Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-07-28
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE POINT OF INQUIRY.


duty to offer on what we conceived to be the negn,
gencc of the military administration IN being
unprepared for the late invasion OF Maryland, W
the way, for the third time, OF the ohenSnuoAn
valley, it was no part of our purpose 10 snse ou'
particular persons connected with that aoinnis'ia
ton for specisl oensure 1t is great part OF the
ipfelicity under which the whole country iaoor'
with regard to the general conduct of the war, $50
faras that conduct is regulated IN this city, 'ha'
nobody knows whom to hold responsible Tor any
given act, though every body knows that, within
its appropriate sphere, somebody connected with
that administration is responsible for every thing
that is done or that is not done And hence' IN
the obscurity resting over the military direction OF
affairs in Washington the popular dissatisfaction
which never fails to declare itself on every recuf
renee of calamity or of conceived disgrace WreaAs
,tsolf pnon the head now of the President, now OF
the Secretary of War, and now OF Gen. haiiech'
according to the drift and pressure OF the coh'ic
tons or prejudices which control the judgments OF
men, in arriving at their conclusions, where 'hey
have no means of infable knowledge.
A, we have said before, SO we say again, that IN
the absence of definite information as TO the per-
.on or nersons who are responsible for the recent
o.;onol humiliation, we have felt it proper to do
-, roare than express the conviction, not now
entertained for the first time, but more than ever
forosd unon rs by late events, that it is the duty
g ~ President Of the United States to discover
the source of this weakness or negligence IN our
military coun.es and tospply the remedy. Ii ms
= rot dome. it will be left for the people OF the
Irnted States to understand that he takes upon MN
.eftbe responsibility of all the military mlstortunes
under which they groan, and thus the PRESIDENT
ill nluek down on his single head sill the re-
.-o.os es which now swell the volume OF public
dissatisfaction and distrust
On, readers do not need to be informed as TO
tbe generality of these reproaches, which are the
most vehementin the case OF those most devoted
to the political interests OF the President for'
With the ready instinct taught by immediate con-
,sc..vth the masses of the people, 1t IS seen and
fet bv the Presidents best friends that his poiti-
cal fortunes are in imminent jeopardy Oh peing
irretrieyably swamped by the rising tides OF poPu
lar imuatience and indignation at state OF Things
which. if not speedily amended, threatens 70 spread
dependency through all ranks OF the people IN tDe
Loys States because the thing that has been under
the present conduct of the war is, they will fear,
the thing that shall be- SO long as the conditions
Of the military problem remain unchanged.
In order to show the universally OF this impress
s;o, ne have made numerous selections from our
ooDtemp aries of the public press in all parts OF
che land ranging from Boston to Chicago, comm
rr .e,ections exclusively to Republican pa
20 and among these making choice Of the most
i-.oI,;r.n. and influential They all speak COM
mon language and point to I" the military admins
tration" as the presumed seat Of the e7i'' Inc
most radical and extreme prints OF the kepuo4esn
n.rtv are among the most outspoken In their terms
Of condemnation, far transcending IN some eases
any language which We have felt 1t proper to use
Will any body pretend in the presence OF such
voIume of testimony pointing in single direction,
that this cutlery is Fictitious, or that 1t Is the on
spring Of political prejudice!
We hope tho President, in respect for the deep
10 reused feeling Of the country, will seek to dis
earn and to comprehend the true relations and pur
mort Of this deep popular movement, which unlte'
nol;t;csl journals of all parties and religious jour
r,,. If ali crceds-as wide apart as the New Yori
Indenendent and the New York Observer--in one
common sentiment Of impotence at the military
conduct. And in SO saying we do not un
dsrtake to measure the justice OF this sentiment
We simply recite the fact of its existence as one
not 70 be ignored We venture to express this
hone because, if there be any truth in certain out
sJ;yipps of the correspondents in this city who
.r;te fol. the New York press, 1T would seem that
rho Grand proportions Of this national inquest are
g. dancer of being reduced to the lame and impo'
a., ooncl,;.ion OF mere Cabinet squabble, which
NAV turn for rs issue on matters wholly imperti
nept to the grand assize which ought to be held
for the purpose of discovering how 1t came 70 pas
that the State of Maryland vas recently allowed Z
be invaded and the capital Of the country put II
sieee-as the War Department would have US De-
Iieye in perilous siege-during this fourth year o.
the war.
Gen Buell. was put on his defence before court
Of INQUIRY in the year 1862 for allowing Kentucky
10 be invaded by Gen. Bragg under circumstances
which. on any conceivable theory of his conduct,
even the worst that was falsely imputed to him BY
his detractors, could not be construed to imply q
DELINQUENCY at all approaching in magnitude that