*IMO. •' - I A gs,, a 94 l ,fk et; PMlTt I.j.dfigh.loAetAgesiil itt on "capture' til'• a Iltelbn THE Riii3ET, SALTAND tE s kr) WORKS In Sonth-Western Virginia, notwithstanding rebel boasts Of victory, by Breckenrid g e, id their.defutice, 'have been captured byour forces. This ices a 'vital point to the rebels, as their enplane s - ef Salt and Lead were chiefly drewn 'Morn these places. temouttra.tions are also being made by our ferces upon Mobile, in the South-West, eml upon Gordonsville, in eastern Virginia and various other points, showing - unusual activity and energy in our armies. Upon the whole, the Union cause loelts . cheering everywhere, and a corresponding' depress* is telt Througout rebeldom just at this time.. Foor's remarkable speech fn the rebel Congress is evidence of this. The large vete of 24 to 40 in favor of peace proposi tions, in the rebel Senate, and the voce in the North Carolina Legislature by which similar propositions were barely voted down, is additional and conclusive evidence of a belief that the Confederacy is decidedly an the decline. ghe R. W. JONES. JAS. S. JENNINGS,i Editors. "One Country, One Constitution, One Destiny." 13EMEE3MM ‘SMIII§ , WWW I 4,I V)±,2 WEDNESDAY, JAN, 4,1865, MONEY ! MONEY ! ! The eat•rent expenses of a newspaper office in these war times are enormous, and can only be met by prompt pay_ aunts on the part of patrons. We re now paying over THREE TIMES as much .!Hr paper as we did three years ago, and , corresponding advances have been made qtrthe price of other printing materials. In i a&Ation to all this, the wages of labor are higher than ever before since the „estOlishment of the paper, while the •igiceesities of, life command equally ea -4 oiaput rates. 'Under these circum ;latices, we must -insist on our subscri- joqrvemeMbering us in a Ettbstantial . Amy, by matong •prompt payments. every patrpn who knows himself kto be in at - rears on our Looks immedi- f it l~t y c~ill and settle his account It 7,354:441ieve us from embarrassment and ve 4:some heart for our work, whie% .I.w: . • lit:btet pays bit a trifle and nothing A- I .42,:as_iv ell as any other business pur isuit. e 'hands, lose no timo in SETTLING - c.; The Military .Situation h-abinuelx improved since our last publiea stion, in all our armies. eTcppf +b .f ;n itechtnOnd, which remains pretty much in Motu gtio. GIN. SHEEVAN Am reached the rebel coast, unharmed, and fipast.witlmut a skirmish, much less a regli las.batbe, notwithstanding tho reports from *pi sources to the contrary. A cavalry illOg Dr two eanstituted the entire oppo sition to his most masterly and unparalled campaign across the confederacy. He took Savannah. with much rich spoil, on the 2lst eif Deem ber,'w it bout the firing of a gun— having' previously ca.ptuaed Fort McAlister, just below the city; with very little. trouble, With the city was _captured about a thot:stm.l wisOneria, immensc military stores, railroad Fars, steam boats And about 25,000_ bales of 4etton worth itself, in the market not less 411D1 fifteen million or dollars ! General Hardee contrived to slip out of the city, by .night, girth the garrison, numbering some 800. The forts below the citT, as we Allidersttaid,"are vacated, being both worth less to the enemy, and untenable by .them with the city in our possession. The Naval forces under Coin. Dalghreen, are iu com ,.. flete . cooperation with the army, and have Aiings entirely under their control. There is nothing in the way of taking Augusta, on the Savannah river, and making it the base 9t iftiture operations, it desired. What MI -I>ortant moveinent General Sherman will : next undertake, of tour: e, is a matter ot Cifnjecture. An expedition warted West, it ivhe supposed, to Andersouville, to restore to . freq,dcrm, some twenty thousand ot our Owners confined there. This done, "Pharleston or Wilmington would seem to be the next in order. This successful and brilliant cranpaign thaittMeneral Sherman as the foremost of our Generals now in service. GEN. TimmAs, lias been equally successful in the Sou th 7est,- having badly whipi*d flood in every &test from Franklin to Nashville, and from ik o shville to Alabama. MI accounts, rebel suAnion, Concur in * the conclusion that Hood is irrecoverabley whipped and driven it thefrit of Thomas, and hopes are enter tained` that he may yet, with his army, be