, 1863-03-10
CUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


[Ftom 0nr OHA Correspondent
WASHINGTON. March 5, 1858.
HOW CONGRESS DIED,
The XXXVuth Congress, the cpitaph of
which you will already hare written, died
dccoroualy and yet characteristically. Itslast
hours were not spent with the bottle, nor yet
with the pistol or the bowie knife; but over
ifH death bed there Was somewhat Of personal
and partisan warfare. It went to its rest,
With Its harness on, doing business almost up
to the moment Of dissolution and trying to do
more-fn the one House to pass bill to eua-
bic the loyal people Of Tennessee and Louis
lana to be represented in the next Congress: :
in the other, to adopt a resolution, consuming
Gen schenck for laying hands upon clerical
traitor. The Coppcrhcad minority filllbds-
tered to defeat the first, and stroYc to pollute
the last breath Of the dying with the SECOND.
Bayard leading in thu? sennte, Henry May In
the House. That no element might be want
Ing to make the closing hour miniature OF
the whole term Of tile Congress, the Commit
tee on Government contracts, Of which COM
paratively little has been heard this winter,
presented fresal reports, and aired IN old qucs-
lion among themselves; while Mr.. Senator
Doolltt1e assured the galleries that the dying
Congress had liTed T. worthy life, and that tho
Administration WnB without fault; and Mr.
Speaker Grow swore in prose and verse, with
his hand On the history books and the geog-
raphy Of the continent, that reunion should
be achieved. .
HOW IT LIVED.
leave you to sum up the virtuous and the
vicious acts Of the XXXVIIth Compress. tn
point ont the opportunities it has thrown
away and the opportunities It has improved:
Its errors and it's cIcellencies Of omission and
Of commission; wherein it has been timld, and
wherein it has been brave; whether it had any
leaders, aud Il SO, who they we're; whether .
good cause has on any occasion been periled
by bad management, or bad cause helped By
skillful treatment; whether the Executive has
Ind too great influence upon the course Of
legislation, and whether the Congress has
exe:ted sufficient influence with the Executive:
whether, In word, the XXYVIIth Congress-
las proved itself equal to the great responsl-
them than the other branches Of the Govern
ment lave done.
ITS LEGACY TO TIE PRESIDENT
Whatever may be the correct answers to
these questions, one thing is clear; the
48AVIth Congress has, by its Legislation
during the last Two years, given the United
States strong. Government, desideratum
eprlng Of 1861: The alleged evils Of q Repub-
lican form Of Government are done away with,
60 far as statutes can effect that result. TIE
Executive has, to-day, the power to call into
the national service every able-bodied man In
the country; the power to increase its marine
indefinitely; the power to borrow In forms,
or upon terms substantially left to its dIscrc.
tlon, all the money it can use the power to
1mprlson every suspected pcreon, aud to con-
tinue his imprisonment until he shall purge
himself By taking an oath Of allegiance and
giving bail, Il required; and it has absolute
tive Of It's enemies: Tie Government Is. 90
1ar as statutes can make 1t, put upon var
footing. Neither the President nor any one
Ct his ministers can complain Of this Congress.
It has done everything which was asked of it.
not, in all cases, without mur1nurlugs or de-
representatives Of the people, believing that
in so doing they did the will Of the people.
Congress thus shows that 1t has abiding faith
in the capacity and will Of the President to
conduct the milton to victory.
THE ADDITIONAL OATH OF oFP1cE-BA0E1rf
AND FILLING IN THE SENATE.
Spectators were surprised to see the newly
elected Senators voting this morning before
they had taken the oath Of Office prescribed
BY the law Of July I'd, which requires
such oath to be taken by *'evcry person elected
or appointed to any office Of honor or prolt
under the Government Of the United States,
either In the civil, military or naval depart
ments Of the public service, excepting the
President Of the United States, before enter
ing upon the duties Of such office, and before
being entitled to any Of the salary or other
emoiuments thereof" Senator Trumbull
called the attention Of the presiding officer to
this net yesterday, and Senator Sumner
sought to embody the requirements in new
rule Of the Senate this morning. No notice
would seem to hare been taken Of the first
suggestion; and Garret Davis objected to the
Introduction Of MI. Summers resolution.
which ncccssitates that 1t lie over till to.mor-
row. But why some Republican did not OBJ
ject to the recording Of the new Senator'S
names OF their entrance upon their duties
in any shape, until ttre oath had been taken:
why some one Of the new Senators {who In.
clude Sumner, Morrill, and Chandler re-clcct-
cd( did not decline to act as Senator until he
had subscribed the oatll, I cannot eness. Tur-
pc and Mall ne never took tnis oath ut all, If I
without doubt.
The question is not IN unimportant one,
especially IN yieX Of Secretary Stewards invi-
ta11oa n. 10 tho d leading rebels to come back to
petty officers Of doubtful loyalty who may
have to be sworn within few years. Il
would be > curious question whether in any
case except those Of the New Orleans mem
MI AAAAt%Su 4ALO tuE A1QuSE IECGDt4V, [1E
cath has been administered; whether it has
been rendered to any General, or Second Lieu
tenant, or Clerk IN Department. If the
Senate does not insist upon 1t, Us condition
precedent, how can it be- expected that others,
naturally less familiar with existing laws.
should bear 1t in mind? Yet Mr. Sumner.
who may be supposed to be rs dcsirous as any
one that 1t should be remorselessly imposed,
in the very proposition be made, was ssenter-
ing upon the duties Of his office" without
first having taken it.
OCCASION OF s1GEL's RESIGNATION.
Gen. Carl sehurz has urged the President
not to accept Gen. sigel's resignation. Yet 1t
is difficult to perceive how he can avoid do
ing so, since, If am correctly informed, he
has taken Issue with his superiors on a point
on which they cannot yield without loss Of
sef:respect. When the grand divisions 11ay-
ing been abolished by Gen. Hooker, Gen.
Hlgel became only 4 corps commander, again,
he asked to be relieved or to be assigned q
larger command. ave have done the best
We can for j0a,n was the reply Of tho Coy
eminent, "and ROW We expect ron to do the
best yon can for us.n Whereupon Gen, Sigel
rendered his resignation. / do not know
what view Others may take; but cannot
help thinking this action akin to that Of Gen.
fremont when Gen. Pope was put over his
head. The aggrayatfon in the latter case
would seem to be at least equally great. and
yet the people, and oven Fremout's best
friends, considered his course unwise and ur1.
called for. True soldiers arc like Tcnnyson'e
six hundred at Balaklava:
fH1.