The New York herald., 1863-01-12

efheia:.. steamer that can be had, 90 that we
may be rid of these three corsairs This ia no
time for jokes or dallianCs-aotion alone ia
what the public demand.
The Wharf.-The Great Dimculty the Want
or Brains at Washington.
With the opening of this war by the rebel
bombardment Of Fort Sumter there was
sublime uprising of the people of the loyal
States In behalf of the Union and in support
Of the administration which fully justified
Mr. Secretary Stewards anticipation that the
rebellion would be ended in ninety days. AT
the close of the year 1861 the general summing
up Of battles and sieges was heavily against
US; but il only strengthened the courage and
confidence of or loyal people and their enthu-
siasm in support Of President Lincoln. Our
great successes East and West, Of the first six
months of 1862, and the prospect last June Of
the capture of Richmond before thspFourth Of
July, had filled the public mind Of the North
with the idea, promulgated from Washington.
that the rebellion had eliminated and that
the end was close at hand.
But when this universal and reasonable
expectation was suddenly changed, by the
terrible seven days battles in front of Rich
mond, into a prevailing apprehension that
the country and the government were in immi-
nent danger of destruction from the over
whelming rebel army Of Virginia, popular
reaction commenced in the North against the
manifest and manifold blunders of the oonduc.
tors of the war at Washington. The recall Of
General Mcclellan from the James river, and
the consequent descent upon General Pope Of
the whole rebel army from the peninsula, and
his disastrous retreat to the forts of Washing
ton, ripened this Northern popular reaction
against the Marplots Of the administration into
= decided revolution in our October and No
vember elections.
The people Of the great and populous loyal
States, from the Hudson river to the Mississippi,
rose up to express their disapprobation of the
blind fsnaticism, the blunders and the stupidi-
ties which had been at length SO fully betrayed
in tie conduct Of the war that they could be
no longer excused. Conceding the honesty and
patriotic motives and objects of President
Lincoln. the people of the States indicated still
demanded reform and such reconstruction Of
the Cabinet as would secure consistent, har-
monious, earnest and successful prosecution o.
the war. Why not! The States involved in
the rebellion comprehend population Of eight
millions, of which three millions are African
slaves. The loyal States embrace population
of twenty-threc millions, Of which only one
million are African slaves We have, in fact,
all things considered, q population Of moro than
three to one against The rebellion.
This, however, is but one item in the general
contrast between the strength Of the loyal and
the weakness of the rebellious States. We have
an army of over eight hundred thousand men
in the field, thoroughly armed and equipped,
with the most approved weapons, inventions
and facilities of modern warfare, against rebel
army Of less than half million, indiHerently
armed and poorly supplied in every way CON-
pared with ours. We have navy OF from four
to five hundred vessels of all sorts, equal in
itself to an army of half million for the pur-
poses of this war, against rebel feet consisting
of the Anglo-rebel steamer Alabama, and one
or two other reported "Flying Dutchmen.'
We have unrestricted trade with all the
world, and shipyards, factories and foundres
for war purposes beyond computation, while
the rebellious States occupied by an almost ex-
clusively agricultural and heretofore COM
paratively indolent people, are under an ex-
hausting blockade. The government has thus
been furnished with men, money means ard
appliances of all sorts, with a boundlcss prodi-
gality, to put down this rebellion. while the
States in revolt have been driven to every expe-
dient of poverty to make good their desperate
resistance. In cutting off for two years their
markets. we have deprived them of the advan-
tages Of solid capital Of five hundred millions
of money; and yet JEFF. Davis deies us and holds
our fleets and armies at bay.
With all these overwhelming forces, resources
and facilities of all kinds on our side and with
generals, soldiers and sailors tried aud APP
proved in many hard fought battles, where is
the dificulty9 The people have found it out.
The difficulty is at Washington. They have
indicated the remedy The dificalty has
been and is a want Of brains among the
supreme managers Of the war that President
Lincoln has around him the remedy is the re.
movAl OF these blunderers and mbeciles and
the substitution Of men of capacity and brains
Let us take, for example, a single case Of the
latest anaconda combinations Of our War Office.
It will hardly be disputed that, had the Banks
expedition moved up the James river, with the
Union forces already in that quarter, In con-
junction with General Burnside's advance
upon Fredericksburg, Richmond would have
been ours by New Years Day. And that this
result would have been followed by crushing
victory over the rebel army in Tennessee we
cannot doubt. But how stands the matter now?
Let the news Of the last ten days from the East
and the West be the answer.
There is no parallel in modern history for
such a squandering of military power and re.
sources as that which has marked and marks
the management of this war at Washington.