iiPttreit before he crosses the Tennessee dyer, 'which is quite highwnd difficult to cerottsed,. with the loss of his pontoon *Ales, which is said to be the case with ..e 'Wilmington expeditioh under Porraw Isaltqfkrittat, has; attQr the usual dililcultie4 In iiassing Cape Hattera§ In the winter, ded its destination thud been heard from. t fisher was attacked on Set - Imlay and fitindai, the 24th .and 25th ult. Some dam ge....a-#‘done but it was r 4 captured at tail .dates, though another tort in the ikii i hil was, -a ittr its . guns and de -1411111e,Wfi-.Mlsbirris Ttgarded as one of the okaggesailittaiigtlistCsaideracy , VA the lalliboskatArilol6#o,l -die : 440s t 41101coit of dwityligiA thii . bceiiiool4l . .:" large vessels. Wiliihall illotibias lieat- tylori film this ex ; tiblija. i fete clays. Co4t4Porai: is of a tug ato9k AO.lias; already a reßtfiktiotr f tis war, of ingloirfiesblcz energy and epur- Another Drag! When the Democratte speaker: and news papers. asserted, during the late Presidential canvas, that the re-election of Mr. Lincoln would be speedily followed by another.draft, Assistant Secretary Whiting vehemently de nied it almost officially, in a speech which he delivered, in New York, denouncing it as an injurious calumny intended to defeat Mr. Lincoln's election. We all recollect- the of ficial statement of Secretary Stanton that General Grant only needed a hundred thous and more men to take Richmond and finish up the Rebellion But then things took lilac hy'ore the election, when it was ne cessary in the estimation of those in the . possession of the immense power and patro nage of the government. that the people should be humbugged and deceived. What cared they for truth or consistency, if they could be continued in fat offices But is another Draft really necessary ? The people,who have already made so many sacrifices in this war, have a right to a ca orlcal answer to this questiot. It is well known that our army is already nearly dou ble that of the enemy. It is .true that much of it is, or was, lately, scattered over -the country, doing Provost duty, but now, ,i thdt.the Elections tire over, we think, would 4 be a favorable time to recall them to the more appropriate duties in the field. We are told, also, that the well deserved fame of General Hancock is rapidly filling up the "Veteran corps" for which he is known to be recruiting, and with the aid of the liberal bounties offered by the government, (which might be judiciously stimulated by local bounties,) we should think there would be but little difficulty in raising the twenty thousand fe.erans called for, who would be worth three times their number of raw and unwilling recruits. Then, again, if we take the newspaper accounts, which we think for once are sustained, the rebellion is rapidly declining in force and volume, and ought to be successful) , assailed by the armies we already have in the field. W. umt moo ',omit tie a rayura ble time for the administration to offer such inducements to the rebels to return to their allegiance as citizens of the Union, as would seperate the masses of the people of the South from their leaders, and thus make it impossible for those leaders to succeed in their project of a permanent seperation of the States. Measures looking to peace and a -eturn of the rebels to their legal and constitutional duties in the Union, is the true policy of the dininistraCon, We think, just now, and is ctra'nly the de:Are of the people both North and South, and e ' arts looking in this d tree tion Would be hailed with joy everyw here. ==l!El The attack upon Fort Fisher, near Wilmington, has proved a failure.. Gen Butler has returned 0 the army of Virginia with his portion of the forces, not without a decided protest ftom Com. Porter that his opinion was that the army might have made greater, efforts, after going so fax to try. He says in his report to the SecetarS; of the Navy : I don't pretend to put my opinion in opposition to General Weitzel, who is a thorough soldier and and able engineer, and whose business it is to know more of assaulting than I do: But I can't help thinking that it was worth while to mate the wimp, after coming so far. Hon. John L. Dawson. This distinguished Democratic States man was elected to Congress in 1862, from the Fayette, 'Westmoreland and Indiana districts, - receiving