, 1865-04-28

the conduct, language, and bearing of the
Houses Of Congress, both at Richmond
and Washington, throughout this terrible
American crisis have been such as to
bring republican institutions into deriSion
and discredit all over the globe. For 100
days in the Capitol under the shadow of
which [ an w%rltingthe frothy war of words
has turiously ragged, but up to the present
hour not a single measure to augment the
strength of General Lees army, or till by
taxation Mr.. T~renholm's Golfers, has pass
ed into legal existence. For nearly three
months General Lees demand for the en-
liStment Of negroes was met by Congress
sional asseverations until suddenly, with
in the last few days, a cry has been heard
of "Too late y OscilIating between
the two cries of "Not yet" and "Too
late" more interest in prosecuting petty
m~alignities at home that in broadly
breaStin@ q common foe abroad, thinking
solely whether some remote country dis
trict of North Carolina or Georgia will
continue to its representative some pitiful
$4,000 or $4,000 per annum for yet ano-
Their two years, the politicians of the
South, emuIating the example of their
brethren in the North, have brought the
very name {. their craft aud calling into
ridicule and eXecralion. The times are
ripe for the assumption by General Lee
Of a military dictatorship, and never did
there figure in history an eminent soldier
to whom a peoples liberties might more
safely be committed, but who had less Of
the temper of a Cromwell or a Napoleon,
than Robert Z. Lee. We are promised
that the Negro Enlistment Bill and the
taxation solicited by Mr.. Trenholm will
next week be passed; but it is sickening
to think of the weary weeks which have
been wasted in a vacilIation which has
given heart to the FederaIs, while it has
Slapped the resolution Of steadfaSt citizens
and nuiIifed the glorious stanchness of
the soldiers who take their tone from
Longstreet or Lee. Lately have heard
in this town language which ii must have
been difficult TO utter in the presence of
the widows of Stuart, StoneWall jackson,
and thousands of others who gave their
lives that S~ecesSia might be free. But
clear above the turmoil of dependency
rises the voice of General Lee, stating
that if he is beaten it will be from the
rear and not from the front; that the
military situation seems to him as pro-
missing as that of any campaign upon
which he has embarked and that, unless
his countrymen give way to senseless de-
lection, nothing can prevent their ulti-
mate independence. Among the civilians
of Richmond there are also brave voices
heard. The utterances of the Richmond
journals, and specially of the Dispatch
and Eraminer, have latterly been worthy
of the best days o. the struggle ; and,
without exception, the cIergymen Of every
denomination, and, almost without ex-
ception, the women of Virginia have
given no uncertain sound, but lave sti-
mulated by the most powerful Of human
levers, love and faith, the courage and
endurance of their countrymen.
1t is idle to pretend that any danger is
so menacing to the Confederates as the
army of Sherman. For more than nine
months Grant, blocked by the lines around
Petersburg and Richmond, has made no
material step in advance, until it has be-
come a received opinion here that Richg
mond's triple line of Notifications, if
manned hv even q third of the number