The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-02-12
TAe Rebel Congress and ths Rebel Oon-
federacy-A Hopeless Job.

Inc most instructive proceedings OF the
rebel Congress, in regard to the real condition
| Of the rebel eonfederacy. are the proceedings
of its Senate and House behind their closed
doors. But some Of their debates occurring In
open session, and published in the Richmond
papers, are very interesting and suggestive. or
this character was the House discussion of the
30th ult on the bill "amendatory Of the act to
put an end to the exemption from military SER
vice OF those who have heretofore furnished
substitutes"
In the course Of this debate Mr.. Smith, Of
North Carolina, said there were four hundred
thousand men on the muster rolls of their
army, and that less than one-half of this force
probably was now in the field; "but it is well
known" said he, shat we are unable to feed
this fractional part that is in the field" If pro-
visions were to be seized to feed this army,
"where, he would ask, were the means to feed
the ten times that number who remained at
homer "Private appeals were daily coming
to members Of Congress from soldiers in the
army, speaking Of the sufferings at homo. How
many of their families are wanting the neces-
saries Of life, when they are unable to send
are asking relief from the farming interests;
how some, stimulated by the prospects of
starvation e sorry stimulant, we should say,
Mr.. Smith), and the deficiency Of food in the
army, are driven to despair and desertion.'
With regard to the assertions indicated. we
can partially answer Mr.. Smith from an official
report from our Army Of the Cumberland,
xvhia hat nd khron hun ra1
deserters from the rebel service have dropped
within our lines in Tennessee since the battles
Of Chattanooga. We have no doubt that this
rapid depletion Of his columns has been the
main cause OF the removal of Joe Johnston's
army some forty or fifty miles farther down in
Georgia than it was two months ago, thus in
creasing the difficulties Of dcsertion to his
slippery soldiers by widening the distance be-
tween them and the Union lines. This, then, is
what starvation is doing for JEFF. Davis in his
army, charged with line Of defence more
essential to the existence Of his confederacy
than Richmond or Charleston.
But in the debate we are considering Mr..
Chalmers, Of Virginia, said that "manufacto-
ries were as necessary as agriculture and there
was as great deficiency in clothing to-day as
there was in food" He was opposed to .ex.
cmptions. eve must" he said, shave more
than two hundred thousand men in the
field next spring. We have all the sup
plies we will have then; for the farmers
products Undian corn) won't be available
till next winter" Mr.. Dupre, Of Louisiana
thought the great difficulty would be found
in the neglect Of Congress to provide ways and
means Of transportation. Mr.. Goods, of Vir-
gnia, said that his State could not stand an
other draft, and that their great danger to-day
wac not JEFF Davis, "but the tyrant at Wash
ington" Mr. Holcombe Of Virginia, advo-
Gated Fabian policy. "The weak point Of
the enemy (the United Stat $ government) was
in its financial condition." and his idea was
that by protracting the war the federal trea-
sury would be broken down. This is certainly
cool from rebel Co lgrcssman who has to pay
from three to five dollars ia Jeif.'s dingy paper
for q beggar's breakfast. Mr.. McRae, OF Mis-
s;ssippi, contended that their present insult
cheney Of provisions and clothing existed "be-
cause there were 30 many OF the enemy within
our borders, aud we had not sufficient numbers
to drive them out;v and Mr.. McRae was more
than half right.
To sum up these salient points of this debate,
we have the testimony OF leading members of
the rebel Congress that their army and people
ore suffering dreadfully from lack Of prov-
sions; that they are as deficient in clothing as
they are in food; that their means of trans
portation have become 80 limited that when
they have an abundance Of supple, they can
not be reached by ther suffering armies that
Virginia cannot stand another draft; and,
finally. that all their sufferings result from the
presence OF the Yankees within their borders,
and that neither J,e huston. nor Longstreet.
nor Lee nor all of them together. are strong
enough to drive them out. Hence this desps-
rate experiment OF sweeping off every white
male capable Of bearing arms, between fifteen
aud sixty years OF ase, into the army Except
ing one on each farn), end the equally despc
rate experiment Of authorizing the seizure OF
ALI the provisions in the country under their
control, for the subsistence OF the army, at the
risk Of universal starva alton.
II the coming spring campaign shall fail to
bring this dilapdated diminished, impover
ished, exhausted and demora'izcd rebel con-
tsd-racy TO speedy collapse. then it may be
truly said that in all our denunciations OF the
imbecility aud incompctcncy of our present
administration we have not told onshalf the
story.
OrI HIsToIIC BATTLE PIELDs.-Wc perceive
that it is designed to consccrate the field OF An
tietam in similar way to that in which Gettys-
burg has been immortalized in the memory Of The
living and made the sacrei rest OF the honored
dead. Il Is only right that great national bat
tie grounds like these should become the doub'y
baptized resting places Of those who watered
them with their blood. In another part Of to-
| days paper will be found an advertisement