a majority on the home vote of 22.5. In the recent. contest he was re"-electel, receiving a majority- on the home vote of 68.5, which was reduced by the army vote to 12.5—and this is the official majority, about which there can be no dispute. It is not true that there . have been votes received since the election and filed in the office of the Secetary of the Com monwealth, which alters this result. On the contrary, the records show that he has a majority over all the votes, regular and irregular. The miscon ception arose from the fact that some of the duplicates of soldiers. votes whicn had been counted in with the county re- 7 . turns, were received at the Secretary's office afterwards, and before being closely examined were supposed to have turned the scale against Mr. Dawson. Ou thorough examination, the result is se plainly in favor OfDawson, that there is not the slightest danger of the seals being. giVen to. his tompetitoi eVe'n : by a Republican house.—Post. 41 iIEADQIIART£RN Dgr. Pao. Waynesbnrg; Pa., Dec. 10864. ) The enrollment lists of the several town ships are now in the hands of the respective enrolling officers tor correction. All:persons. aro requedieto assist t thiofficers 14 making the proper chßiges. • • • C. W. TAYLOR, Pep. Pro. Mar. mirti is right to be ebnti3nted with wbat we have, but never with. what Ave • • • . • P houses frintnlta should-Et. throw stones'? Or didst thou ever read that v.onplet of "Bobby" Burns, "Theie's a chile amang, you takin' notes And faith he'll prener-7,theasA'? '-To all.whom itlnareimcmin,"the writer of thiS sotto-cornie paper' would' say. that he tfiinke there is abundantioom.lor reform in W, in morals, manners at:Melt - sal, and that his friend .:!) Miss Limejuice, alias " Fanny Fern No. no matter who, ju..t now, may enlighten us all, and immortalize herrlf, right here in Greene County, if she will 'only condescend to do so. Furthermore, Fat the hleste . iter Gt•TOtTT, 1): • C., 1 Sepbeniberß3l34. . Eclit . ors I} - akne*7yrg -..iress6n ; ,Yee :• Hoping you will not 'cons . iderit an intrusion for Soldiers to ask fa your columns, we desire through them to thank Hon: - Jesse Lazear, of your place, tor, the disinterested kindueis shOwit •iis by him in .this city.. We were, neither of us, acquartit-_ ed with hiM before, but being'in need of a friends assistance, applied to him as our representative. We found in him not only man to represent his constituents but a warm, personal friend of any soldier requiring his aid. We were both in limiter' circumstances, and neither his purse or door were shut to us. Mr.. Lazear was id the habit of visiting the hospitals frequently, and contributing to the wants of the sick soldiers of his district, mid. the State gener ally. We know of several who tender him • their warmest thanks. We did not have the pleasure of seeing Mr. Lazear for some time before he left to thank him personally, and now wish to do so publicaliv. Trusting to your generosity to piWli-,11 this card, we are, very respectfully, your otediant servants. FRANK ROSE, Company A., 100th Perm'a., Volt: T. Late color hearer looth Penn's., Volt= W t-411N(,ToN, 1): , Dec. to, 'l;4 if,. J::lo,•—Sir :—I sent you the foregoing at its date and :is I never heard of it, I supposed pit had receiv ed it, and not wishing to publish it had laid it aside ; but a friend of mine, of your acquaintance that I saw her:: to day, informed me you never received it. I do not see how it could have been lost, directed as it was, as follows : "Editor Waynesburg Messenger, Greene co., Penn'a." If you will now publish it with this note I will feel much obliged. I desire anxiously that Mr. Lazear's consti tuents Should know even now, that he was ever the soldiers' friend, Respcetfullv, your obit. ser,y't„ THolursoN 131 R'lt&, Washington Gecrgetostn Rail Road Fur the Me'ssenger. Fanny Fern No. 2," Reviewed. Ea= TlO- man of. indyrudent mind H e looks and lanahs at a' that It would seem by the last "Republican" th•l t sonic young damsel, Ile doubt an advocate or "woman's rights," has taken it into her head to give certain young men of our town a "cur tain lecture" on dress, and especially on "high hats." This may all be right, or it may: not, but certain we are that we shall express our opinion shout Now, if we were one of those young men re ferred to by the .thuersalt.l, we