The daily confederate. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1864-1865, 1864-02-26
Address Of Hon. Thomas 8. B0eock, OF
Virginia,
ON THE CLOSE Or TIE FIRST CONGRESS,


In the House OF Representatives, just before
the closing soehes CT that bodv, Mr.. Curry, Of
Alabama, submitted the following resolution,
"nion As unanimously adopted:
p.o,..J That the thanks Of the House OF Re
,ros.ntstiyes are hereby rendered 70 sne n:n.
n ouIsS BococK for the distinguishes aoiiY
and uniform courtesy ana lTnpaftiaiity MN ".ia
he has presided its sessions during the pIesens
Congress.
The SPEAKER (fr. BooocK), having been ID
formed of the adoption of the resolution, sa-
dressed the House as follows:
Gentlemen ofthe House Of Representatives.:
Before performing my last official act as
Speaker Of this House, you will indulge me IN
,natinr a few parting observations. Our labors
mo closed. our record is made up, and as it
s,a,ds so it must go down to the remotest gen.
nrations This is solemn reflection. The
time of action is always time of feeling, Of
imnulsse. and often of prejudice. The future is
over concealed from the view by thick veil,
which no human hand can uplift, AND no mortal
eve can penetrate. The past alone is fixed and
certain.
And now, as we stand AMI look back over
the history of the last two years, the mists al
ready begin to dissolve, the clouds to lift them
selves up, and our pathway to grow clear and
distinct in the calm light Of reason and reflec-
ton. We see now, more clearly than ever be-
fore, the dread responsibility which has rested
upon us, and how deeply our action has involved
the safety of our country and the best interests
of mankind AS we stand and contemplate,
how little appear the momentary ebulttions OF
passion, which may have caused US to walk
1nsteadiy in the path of duty. and how criminal
if at any time an unholy selfshness has caused
any Of US to depart therefrom. If, however,
notwithstanding our best and truest efforts,
we have in anything fallen short Of what
the occasion seemed to require, It Is our prlvi-
lego to plead in our defence TINT lnlrmlty OF
human nature from which no mortal man is
exempt. And, as the Speaker of the House
Of Conmonsis accustomed, at the beginning
Of his term, to stand before the Sovereign of
the land, and claim the ancient rights and
privileges Of the body over which he presides,
80 I now. standing here at the end ofmy term,
claim. ia your name, against all mankind, that
charity Of Judgment, and kindness of crtl-
cism which all have so much reason to de-
sire. In order correctly to appreciate the
action of this House, and of THIS Congress,
if is PROPER to bear in mind the circumstan-
ces by which we have been surrounded, and
the difficulties we have had to encnnnter.-
We have been called to legislate for an in
hut nation, struggling with some of the
embarrassnents, within, that usually attend
new political organization, and assalled,
from without by waf'--and such a war so
vast in its dimensions, So uneXampled in its
ferocity, so altogether unchristlan and I'M
holy in its spirit and so exacting in its de-
mands And why waged-because we have
assaled another peope2 BY no means;
but simply because we have presumed to
assert that inalenablc right, SO dear to our
patriot fuhcrs Of rs, and SO necessary TO our
own safety the right to govern ourselves
To meet the requirements of such II war, has
indeed, been no easy task--to give the men
and the money-and yet we have no shrunk
from the performance Of this duty. When,
- in the spring of 1862, the failure OF the State
Legislatures to furnish us with o sufficient
number of troops raised by State authority,
rendered it essential that prompt and strong
measures should by taken by US, we boldly
resorted to the measure of CONSUMPTION, then
new in this country and thus we saved alike
our army aud our cause. And, since that
time as the exjgencies Of the service have
required it, We. have enlarged the scope of
that law and lesSencd the number exempted
from its ope.a;ioa, till, at last, by recent
enactment, it is believed that we have male
it as efficient as present circumstances will
allow. 1t might have appeared to some de-
srabe that every able bodied man should be
put in the field. But to do So would be to Grip
pie and PROSTATE those industrial aud product
ing interests ON which the support of TIE
army depends. On the other hand, it was
necessary SO far as practicable, TO swell our
army else those producing interests themsel-
YES might be al overrun and destroyed. In
order to arm, equip, feed and pay our soldiers,
it has been necessary that we should have
control OF very large supplies of money or
credit. The money could not be had, because
IL was not attanabc III the country, and the
stringency Of the blockade cut off that foreign
trade through which it might have been
brought in. TO push our credits to extreme
limits, without oppressive taxation accom-
panying il, would be to destroy that credit
itself. Hence, the difficulties in which our
finances have became involved. Shallow
thinkers have said that these financial difficult
ties were easy enough to remove If Congress
would only act. They seemed to think that,
by some smart parliamentary manmnvre,
some cunning trick Of legislation, our debts
could be paid off, and money brought into orr
Golfers. 1t is only those who have explored
the subject thoroughly, that have been able to
know the full extent of those difficulties. This
Congress has given to this subject a long,
patient laborous and earnest investiga-
ton. What the effect of these measures
recently adopted will be, | need not letain
you to predict. Time must determine this.
But | will say that they are strong and
thorough in their character, and afford proof
to the people that those whom they have en-
trusted with representative duties in this Con-
gress, have not wanted the nerve to adopiany
measures, however strong, if in their judgment
the emergency required it. 1t should be re
mombered, however, in this connection, that
legislation is often, and especially on Difficult
subjec,s, but compromised Of conflicting views
not only among the different members Of th
same body, but also between The two bodies
that make up the Congress When we canno
get what We think is best, we may be forcet
to take the best we can get. Let it be furthe