa property in 1nan, give to the utmost tltl'
constitutional rights; but tie fell cons
tors who have plunged this country i
un1el horrors OF war, aud filled it with wct
tc- mothers and widows, mourning for
lostd snes slain upon the altass Of sla
%bo,., Il, 4 4 ,;r3 s.~1 10