should talk somowhat like this And that our very acute (!) critic may not deny the validity of our argument, we will cast it in the mould of good Aristotelian logic. Our first proposition is, Men may wear just what kind of tiles they please In a free conntry. Second proposition, America is, (or 'used to was") a free country. Mende,. conclusion, Waynesburg men may wear just what kind of tiles they please,—Kos• su h, rough-and-ready, "slit kum-glazer," of "high hate." For, "whattver is true of the whole, is trut of a part," [Gecw. aXiontj, and Waynesburg I.eing "a part " of America. :"small fry" theugh it be(, has the right to adopt nny fashion Philadelphia has. We will submit this argument to President Prof. Scott, 'or any other man," as to the truth of its facts, and the soundness of its rea soning. Having then indul•itally proved our "inalienable right" to wear "high hats," we nest. proceed, to show its exprdienCy. When one is going to purchase furniture; F quip' ge, or dress,--which latter will include% hats, even ••high hats," l -there will occur to hin't, perhaps, three questions: 1. Is it com fortable and convenient ? Does it suit my taste ? . Can I afford it ? These three in ttrrog?tories bring answered satisfactorily, there remains nothing else to do,' if you want tne article. hut, in the language of the immor tal Davy Crockett, to "go ahead." lff could answer these questions ii the affirmative, I ‘,,ould like to see the man, even in these oil absorbing times, (or woman either), who would prevent me from wearing just what I pleased. Let us then apply these touchstones to the high silk hat, and "we shall see what we shall see." 1. is it comfortable and convenient ? 'l' he universal voice and practice of mankind is quite sufficient on this point. It is well known 'that this , style of hat is worn all over lb.; civilized world except in our town. It is hardly to he expected that all the rest of the world are wrong on this subject, ,or rather, no to be.expeeted.iit.till. • No one pretends to de ny the incovenierice of the silk hat in a storm, a stage, or a car; neither would our fair critic wear her "love of a bonnet" in such places; bu t the case is "slightually" ditterent on. a prom enade, or going to church, of, a tine day. 2. Dues it suit your taste.? Were we speaking for ourselves alone, we would say yes ; but as we are trying to defend these young men from the attacks of this Atnaion,and have not talk ed to them intimately on the subject, we can not speak so positively for them. Dut the pre sumption always ; is, that a man's dress is an exponent of his taste. And, let me say to these young men, although now my age causes me. t o pay less attention to fine clothes-than for merly, that I still love to wear a tine silk hat when occasion suits, or when I choose to dress myself with taste; and I thank them for intro• duciog this hat, for it. is very unpleasant to a sensitive man not to be able to carry out a ra tional taste without being "the of ierved of all observerashe.passes quietlyakong tYe,street., 3. Can "I afford it I"fis quesition' scarcely needs a comment. If a limn cannot .a&rd to dress inlim style that he does, it is no affair of Iris neighbor's; and in n'ne cases out of ten, in our villages, every man dresses within hi s Means. I wish I could soy as 'much .of. that ofher moiety 'of creation • to which Fern No. 2" belongs. There is much - more that 1 had laid out to say in this article, but ho ping to hear from this fair damsel again, per. haps it is as , : ceifto'keep.i few shots .ready in the -loeker. Now, /1/iss Lionejniee, tsqeh is the. tame by which we shall , designate odr &iv elide), 'a word in a quiet way to you. Did it Ever' occur to you that there is a great deal of truth itr rite I t Timothy Titeolob, Jr., will take most ex. 4eligbt in "showing up" htr views— mark, I diden't say blowing up,—to “ye great people" of W. impum pkin pie order. Done at Bit ter.Sweet Attie, this 29th dav of becettilier;eigliteini - hundred and "ever so tna tiv.— TENNESSEE. ADVANCE OF HOOD'S ARMY AT FLORENCE... Our Cavalry Across Duck River, The State of Tennessee now Free from Rebels. Coi.t - mntA, Tenn., Dec. 2S-3 A. M. Front escaped prisoners who have just arrived from Florence, I learn that the advance of Hood's army reached Flor ence on the evening of the 2.5 th, and dining the whole of next day his inflmt ry was crossing the river. 