The New York herald., 1862-12-24

sn0s % snc Oeoasry ANA tne Dan
gers - Delay.
Within tho last two weeks ws have had two
or the most remarkable, exciting and momen-
'ous events In the tempestuous and doubtful
voyage Of the present administration great
saster to our army at Fredericksburg, and the
consequent Cabinet imbroglio at Washington.
The defeat Of our army-the most thoroughly
disciplined. the most com pletely equipped, and
the most powerful ever m assed in one body on
this continents confes sedly due to a serious
mistake in the plan Of attack upon the enemy
adopted by our Commanding General in the
field, and the disturbance in the Cabinet was
the result Of embarrassing disoords among its
members which have not been remedied; and
yet things remain as they were In both the
Cabinet and tho army.
II is reported that, in the conference Of the
Senate Committee with the President on the
Cabinet question, he said that what the country
wanted was military success; that with chat
nothing could 60 wrong, while without that
nothing could 60 right, and that he could not
perceive how any notifications Of his Cabinet
could improve our chances in the field. Mr..
Lincoln was right in saying that what the country
wanted was military success, but wrong, we
apprehend. in the idea that this success does
not, to any material extent, depend upon his
Cabinet. We think that all our military failures
and disasters Of the last eighteen months may
be traced directly to his present ministerial
family and to the maiign radical influences con-
trolling it. We do not except even this diabo-
lical blunder at Fredericksburg from this in
dictment; for, Notwithstanding General Burn
sides magnanimous assumption of the whole
responsibility, we believe that this blunder
may be charged to the change Of the plan Of
the Virginia campaign by the War Office, with
the removal Of General Mcclellan.
All all events, since this disaster, what the
tary SUCCESS. Indeed, with an army Of mil
lion Of men in the field, and with a navy equi-
valent to half million more, the country i'm
peratively demands and has the right to de-
mand, success. The active armed forces Of the
rebellion do not exceed half million, and they
are clothed in rags, indiferently armed and
fed upon half rations. The very large proper
tion of the Union soldiers slightly wounded in
the late terrible battle affords some evidence Of
the ;nfsriority of the small arms of the rebels.
With all the superior forces aud resources at
hand on the side Of the government, and with
a degree Of bravery on The part Of tbs Union
soldiers not exceeded by the Old Guard
Of Napoleon, the country has the undoubted
right to demand of Mr.. Lincoln that
this rebellion shall bs put down, and now,
while We have the army and all the advantages.
Of the winter season for active Southern cam
paigning
The fate Of sllis administration, If not Of the
Union, depends upon a winter campaign which
will settle the fate Of JEFF. Davis and his con-
federates. We have now the men and the
means fully equal to the work.; and meantime
our national debt is increasing at the rate Of
some three millions Of dollars 4 day. Six
months more at this rate--and with our depre-
clatsd and still depreciating paper currency
will wreck tho administration and the country
among the quicksands Of universal bankruptcy,
unless in the interval sonfe redeeming COM
pensations in the way Of military successes
shall be gained, including the removal Of the
rebel government Gom Virginia.
Our latest advlcss from that quarter are that
''all is quiet on the Rappahannock." This is
1t is creating the apprehension
that General Burnside is 10 go into winter quar-.
ters, and wait for the sickly swamps and i'm
passable qaagmiyes, which, with the return Of
spring, will be among the obstacles disputing
his march to Richmond by any route he may
choose to go. But il may be said that those
strong rebel defencss on the heights of Frede
must necessarily delay for some time
the resumption Of active operations on our part.
We, however. cannot perceive that ii is neces.
sary TO take those works in order to get to
Richmond. There are other roads and routes
to the rebel capital, and the only available one.
after all, we think, will be found to be that Of
General Mcclellan, by way Of the James river,
from Harrison's Landing.
The country, in any event, demands that the
overwhelming military forces We have now
afoot shall not bs frittcred away in petty onter-
prises by SMALL expeditions and in exhausting
delays by our main armies. How many men,
at the usual percentage Of camp diseases, &c..
will six mouths take away from our active
forces? How much viii the army be reduced
by next May from the expiration Of enlist
mentss Have Mr.. Secretary Stanton and Gene.
raj Halleck thoroughly looked into these i'm
portant considerations Of latss One would
hardly think 80 froia the distribution of their
numerous little expeditions around the edges
Of the rebellion, which will amount to little OF
nothing while Richmond remains untouched.
But what hope have we of any change of this
tedious, costly and proatless programme with
the retention of the present Cabinet and manag-
ing heads of the War Office in powerf They will
adhere to this fruitcss system Of fighting around
the sxtremitles Of the rebellion, and the winter
will probably be wasted, and the spring will
rQturn without anx decisixa rAaulfa Thar Will