Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-04-21

Temperancein Congress and the Army.
The following interesting debate occurred
10 the Senate of the Confederate Congress on
the 18th inst.
A bill to discourage dIunkenness in the
army, with amendments Of the Military Com
m%ittee, was taken up.
Mr.. Clay, of Alabama, said that this bill
had special reference to officers. The army
regulations already provide that offences of
this kind are punishable by court martial.
He had substituted a court of enquiry for
court martial, as trials for drunkenness could
be more speedily finished. The bill, as off
cred by him, provided that officers SHOULD be
punished off or on duty, and that a conviction
should work perpetual future disqualification.
Mr.. Sparrow, Of Louisiana, said that the
Military Committee had amended the bill 50
as to provide that it apply only to commits
stoned officers. He was opposed to disquali-
flying forever an officer found drunk, as it
was equivalent to saying that such officer
could never be reformed.
Mr.. Wigfall, of Texas, was opposed to has
ty and inconsiderate legislation on the sub
ject. TO cashier an officer, to tear the epau-
lettes from his shoulders for a single offence,
is a disgrace which is terrible to a soldier
Reports were rife Of the decentralization of
the army from drunkenness. He did not
believe that such reports had any foundation,
and he would say that his opportunities for
forming a correct opinion on the subject had
not been lnconsiderable. The regulations now
| In force were ample, and he regarded increas-
cd legislation as wholly unnecessary.
Mr.. Clay, of Alabama, advocated the pro-
visions of the bill. The first great disasters
of the war were the result OF drunkenness,
and If rumor, with her thol sand tongues,
: spoke truly, drunkenness was a great and in
creaslng evil, ana had repeatedly interferred
with enlistments.
Mr., Clark, of Missouri, was opposed to the
!, bill on the ground that officers would be eX-
Il posed to the jealousy and malice of those
J who desired to supplant or eject them from
5 the army.
Mr.. Yancey, Of Alabama, sustained the bill.
Drunkenness was the crlme of the country.
n Our cause is suffering morally from the di>or-
? ganlzation of the army from liquor. lie had
e read letters in which drunkenness in high
II places in the army was deeply. deplored; and
e in the Valley of the Tennessee it had been
: SAID that if sue officers as INDUCED Ia liquor
: were the men to lead our army to hattie hcav'
en- help US. He had heard that, at the bonn
odIuu'enI OF Pensacola, an oHlcer was unll'
: for duty on account OF the new year conviyi
: alties. He'had heard, too, that during a re
cent battle in North Carol ma, an officer was
drunk in bed with his boots on. He had
heard of the drunkenness of a Major Genera
= at Corinth on the eve Of important events
The army was a machine to be moved BY
brain, and it is criminal if the brain tina
Z moves It be disorderedby intoxicating drinks
y When IN Europe, the friends of the South
! were much mortified at the plain Statements
: Of richmond paper-a paper which doe;
not yarnish facts-pointing out this cryins
: evil in the army. But ne had travelled. ron
Texas to Richmond recently, and found. t
y his own surprise and modification, that TIL
statements of that paper were too true. Tbs
evil must be suppressed.
III Mr.. Brown, Of Mississippi, defended ,hear
: my against the inputatiSns cast upon it b.
IL rumour.
% Mr.. Davis, of North Carolina, presented al
e; amendment which disqualified an officer cen
te victed OF drunkenness from holding a mllitar,
= office during the war, instea& OF perpetual
th disqualification. After other notifications
the bill ~passedsEith only one vote against il