Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-02-26

|
oi nr;ccs will not bc 20 rapid as the advance
The luxurics Of life will still demand high
figures, but The ncctsaarics will probably fall.
Tho bill passed by Congress, and known as thE
"Furs;gn Commerce Bill" wasa grand .fnssse
and i, will, without doubt, accomplish its object
which was 70 forcc all blockade runners to
hrias into the corhtry nccessarics, for the use
oi Tic peopla Of the Corfcdcracy. or cease their
operations ;!tosc:i.cr. The exemption bill
relating 10 agrienlturists and producers con-
pels the sale uf produce to The Govcrnmt Mt
and the families ct soidi,-s. ut reduced prices
The quantity 0; provisions raised in the Con-
; fcdcrucY within the next year will be greater
than ever heretofore; and if the Government
will only alloy transportation Of food instead
Of millions Of dollars worth Of fancy articles
and hgh pric,d dry goods, there will be 10
com plant among tho poor. for the want of
what they really need; the neeessaries of life
will be abundant and cheap, and our people
will learn 70 depend upou themselves and
their own exortions-nl their internal re-
sources, and not cnthe ingenuity Of The out
side world.
SPEAKER BOC0CK'S VALEDlCTORY.
The House of Representatives,, before I'D
iournng, unanimously adopted the following
resolution:
Resolved, That tho thanks of the House O
Representatives ars hereby rendered to the
Hon. Tu0S. S. Boc:ck, for the distinguished
ability and uniform courtesy aud impartinlity
,,.,t y chi h., hns al A n
during the present Congress.
The Speaker, (Mr. BccocK,) in response to
this resolution, addressed tho House rs fol-
lows:
Gentlemen efthe Honse II Representatives.:
Before perforiuing my last cfieial oct as
Speaker OF this House, you will in,:u'ge me
in making few parting observations. Our
lablrs arc closed, unr record IL ,iado up, aud
rs il stands, so it mus. 60 down To the remlsest
generations. This IL II solemn reflection.
The time OF actcr is always time ot feel
lug, of impulse, Aid often oF prejudice. The
future il ever concealed from the view. By I"
thick va!i, which no human hand can upll!t
aud no mortal eye can penetrate. The past
alone is fixed nn4 certain.
And now as VIC stand and look back oyer
the history Of the last two years. the mlsts al
ready begin to dissolve, the clouds to lift
themselves up and our pathway to grow clear
and distinct in the ca I'm light Of reason and
rtunatl0u. We see now more clearly than
ever before the dread responsibility which has
rested upon us ana how deeply our action
has involved the safety Of our country and tie
bost Interests Of maukiEd. Aswe stand and
contemplate, how little appear the momentasy
j, I4c = ~
Us to walk unsteady in the path of duty; and
how criminal if, at anJ time, an unholy sell
tishneSs has caused any Of US to depart there
from. If. however, Notwithstanding our best
and truest efforts, we have in any thing fallen
short of what tic occasion seemed to require,
il il our privilege to plead in our defence that
intiIEnity Of human nature, from which no
mortal man is exempt; and rs the Speaker OF
the House Of the Commons ID accustomed, at
the beginning of his term, to stand before the
soyereigps OF the land, and claim the ancient
rights and privileges Of the body over which
no presides, SO | now, standing here at tho
end CT my term, claim In your =nsme, against
all mankind, that charity of Judgment. and
kindness Of criticism, which ell have so much
reason to desire.
In order correctly to appreciate the action
Of this House. and If this Congress, it is prop
or 10 bear in mind the circumstances hY
which we have been surrounded. and the dill
fcalties We have had to encounter.
We have been called TO legslste for an in-
iant uaticn, struggling with some Of the cm-
harrassmcnts within that usually attend a new
political organization, and assailed from with
out by war-and such war So vast in ITS
dinensions 80 uncxamplcd in its ferocty;
SO altogether unehris;ian and unholy in ita
spirit aud 80 exacting in its demands. And
why waged-hecause we have assailed another
people? BY no means; but simply because
we have presumed to assert, that ina!Ienabie
right 30 dear to our patriot fathers OF 'IG ard
20 necessary to our own safety, the right to
govern ourselves.
70 mec. tho requirements Of such var,
has indeed been no easy task to give the
men and the money. And yet Wa have noi
shrunk from the performance Of this duty
When in tho spring of 1862, the failure OF the
State Legislatures 20 furnish us with sptil-
cient number Of troops, raised by State au-
tnori.y, rendered it essential thar prompt and
strong measures should be taken by us, we
boldly resorted to the measure OF Transcription,
then new in this county; and thus We saved
alike our army aud our cause. and since
that time, rs tho egigcncies of the service
have required It, we have enlarged the sccpc
If that law, aud lesssned the number exempt
ed from its operation, till at last by recent
enactment, it is believed that NO have made 1t
as efficient "a present circumstances will al
low. II might have appeared to some desra-
hlc that every atle.bodied man should be put.
into the field, but to do so would be to cripple
and PROSTATE those industrial and producing
interests, on which the suppnrt Of tho army
depends. On tho othoy hand, it was necessa.
ry, 30 far as practicable, to swell our army,
else those producing interests themselves
might be all ovcrrun and destroyed.
In ordar 20 arm, equip, feed and pay our
soldiers, it has been necessary that wo should
have c,ntr Of very large surpiies Of money
or crcdi. The money could NOT be Ind, be-
cause it was not attainable in the country, and
the str;ngency of the blockade cut of that for
eign trade through which it might have been
brought in. TO pnsh our credit to extreme
limits without oppressive taxation accompany
ing it, would be to destroy that credit itself.
Hepce tho difficulties in which our finances
have been involved.
Shallow thinkers have. said that these finan-
cial di@cultie' we're easy enough to remove, if
Congress would only ant. They seemed to
think that By SONS smart parliamentary ma
nnuvra, some cunning trek OF legislation, our
doots could be paid off, and money brought ir-
10 our c2ti;-rs. It is only those who have cx>
p!orcd the subject thoroughly, that bave been
able TO know the full extent Of these Difficult
tiea. This Congress has given tc thia subject
l. long, patiert, laborious and earnest investl-
gatien What the eG.ct Ct the measures re.
Gently adopted will he, need not detain vou
II predict. Time must determine this. But
will say tha. they are strong and thorough
in their character, and atf,rd proof to the pee
pie, that those whom they have entrusted With
representative duties in this Congress. have
not wanted the nerve to adopt any measure
however strong. ifin their judgment the emer-
geccy required it.
1t should be remembered, however, in this
connection, that legislation is often, and espe-
cial!y'ru difficult -u!ysets. but compromise
OF conflicting views. not only among the diff