'From Duck river, flood retreated rapidly to the Tennessee: his main army not once making a stand. Our cavalry ctossed Duck river in time to have an ()erasion al brush with Forrest's force, who cov ered the enemies retreat. No fighting of any consequence however, has occur red since the affair at !pringhill. It is safe to say that Tennessee is now free from rebels. The Bonabardment ofWllmlng ton on Saturday and Sunday —.4 Portion of Our Troops Enter an Oytwork of .the Fort—fond 11111 Battery Cap tured. - ‘" ). ." : '' . lllA. Ntoftz, December 28 The Asgeciated Press correspondent telegriiphs Me following from Fortress Monroe: ' ' ForrrnEr 4 1S1( )); E, Dec. 27, ) via WAstuNtitox Dee. 28. I have just arrived here, on- the San tiago de Cuba, from oft Wilmington. The attack on Fort Fisher commenced at noon of Saturday, 24th, continued all day,,waS resumed on Sunday, and kept up with, great vigor all day. The fort is much damaged. All the barracks and store-houses were -burned, and the gars icon driven to the bomb-proofs, and scarcely venturing to reply. A small portion of 'our 'troops landed. Sunday afternoon, skit uished with great gal lantry-, pushed up to the fort, and ac hitilly entArect the work, and killed a rebel bearer. 0; dispatches who was entering. Lieutenant Widlen, of the One Hun dred and Forty-second New York recr ilet) f, captured the rebel flag from the outer*bastion,,, Our troops also captured a whole battalion of the enemy; who were outside of their works, but our forces were withdrawn from the shore. -111,7 h NS When the Santiago de Cuba left the bombardment N vas continuing. On Sunday•the sailors- from the San tiagoearttiied Pond Hill battery, with .sixty five men, and brought the whole party off tO. 7 the ships. The toiv'do-boat was successfuly ex :ploded on Saturday morning at 2 o'clock, but with . 'wha,t..aucuss is not known. . The iveatlier has: been most severe at Ne‘the'rili'anil Roanoke Island. Tne .oldest inhabitant' never `experienced tqkch sekte storms. MOVEMENT ON, MOBILE. Rebels Routed near Franklin er.e(k STRONG UNION SENTIMENT IN MOBILZI. Everything Progressing Fai'or ably. A Mobile dispatch of the Pith, says ' an infimtry force of another railing par ty was - near Good'Mills and Pensacola on 611nd:13 , 0,1a its advance was driven back several miles. Capt. Semites ar rived at Mobile on the 19th, from Eu rope via Matamoras A diSl4teli,from New Oileans, De cember 22d, s'Ay: An expedition, un der Major Ginoral Granger, of consid erable force ' J'anded at Pascagoula on the 1504, aedvushed rapidly on towards Mobile. A''brcif'skirmish occured on the near Franklin Creek, and the rebels • were 'quickly routed. Many people rejoiced, at the sight of the Union forces. The navy rendered valuable aid to the troops in landing. Two iron-clad gunboats have done up Pasca goula river thirty miles, and everything was progressing favorably. A refugee reports but five thousand militia in Mo bile,' and that a strong Union sentiment prevails there. Marge reflection of fire was obser6d near Meibile on the 19th, supposed to be caused by the burning.of cotton. The ,Cause Must be Upheld: [From' the Rialmond - Whig, Dec. 94.; Whateiver inky be - the opinions enter tained in regard Ito the conduct of the', war; there. is one point on which two.! opinious, ayfr, iintsible Come what may,• the'hiise must be upheld. Every thing' thaVis dear. to Mau, every hope pf Vic luture,iis . staked on this' cause.' It may be that our rulers . have erred' in their-judgmerrt. - of:inen; it May be that they have been too . much guided by their.' prectinclicea,still that-does not absolvo ! ust trona our allegianee .to the cause. • We perishAras.people the mom eritilie strug- Igle abandoned... . For • the . deliberate, .dellgred purpupe ofthe'enemy is to ea terainabe raee of rebels; ` awillwrePtikeo'tbstitivith:t*gree's first, • 4ill*-Xlittkiefii *Row** Fro. . Savennhh Republican on the butren , rashington city, as propased by his render. resolution. The resohitiun; or the NEW Y 01 -IX, 28.