The New York herald., 1863-06-05
The Military and Political Blunders ~
the Admtntstr0tlOa.


The administration, at the present time, ap
pears to be In the predicament Of bewilderei
traveller in wild and strange country, who
has reached the junction of several roads and
knows not which to- take Except In the South
west, the war languishes; our soldiers, by regi
ments, whose terms of service have expired are
returning home, and neither by volunteering
nor from a conscription are any going out to
fill their places. We presume that the admins
tration is awaiting the issue of the great strug-
gle at Vicksburg and at Port Hudson. in order
to justify itself in another call upon the people
for more soldiers; or, perhaps, with lively
hope that SO decisive and comprehensive will
be the defeats of the rebellion on the Mssis-
sippi that very few more soldiers will be needed
to bring it to an end. "This is q consummation
devoutly to be wished" but turning our atten-
tion for moment from Vicksburg to Washing
ton, what is the prospect before us?
From the beginning Of the war to the present
day our only weak point and our only
point of danger has been Washington,
and the incompetent officials and pernicious
influences prevailing at Washington. Our
most serious military disasters have occurred
Immediately around Washington, and our great
est successes have been gained at the greatest
distances from the blighting influences of the
War Office. The military blunders thus occur
ring directly under the eye and supervision Of
the administration, from the first Bull run
down to the late laundering .fasco of General
Hooker, have created the impression among the
great body of the people of the loyal States
that, though we may have gained victory here
and victory there, from time to time, the war;
and its factious political affiliations, will still
"drag its slow length along to the end of Mr.
Lincoln's term, and with the rebellion as de-
fiant as ever.
The military blunders of the administration
have resulted from it's political thunderstorm
generals have been defeated by our intriguing
politicians-and the most carefully considered
plans Of our wisest military leaders have been
overthrown by intermeddling Jacobins. Presi-
dent Lincolns war policy, as defined by HIM
self in the beginning, was sound, conserva-
tive, and satisfactory to the country. He
has struggled faithfully to keep it above water
but the dominant radical abolition faction in
his Cabinet and in Congress have proved too
strong for him. To the extent of their power
they have compelled him to yield to their de-
mands, with one very important exception
their demand for the removal of Mr.. Seward
from the State Department. Instigated by these
abolition radicals, we find that General Burn
10 >rJ &hns-
arrests Of private citizens and their military
edicts against offensive newspapers in Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois, have stirred up popular
agitation throughout the country which, we
fear, it will be difficult now to allay; and the
administration, in sustaining these proceedings,
is involving itself in the most serious political
blunders of the war. The most guilty parties
in all this dangerous business are, doubtless,
such Cabinet officials as Messrs. Chase and
Stanton, and such Congressional managers of
the war as Senators Wade, Chandler and Will
son, and such as Thaddeus Stevens and Owen
Lovejoy of the House; but the people will fix
the responsibility upon the head of the govern
ment.
The arbitrary arrests and imprisonments of
last year, under instructions from Washington,
operated powerfully in turning the elections Of
last autumn, from New York to Illinois, against
the administration. These arrests were then for
q time suspended, and 1t was generally believed
that they had been abandoned as worse than
useless. Under this belief, and upon the sim
pie issue of a vigorous prosecution of the war,
there was general reaction In the late spring
elections in favor of the party in power. But
now it has become alarmingly apparent that
General Burnside, in his arbitrary proceedings
against Vallandigham, and against an offensive
newspaper. at Chicago has acted as rashly as in
his rash attempt to carry the heights of Frede-
ricksburg. We see, too. in the dangerous
popular excitements thus created, that they are
rapidly assuming the form of another and a
more infammable political reaction against the
administration.
What is the remedy? What course should
President Lincoln pursue to extricate himself,
his administration and the North from the dis
cords, dissenslons and fearful popular commo-
tions threatened by such obnoxious, arbitrary
proceedings as those of General Burnside in
the loyal States Of his department. We should
say let all such military proceedings in the
loyal States be suspended and let the civil law
and the civil authorities therein deal with all
offending civilians. But TO secure this i'm
portant object, and to put an end to all the
blunders, military and political, which have
thus far marked the progress of this administra-
tion, the only remedy for President Lincoln is
that Of Andrew Jackson--a complete recon-
struction of his Cabinet, upon the basis of his
own conservative policy and inclinatons.
Nothing else, we fear, will now avail to restore
public harmony in the loyal States or public
confidence in the administration.
FERNANDO WooD IN HIS New RoLE.-By q