Year: 1861

w ho'O OOCu Poi'hitIOo " hoh0 INV
following extract from private letter of
Hon. Geo. B. Smith 20 gentleman of this
city. As Mr.. Smith has mingled largely
with the intelligent and influential classes
in Washington and New York cities, he
has had good opportunities of observation
and we have few keener observers of public
affairs


New York Aug. 14th, 1861.


1t is due to truth to say, there is gen
eral feeling of distrust in the ability of the
President and his Cabinet even by those
who should be, and are, their very best
friends. Senator Trumbull, of Illinois, told
me, in the Senate Chamber, that there was
not member of the Cabinet who under>
stood bis business, or who comprehended
the nature and extent of our troubles, and
everybody talks IS he did. The truth is,
they have not had general plan of oper
ations; they have not comprehended the
extent Of our troubles; they have called
for men and money enough to be sure, but
they do not seem to know how they use
either. But this is not whatI started to
write to you about.


| have now been here more than week
since my return from Washington, and if
matters were bad there, they are infinitely
more so here. There is much secret op-
position to the war here, and some openly
disapprove of it,and in this respect matters
are growing worse every day. should
not be surprised if, in the course of very
few months, there should be organized here
in this City and State very strong party
in opposition to the war-such is the drift
now, at al: events. These people who op-
pose the war are very much aided in their
efforts to create dissatisfaction by very
general expression of opinion On the part
of many men of standing and influence,
that this should be declared a war for the
abolition of slavery, and that it should be
done at once. l believe that there is an
organization to produce this result, and
as it grows in power and infeuce, our
troubles will thicken, the divisions in the
North will become more distinct and more
bitter, until our troubles among ourselves
at the North may be greater, and more
difficult to manage, than our troubles with
the South.


Such seems to me 10 be the evident drift
Of affairs now. One class of newspapers
here openly advocate compromise with the
South, and they could not do it if they
were not backed by many powerful friends
Trade and commerce will control men;
opinions here, and it is having a powerful
influence on the people of New York to-
day. Business is already at stand still
every thing is stagnant and dull, anG
all are sad and desponding as to future
This is true of every brance of business ir
the city, and it must be very much worse
before it can be better These things viii
of course, have great ,and perhaps con,
trolling influence on the people of thi:
city, and it will necessarily have some con
siderable influence on the whole country
just how much, and what it will be, nc
one can tell. But think | can see here
among all classes growing opposition te
the war-a sort of sympathy and siding
with the South--a disposition to charge
this whole difficulty upon the Administra
ton at Washington. and the Republican
party generally. This feeling is not con
fined solely to Democrats by any means
Madison Patriot.