—The Saran-I gentl ellen ,from Mississppi contemplate admit, too, that we have said to the action, • I desire action upon them. nab Rep p ublican of the 21st says : By• 1 -• the fortunes of war ; we to-day ass on government of the tnited States, time der the'arithority of the• Federal military and again, that We are ready to nego forces. We desire to counsel obedience and all proper respect on the part of tiate with them for peace, by President Davis, in his different messa!res, and by our citizens, and to express the belief that their property and persons the late congressional manifesto. But gill be here is a proposition emanating directly resnected by the military rulers. front the people through their refreseu peat the Atlanta expulsion order. we The fear that Gen. f•ilerman 1611 re_ front fresh bout the people think is of doubtful foundation. Then, IH ere Mr, Adkins, of Tennessee, ask he could not supply food for the citi- ed him if he believed Mr. Lincoln ; zens and army. In our case f. , od can would entertain terms of t:cotiation abundantly be supplied for the a ,- mt.- unless upon' the terms indicated by him . - - and citizens. self. It behooves all to keep within their Mr. Speaker, I thank my honorable friend front Tennessee for having asked houses until Sherman can organize the Provost Marshal system. me the question. I will sav to that duct be such as to win the admiration Let our sou me that I understood front my • rice no friend on the right; Mr. Foote, that Gen. of a magnanimous fo e , and ground for complaint or harsh treatment Grant has expressed a willingness to on the part of hi m w h o may , fn . an in Bishop Day. that he would receive any definite period, boll possession ot our gentlumin or set aeon:mission/Ts, and city Nvotilti invite alike number front his government to meet ours at some point to be agreed upon ; to endeavor to set tle our difficulties. But, sir, let Mr. Lincoln reject the •proposition if lie please?, we shall lose nothin: by th e effort. But, sir, it may he sail that I all departing from 110 constitutional mode of settling such questions. II(..(; Mr. Barksdale interrupted, and asked the vestion—if this is not the only constitutional node? Mr. speaker, I think so much of the g - ontienuin from Mississippi, that I will always allow' hint to ask. me a question. I tell that gentleman that whilst his plan i, comititutionai, there are other plans which are not ml; institutional. I claim that the gentlem ni al 1 myself have t.sic right. as el•vi l eds, to ,f 2", : and it' received by Genova' Gra it, we could take the initiative st e p;, Or that any inunher of g ‘'t nit Ali s and that eaeh , it' e wire.; eau d o so. Yes, sir. iii, Vir g iuit Leg islature, now in seessio.), nt it they see fit, commence to negroliate, and s ) The Herald's correspondent says : 't'he rebel Commodore limiter has gone up the Savannah river with a couple of light-draught gunboats. Wheeler's cavalry, I Lathe's intinitry and Hunter's fleet combined, are the obstacles to :Sher man's march on Augusta by water transportation. Latest ftom General Thomas, NEW YORK. December 26.—A special to the Time,3. dated near Columbia, De cember 23, s!.vs: The infantry, artillery and ovalry fairly divide the honors of a grear victory. The cavalry never have acted so !dorionsly during any engage ment in this section. Geo. [latch's di vision Covered it4elf with glory, eaptlir ing fifteen guns, firty-two wagons, ten ambulance N , 73S priiioners, and three di vision battle flag.:. His loss NV:I-i 100 men. General Hood's pontoon 0 -1 16 1) 11 ge has been captured. 'rite cavalry of Hood's army have abandoned most of their wagon trains. The cars will run up to Duck river to-morrow. Hancock's Corps Thirty-eight appointments of cflicers bay e thus far been made in General Hancock's Vetelan Reserve Copps, viz one Colonel, one Lieutenant-Colonel, four Majors, sixteen Captains, four First Lieu-tenants, and eight Second Lieuten ants. The officers appointed, as a pre liminary to receiving their commissions, will be required to furnish a certain number of veterans for their regiments; Captain, at least forty privates; First Lieutenant, twenty-five, and Second Lieutenant, twenty. Tho Confederate Congress Discussion of Peace Proposi tions—lmportant anti Excited Debate in the House et Rep- resentatives. The proceedings of the Confederate Congress on Saturday arc highly im portant. In the Houie of Representa tives, on the resolution of Mr. Turner, of North Carolina, and the substitute of Mr. M. Mullen. of Virginia, having the floor, offered the following substitute for both propositions: W MERE