Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-02-26
The Proper Work for Congress.

, Complaints OF the slowness OF our ger
erals, the confusion and inefiiciency
the war department, and the general fai
ure Of the executive branch OF the gov
eminent to come to time, are made wit
too much reason but they come with a
; i'll grace from Congress. No other de
partment lags as badly as the legislative
If its hardness gave security agains
laundering legislation, it might be bette
endured; but it does not when it act
it is just as likely to act spasmodicall.
and incoherently as if it had not spen
months in what is popularity supposed II
be preliminary consideration and discus
sion. Three months of the present SEES
sion have already been consumed, anC
what is the net product Congress ha'
given US plenty of ingenious theorizins
about what we will do after the war i:
over, if things turn out thus and so, plen-
ty of mock efforts to purge itself oil
members not up to its own standard oil
loyalty, more than enough plotting, mi
ming and counter-mining for the next
presidential squabble; but it has not yet
completed the great measures essential
to success in the war, and seems to be in
muddle over the matters of greatest
and most pressing necessity.
We need men for the armies, aud for
lack OF a sufficient number we are in
danger of failing in the next campaign,
and so mourning an indefinite prolonga-
ton of the war. The president has or
dered draft on the 10th of March, but
the secretary of war says it will be i'm
possible to make it then because of the
delay of Congress to complete the con-
scription law. Volunteering which might
have furnished the men by this time, has
been nearly suspended, while the people
waited to see what sort of law Congress
would give them. II Congress had En-
ished this matter six or eight weeks soon
er the men might have been obtained be-
fore March; or if not, the deficiency
could then have been supplied by draft.
Now the prospect is that the draft will
be postponed till April, and the conscripts |
cannot be prepared for service before the
next campaign is decided for or against
US. This neglect of Congress in so vital
a matter admits of no excuse. There
has been ample time to have completed
he CONSUMPTION bill long ago, and there
has been mental activity enough wasted
n inconsequential twaddle to have bro'I
,ut dozen such bills if they had been
needed, any one of which would have
oeen more satisfactory than this is likely
o be.
Money is quite as essential to success
n the war as men, but Congress seems
o be entirely oblivious to the necessities
f the country in this matter, and to have
lot the slightest idea of the financial
'erils that are close at hand. Let gov
rnment paper run down to one half its
ominal value, as it will unless Congress
ives US stiff taxes, and very soon too,
nd it will then be twice as difficult to
ring up the credit of the government
S it now is to maintain it; and twice as =
iflicult to carry on the war as it would q
c with sound currency. There is no
Sc in blinking the facts. Every sane c
ian sees them, and what the people |
ant is that Congress shall be bold and I
rompt and lay on the taxes heavily t
nough to avert national bankruptcy and i
lin--for in this direction lies quite as J
reat peril as in rebel bayonets. Let q
congress go at these vital matters with
will, and finish them up at once, with 4
lch other measures as are essential to n
e successful prosecution of the war $
iter that the members may amuse "
with ingenious theorizing, h
residential strategy, or any other non n
nse, while the people 60 ahead and II
hip out the rebellion, when they will
raghten out the politics of the country h
suit themselves.-Sprinqfeld Repu6- d
Fan. y