Year: 1862

has no power under the Constitution over slavery
in the States" the Senator yet labors to prove
the possession OF the power by Congress, and
presses upon US to use it, of declaring free all the
slaves in all the rebel States of this Union, he
now says.


The Crisis-Kepubiican Criticisms ON


the Conduct OF the War.


The New York Herald, of the 7th inst, in an
article discussing "The msmanagement and mis-
managers OF the War Department" remarks:


There is time to keep silence and time to
speak. The campaign has concluded with our
repulse from before Richmond. The campaign
to come will require new troops, new plans and
new combinations, with, perhaps, new emergen-
cies OF foreign complications. The time has
come, therefore, to expose, rebuke and correct
the errors and mismanagement of the past, in
order TO secure a thorough reformation for the
future.


The weak point of the nation is the War De
partment. From the gross errors, reckless mis-
mana cement and crmnal intrgues which have
dlsgraced that department can be traced all the
disasters, all the defeats, all the repulses which
our arms have sustained. The of the
War Department have been of a threefold char
acter; errors caused 10y ignorance and inca
pacity; errors caused by personal aud political
jetlousies and intrigues and errors caused by
fan1tica Abclitonism. Some of the bunders of
the Secretary OF War and his advisers appear in
stigated by combination of all these faults. We
shall endelvor, however, to sufficiently distin-
guish them and to demonstrate by results that
either an gnOramus, an intriguant or a fanatic is
unfit for Secretary of War. How much less
qualified, then, is man who combines these
three unpopular charactersl And we must state
in advance that it will not do for President Lin
coin to attempt to father Stanton's blunders, as
he indorsed Cameron's extravaganza. The peO
pie will allow such selt-devOriOn for once; but
if it be too often renewed the people may take
the President at his word 1t is better to change
Cabinet officer than u President. No Execu-
tive has right to sacrifice himself in the respect
OF the people in order to save the credit of an un-
popular subordinate.


These censures come from paper which has
given the Administration vigorous support in
its efforts to crush out the rebellion. The New
York World is also equally severe in its condem-
nation Of the criminal blunders and gross mis-
management of the War Department. In Its is
sue of the 4th it speaks boldly, and we may say
justly. of the errors which have wasted, grossly
wasted, the resources eff the country, and the
lives and health Of the brave volunteers. The
World, be il remembered is an Administration
paper, and has been an ardent and unyielding ad-
vocate of the vigorous prosecution OF the war
We copy the following article from its issue of
the 4th inst, and ask for the sentiments it utters
the careful consideration of all who desire pure
and wise administration Of the Government:


The nation is in the most eventful crisis of its
history On the prompt patriotism of the loyal
North, on the moral courage and foresight Of its
rulers, hang all our destinies-hangs the very
existence of the Republic. The Union is to day
not worth farthngs insurance, unless within
the next fifty days the three hundred thousand
men called for by the President rush to arms, un
less the President himself appreciates in all its
instant peril and its romentous consequences the
exigeney of the hour.


The best army which the world has ever seen,
splendidly equipped, thoroughly trained, well
officered, and ably led, has been, at Richmond
Outnumbered. checked, and driven back. An
other year of desperate fighting is all hut neyit-
able. AL. the energy of the united South has
been put forth. Tie army which surrounded and
defended their capital has been doubled by rein
forcements from Georgia to Texas, while we
have dribbled out to our General but few beg
carly thousands, hardly enough to make up his
loss of killed. wounded and sick since he landed
at Yorktown. At least one hundred and seven
ty-five thousand men have been led against us in
the six days terrible onslaught of the last and
present week.


Read the letters of our correspondents, eye
witnesses OF those awful encOGnters-who saw
day after day, from Wednesday morning till
Tuesday night, whole brigades and divisions of
the rebel army hurled with utter recklessness of
human life against our decimated and feebler
colu mns-who those hourly reinforced with
fresh troOps-while our own weary battalions,
half famished. bore the brunt of each successive
charge. slept upon their arms, and worn out with
fatigue still stood or fell dead at their posts with
no help, for there was none TO be sent. Read
how Porter. with twenty seven thousand men,
boie the long Onsets of seventy. five thousand
Not seventy FIVE thousand men have we had to
oppose against their one hundred and seventy
FIVE thousand; and yet we the attacking army
Not seventy FIVE thousand eiectiveS-and yet
their young General begging daily and hourly for
the reinforcements which never came. 1t is too
pliniul and vet one little month ago the Seere
tary of War wanted no more men.


We have been Outnumbered and overborne. 1t
is of no use to blink the fact. The Secretary
may conceal it. The press will not. The Gov
eminent has concealed il as long il was able.
1t has held the ends of the telegraph in its posses
sion. Ithas guarded the routes to and from For
treSs M5nroe 1t has suppressed the dispatches
which gave it full and reliable Information. 1t
promised TO communicate the truth, good or evil
TO the public whenever it was sure of the facts
1t has violated its promise. Its Cabinet officers
have caused falsehOods or statements which sup
pressed and perverted the truth to be transmitted
over the country, and, with facts in their posses
sion which the people had right to know. they
have RECALLED us with rosy fctions which every
private and truthful report from the seat of war,
now at last arrived by messenger and mail, pro-
nounces a deceit and sham. This is no time for
needless ordinations. We inculpate no one
We blame no one. We mention not single
name. We do not seek to turn the gathering
wrath Of the people upon any single head. But
none without blame Does even the Presi-
dent think that the people will not feel insuted
that he thought their patriotism--their unfnck
ing determination, never less persistent than i'm
the face of an unexpected disaster-a less safe
reliance in the hour of our need, less likely to
justify his call for three hundred thousand men,
less likely to fill up the ranks. than round robin
signed by dozen GOvernorsl The Governors
will be heard, but our disasters would have been
trumpet-tongued We tell him plainly, and as
consistent. unwayering friend has a right to tell
him, that he. too, has blundered. That he, too,
has not felt the magnitude of our crisis as the
people feel t-that he, too, has underrated the
courage and determination of the people who
placed him in power. Had he overruled the
petty, piddling orders OF his war minister. and
thrown open to the press and the people every av-
enune of intelligence by which they might get
knowledge Of the deeds or the disasters of our
army; had he let the worst be known at once and
In full face of our peril, lad he issued upon his
notion. and by his own authority ms Com
mander- in-chief of the armies of the Republic,
his call for five hundred thousand men, they
would have come-a half million of them
sooner than the three hundred thousand will
come, and he would then have intrenched himself
in the confidence and affection of the people as
he never vet has done hOnored and revered much