Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-04-23
SUPPORT THE ADMINISTRATION"


in the Loyal States have different ideas as to the
way In which the Administration should be sup
ported at this crisis. That portion of the people
who are chiefly remarkable for the intensity Of
their ant-slavery views supposed themselves to be
supporting the Administration when almost from
the very outbreak of the war they set on foot an
agitation for the purpose Of giving ant-slavery
complexion to the struggle for the restoration of
the Union. The President long resisted the "pres-
sure in this direction, but the "pressure" was
not at all relaxed because of his manifest repug-
nance to change the theory of the war
{ The same class supposed themselves to be
(" sustaining the Administration when they
pursued with uurelentiug detraction and dispa-
ragement the two Generals whom the President,
despite of this clamor, long retained in command
in the East and the West. We allude of course
to Gen. Mcclellan and Gen. Buell. But this
clamor was not at all hushed out of any Difference
to the Presidents military judgment, or out Of
any consideration for the wishes Of our soldiers.
The people were studiously taught to believe that
the President persistenty kept two demonstrated in
mics for months after their incompetency was
made manifest to all who had any military insight.
The Congressional Committee on the Conduct of
the War have recently given to the public an ex-
ample of what they consider supporting the Ad-
ministration" by gathering into single sheaf all
the accusations and considerations which serve to
set in strong light the painful mismanagement
of the war in the hands Of the civil authorities
charged with its prosecution. Under this head
they say:
"The Administration called by the people to the head
Of the Government in this the most critical period of the
nations history, promptly and fully supported
than thai Of any other Government of hich history has
preserved any record The call of the President for money
and had been than complied o legislation
hch he had deemed necessary had been denied Congress-
and the people had most noby and generously supported
and sustained what their representatives had promised
their name. The same Congress- fresh from tn consti
uens had again met and there could be doubt that
they had before acted would they continue to act 1t
needs but to refer to the history of the Congress just
closed It's prompt and thorough action clothing the ELocn
tine ,oith the fullest pooer, placing at his disposal all the
resources Of and money which this nation possessed
to prove that committee judged rightly that Congress
needed prompting from them do its entire duty Not
upon those whose duty to provide the
sary to put down the rebellion but those ohose dyu
to righyliy apply those means, and The agents THEY
the hopes of the nation have not been realized aud its
pectations have been so long disappointed"
We have already intimated the opinion that
this report is unnecessarily crmnatve of the Pre-
sident, the Generain- Chief, and the Secretary of
War, especially when it insinuates that all
of these high functionaries may have divulged the
plans of Gen. Burnside to rebel sympathizers in
this city. And we think, moreover, that some in
dulgent consideration should have been accorded
to the President for any mistakes he may have
made in his choice of Generals to conduct the
military operations before the war had given proof
of their capacity or ncspacity. The President
doubtless acted according to his best judgment in
selecting the officers who proved in the opinion of
the committee, to be so little qualified for their
duties
The case is quite otherwise at present. We
have now been two years engaged in war on most
gigantic scale, and it is to be presumed that all
Generals now retained or placed in command of
military operations are SO retained placed simply
because Of their demonstrated capacity to insure
that success which the country has right to ex-
pect from the superior physical force placed at the
disposition Of the Administration. AS it has been
heretofore asserted that the insurgent forces arc
quite inferior to ours in numbers and appointments
and that nothing but the imbecility of our Gene
rails in the field has defeated our just expectations
of success, it is fair TO presume that VIC are now
about to enter on a campaign 10 which the Admin
straton will give decisive proof Of its capa-
city to conduct the war to successful issue No
longer compelled to take its agents on faith, but
appointing only those it knows or ought to know
to be the best in the land, it is now passing through
an ordeal which will be more conclusive than that
found by the Committee Of Congress in their sum
mary of the last two years
1t is precisely at this juncturc that we feel it
opportune to utter few words Of encouragement
and admorition IL there be any wisdom in the
military direction which presdes over the war,
whether that direction como from the President or
the Genera-in- Chief, the Union arms must soon
achieve decisive triumphs. We Of course cannot
tell when Gen. Hooker may be ready to move
against the enemy at Fredericksburg, but in view
Of the great censure visited upon Gen Mcclellan
for suffering the enemy to escape from Manassas,
and upon Gen. Buell. for permitting the evacuation
of Bowling Green by the Confederate Gen. Albert
CrJcou Iohneton (to COW no.b;r, &c tbo r,oro