Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-29
W.sHlsnrox December IL.

WAsHIsGroN, December 10.
We are in the midst of a revolutoni The
foolish camor ON the streets of the national cap
it,, has been vexing the question whether Gen.
Halleck or Gen. Burnside were responsible for
our late disaster. Ii was neither!
The responsibility for the murder of our sol
diers and for the horrible deadlock in the cam
paign" went beyond the General commanding Ia
the field Or the General Commanding in Chiefl
One other of them might have ordered the
i'll lated movement, but Abraham Lincoln was
Commander IN Chief of the army aud nav,l
From that sad fact, and from its logical Sc
euences, there was no escape.
The movement OH Fredericksburg was recog-
uized as the crowning crisis of the war. With it
were linked, almost ind<solubly, the destnies Of
the Repubcl Ii the nation conquered there,
the rebellion endedi Ii the nation faiIei--
the rebellion was not indeed finally successful but
it had demonstrated It's ability to weather the
second winter of revolt. aud had compelled the
recognition of foreign powers Henceiorth
must fight to sutJugate AN independent country.
not TO reduce to obedience certain revoked prov
inces
The issue was made mp. Its momentous
breadth was fully acknowledged. and the Com.
mander IN Chief could not evade the response
bity of ordering his preparations accordingly.
lt mattered little, so far IS the people were con-
crrned or history was concerned what Burnside
did, or what H,lleck did. The Administration
had in lis hands the means to insure success.
With those means in ia hands, it faiIedl We
/ were repul-ei, de e@tedi
IL Was self-damnationl Again and again the
Administration had exhibited feebleness when the
times dem tuded strength. Ii had now demon
strated folly in council and imbecilty in actionl
But one course was left. The President. during
his official term. is like the Kins-he can do no
wrong. But the Ministry condemned. 1t
must 60 out.
The Senators. of the party to which alone the
Administration could look for single supporting
vote, promptly recognized the necessity of the
hour They deiberated the matter. gravely,
cautiously, fully. Their conclusion was unani-
nous. The Administration. as il then stood
could not be supported by the friends OF the
country
am Writing Of matter which has been studi
ously concealed aud of which nome save the
Senators themselves. can tru,hiulIy profess pre-
else know ledge. But it is understood that they
/ presented their ultimatum to the weak. WAY erng
honest, true man, whom the terrible exigencies
OF the crisis and the di>tracting anxieiies of his
high position hal overw helned. He must reor-
garze his Cabinet; he must gather about him as
couTISelors the strong trIe friends of the country
the abe>t minds the public men of the nation af
furded, must be summoned TO the work of saving
the almost ruined Republic; traitors. s,mpathiz-
ers with traitors, the careless. who only sought t.
swell their Own fortunes bf sorging on the vitnIs
of the country. the imbeciies aud the towards
must be turned out; or he must re>igni The time
has passed Tor irifllng with the nations life; and
no mere man could be permitted longer % i'm
pciil for whatever reason in whatever way
| the national existence.
SO much was known or understood by yester-
day noon. Toward evening the first public int
| nations of the crisis began to leak out Here n
ltttla I'D In
midnight. though still far from generally known.
il common talk ia the inner circle OF well in
formed officials that the long expected Cabinet
crisis had come, and that Mr. Seward had ten.
dered his resignation
AT 10 O'Clock last night so much was embodied
in a dispatch TO the Gazette and duly sent to the
! telegraph office; but have no idea that, under
the than French espionage OF the press,
which il has becn one of the works of the now
cruInbling Cabinet to create, the dispatch ever
escape! the pencil OF the Government censors
This morning the air WAS thick with the rumors
| which, however baSeless la themselves are never
without their Significance TO the pracIical W ash
/ ington observer.
There was general dissolution of the Cibinei;
Mr Seward had come to an open quarrel with Mr.
/ Stanton; both must 20 out; one had gone ont:
| there had been alteration ut the White House
in Cabinet council; il had e, en- come to personal
violence; the whole Administration was breaking
up; Stanton bad to 20: Halleck had to 90: in the
| whole Administration there WIS but one man
ROYALTY towering above them all who stood hy The
principles. he bad proie>sel aud who still com
| mhnded the confidence the country had ever re-
posed IN HIM; Sewards private pfpers were all
packed up at the Stale Department. preparatory to
ablicaiing; so were Assistant Secretary Fred
Stewards the nomination for successorship to the
Department OF the Interior was suspended every
thing was in transition state: the very materials
Tor coup d efGt were prepared; where the end
fmi ght be maj could tell
So ran the hurried whispers on the corners of
the avenue, in the Departments. the commit ee
rooms and the Hobbies. Members drew each
other aside and eagerly inquired what truth there
was in all this. The Presidents Private Score
| tary appeared on the floor OF the House anu to
the OF questions that assliled him. scarcely
pretended TO conceal that the crisis had come, and
that the whole Administration seemed under
going revolution. Democrats and border State
men nneaSly h0yerel about their Republican
friends, and hoped Mr.. Seward had not been
sacr. feed. Everybody on the rack of ex
pecta,i0n.
At this writing flour P NJ il is we'll under
stood that Mr.. Stewards resignation has been
rendered; and there reasons for believing that
Secretary Stanton, Secretary Blair and General
Haleck, at least viii also be compelled to- follow
Mr. Sewald's example. Ii scarcely stops even
there Gen Megs is almost certain 10 be dis
missed. The intimate friend Of JEFF. Davis can
no longer control the immense interests of the
whole Gu rtermister's department of the United
States army. Other heads CT bureaus are likely
to follow him.
1t is not known or probable that Messrs Weles
and Bates are to- 20 CUT, bat in the whole CAbi
net Salmon p. Chase alone commands thai conf
dence that tile people and their repre> entatiyes in
Congress demand
As yet all is confusion Beyond Mr. Seward
there may possibly be no changes, but il is
hardly probable. The President has been
warned. by those whose warning he MUST heed.
that one removal will not cure the disease that
has eaten out the strength of his Administrs-
ton The knife must 90 deeper. 1t remains to
see whether it will 20 by his direction or without
it.
or the new men whom the President must call
around him. little has vet been said Senator
Fessenden seems foremost in the minds of all for
the Secretar, ship of State; Senator Sumner is
also talked of. but there Is general agreement
that he is better where he is. Judge Holt is
mentioned but the tendencies of the times are not
TO Border State men, And Thos Ewing OF Ohio
ex Senator and ex Secretary, has also been sug
! ceSted. This only. however. has been settled,
that the day of fourth. rate. lawyers and politi-
clans in the Cabinet of the nation. at a time like
this, has passed.
The results Of this revolution will be far-reach-
ing. The President may attempt to stop short,
hut il is hardly possible that he can succeed.
Never we're such immense resources so recklessIy
squanderel, while the ma <Dn was perishing Now
at least have faith that they will be hu~banded
and employed Give us such an Administration
it is now trusted that we shall have. and with
the enemy at the Capital conquered the enemy
in the field will scatter like sheep before tho