Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-11-26
WAR BY CONTRACT.

The New York Evening Pest is very friendly
to the present Administration, and is very swift
to denounce, as hardly less than reasonable, some
forms of entirely candid and respectful dissent
from particular measures of policy employed by
the Government in the conduct of the war. But
we have never seen in any journal, of any party,
such hard and, we believe, unjust reflection as
the following on the efficiency of the War Depart
ment. Speaking of the necessity of bringing some
relief to our suffering prisoners in Richmond the
Post says:
What can be done ? Nothing it seems, but to take
Richmond and release all soldiers and the loyal citi
from the rebel rule How shall Richmond be taken
If the President cali for fifty thousand volunteers
for that purpose aoneto do that and ohen is done
90 home again-he would get them at once, and do
doubt they rooud accomplish the object Or if the Sec
Rotary of War does not think well this ,rhy could
one Of the express companies Of perhaps Mr. panderbM or
some other Of that kind be- inUitsd 10 take Richmond
bu contract We have 40 much faith in the energy Of
New York merchants that believe il responsible
pany Of them should contract to capture the rebel
capital and open the doors Of the Libby Prison, Neto
Years day ,oouid see the pOrk done"
We hope that our intelligent contemporary did
not precisely measure the force of its language
when it gave expression to such opinion as this
Does it believe that committee of New York
merchants, or the managers of an "express com
pany," could, without any knowledge Of the or
ganzation required by military matters, carry on
war more effectively than Mr.. Stanton and his
official coad tutors Does it believe that fifty
thousand undisciplined volunteers would take
Richmond more expeditiousy than the veteran
army of General Meade, which has thus far been
baked in that enterprise
1t is evident that such statements cannot be
made without involving someJodys reputation for
wisdom and capacity, but whether the authors or
the objects Of them have more to fear in the pre-
misses we would not like to say, as it must be
equally disagrceable for US to affirm or deny the
accuracy of the Posts allegations. If we affirm
them we shall seem not unwilling to endorse a
grievous imputation on men whom the Post holds
it to be the first duty of all loyal citizens to "sup.
port" but whom it certainly is not their duty to
support if such representations be truthfully
made against them. If we deny these allegations
we find ourselves running counter to the represen-
tations of highly respectable journal, which is
recognised by the Administration to be truly
loyal as it is certainly a highly intelligent
organ Of public opinion.
Meanwhile the only certain thing is, that an
approved anti.slavery paper may say what it
pleases against the Administration without forfeit
ing its reputation for loyalty If we wanted a
coigne Of vantage" from which to assail the Adj
ministration it would be very easy for us to pur-
chase the privilege cf doing so with impunity 1t
would only be necessary for to borrow the style
Of language held by the Post in treating on the
subject of slavery Fortunately we have so little
desire to bring acrimonious charges against any
branch Of the Government that.we are laid under
no temptation to encroach on the peculiar political
dialect of our able and independent contemporary
1t is sufficient for our purposes to dissent when
ever we think it proper and right to do 50, from
any act of any Department Of the Government, al
ways Of course with moderation, aud never in the
way of odious comparison with mercantile com.
mittees" and "express companies" This latter
privilege we cheerfuly resign to ultra Democratic
and ultra Republican prints, which, however much
they may differ on other points, seem to concur
pretty well in speaking evil of dignties.