The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-01-20

en- r. nsM 4 rms OFYICE Tor an kinds Of CLEAN
BORON AND LINEN RAGS, IN large - snA'
"a aaas.se.
what II Congress- Deinss
"To exhort to sscriAces," says Edmund
Burke, ito stimulate to exert,on, to shame
dependency, to divert from untimely con
cession, are stern and needful duties In
gloomy timcs" Such, in the opinion Of
the great statesmen, were the duties not
only Of every member Of Parliament, but Of
all meu,in all stations, during period gloomy
indeed, relatively to the times which hst'
preceded It, but bright and uncloudsd com
pared to those upon which this generation
and this country have fallen. Especially Is
1t the duty Of the public press at this mo-
ment, and above all of Congress, represent
ing the whole people of the Confederacy,
to stimulate exertion, shame dependency,
and deter from uutimely concession. Has
this been dones We very much fear that 1t
na, not. OF the press, being of that party
ourselves, We shall say nothing. or Con
xreas It Is our duty to speak more freely.
Congress has been In session nearly three
which, above all Others that have yet fallen
upon the country. most earnestly demands
prompt and decided action. 1t is perfectly
we'll aware Of the mighty preparations which
the enemy are making to take the field with
an overwhelming force early In the spring.
1t Ia aware, a. every man In the community
IL aware, that the object of the enemy Is to
destroy our liberties utterly-to redace lis
10 the condition of Poland or any other
country whose name is q bye-wOrd for absO.
lutte subj ection-to take everything in the
world that we have-to leave US not house
70 hide our heads, not q morsel to put into
our mouths, not shoe to our feet or hat
to our heads, not rag to cover our naked
ness. 1t cannot but know the fearful ad
vantage which the enemy will gain by open
ing the campaign before we can be pre-.
pared to meet him. And yet, with these re.
suits and .hese.consequences full in view, ii
has wasted the session in manner disgrace.
full to legislation isDd appalling to those
whose fate is so greatly dependent upon
their action. The rage for "talk" was never
so high, while the incentives to action wee
never so great. They have passed an act
repeating the substitute law, and that, 60 far
"a the public defence is more directly con.
cerned, is nearly all that they have done.
II this struggle for our liberties result dis
astrously, the blame will be that of Con-
gress. The country Is fully able to meet and
repel the enemy, great as his force already
Is, and mighty as are his preparations for in
creasing il. Weare threatened on all sides.
Meade's army is to be largely reinforced, a
powerful force is to attack Wilmington and
Charleston, Grant is to invade us from East
Tennessee, and another large army is to
march upon US from Western Virginia. 1t
Is time that our reinforcements were filing
up the ranks Of our battalions. 1t is time
that stringent laws were passed for bringing
back the deserters and stragglers. 1t is time,
in q word, that We were preparing to our ut
most ability to meet and beat back the enc.
my, who is moving heaven and earth to get
ready fer 40 advance before We are ready to
meet him. And yet Congress is too busy
talking to think Of the public interest
These things should sill hsVe been done be.
fore Christmas. Not moment of the pre-
cious time allowed by the Intervention Of
season which puts temporary stop to ali
military movements should have been lost.
This passion for notoriety, INDUCING itself
in speech making, has been one great cause
Of the uneasiness that seems to have, for
time, pervaded the country, but is now sub
siding. IAN idle mans head, says the Span.
ish proverb, lis the DEVILS workshop"--
These Congressman, having nothing else to
do, or choosing no. to do it ii they had,
have been raving ana oeclai.4ing about the
evil condition Of the country until they al
most began to believe what they said them
selves, and induced large Lumbers of per
sons to believe 1t absolutely. 1t Is from that
source that the meat panic originated-a
panic as disgr lceful to those who made 1t as
those who Indulge In it. We are engaged
desperate conflict, not only for our
lights, but for our very existence, and We
hear people who never suffered day for the
want of meal in their lives, expressing a
ear of famine. What Is their idea of fam
inc: Why, the not gorging three times a
day with as much meat as would feed den Of
young lions. And weare to put this in the
scale against our liberties; nay, our lives.
Men who sit down here and do nothing are
ready to give up as soon as the meat supply
3 cut off. Why, Frederic the Great and his
whole army subsisted on potatoes for many
months. One-half the Irish laborers that
come to this country hardly ever ate meat in
their lives more than once q month. Our
brave soldiers have been living on half rations
for months. And We, who are not fighting
or doing anything else to help the canse, are
frightened because meat promises to be
scarce. Suppose it should, are We to give
up? How much more meat are we to get
from the Yankees than we get now?
The bab5ling 10 Congress has been intend
ed, we know, for no such purpose as it has
subserved Gentlemen only design to re
move an obnoxious public officer, or op
pose an Administration. But in doing SO
they dispirit the people and create distrust
ut moment when all hearts should be resO-
lutte In the determination to conquer or die.
In other respects, too, they cause infuite
mischief The debates in Congress have en-
couraged the Yankees in their inhuman
crusltes to our prisoners, under the plea of