Vs, According to the Declara tion of Independence of the United States, and the constitution of the Con federate States,the people of each of said States, in their highest sovereign capac ity, have a right to alter, amend or abolish the government under which they live, and establish such other as they may deem most expedient and whereas, the people of the several Con federate s_eats have thought proper to sever their political connection with the people and government in the United States, fix reasons which it is not need ful here to state; and whereas the peo ple of the Confederate States have organized al,d established a distinct government for themselves: and where as, because the people of the Confeder ate States have thus exercised their un doubted rights in this respect, the peo ple of the government of the United States have thought proper to make war upon them: and whereas, there seems to be a difference of opinion on the part of the respective governments and people as to which of the contending parties is responsible for the commence ment of the present war, therefore, Resolved, Tnat while it is inexpedient, and would be incompatable with the dignity of the Confederate States to send commissioners to Washington city for the purpose of seeming a cessation of hostilities, yet it would be, in the judgment of this body, eminently prop er that the House of Representatives of the Confederate States should despatch without delay to some convenient point, 9. body of commissioners : thirteen in number, composed of one representa tive from each of said States, to meet and confer with such individuals as may be appointed by the government of the United States in regard to all outstand ing difference between the two goy ' ernments, and to agree, if possible, up on terms of a lasting and honorable peace, subject to the ratification of the respective governments, and of the sov ereign States respectively represented therein. La the course of a speech made on this question, Mr. Mullen said : Mn. SPEAKER. I have given this subject much reflection. I have pre pared a preamble and resolution much more acceptable to myself than any ofThred to this House, and I bespeak from gentlemen a clear and dispassion ate consideration of them. I hope, sir, that lam one of the last men in this House to' do anything to reflect discred it upon the Confederate government— upon the proud old commonwealth of Virginia,_ or on the district I have the honor to, represent. Mr. Speaker, the . gentlemen from North Carolina pro poses to take some action in relation to our patriotic soldiers now incarcerated in Northern prisOns and dungeons, and I ask the members if this is not a sub ject worthy of their consideration and action. I think it is. But, sir, I am opposed to . sending commissioners to• of inv and all the States. lint, sir, I hold that the Congress of each govern- inept possesses the war-making power, but that the treaty making power rests with the Senate and President of each government ; and I claim that this House has the power to appoint com mis-ions to take the proper steps look ing to a settlement of our difficulties. Mr. Speaker, I desire to strengthen and build up the peace party of the North. Yes, sir, I want the people of the North and of the Christian world to know that this ullnatund and un christian war has been forced upon us, and that we have only exercised those high natural and constitutional rights, which were guaranteed to us by our revolutionary fathers. Yes, sir, the people or the North have peen commit ting aggressions upon its since 1819, up to the time we dissolved our ecm neetion with them, and even up to this day. Mr. Speaker, before I take my seat I will move to refer this whole sub ject to the Committee on Foreign Re lations, so as to have a report from that learned committee. But, again, I wish to unite and conciliate all the people of the South, and, more particularly, to stop the mouths of Governor Brown and Vice President Stephens, and all others who have or may clamor for re construction by negrutiations or other wise. Before the question was taken, an other order came up, viz., the currency bill. Mr. Foote, of Tennessee, addressed the House. The following are impor tant extracts from his speech : Mr. Foote said he saw much ground for despondency and apprehensions in every quarter. If this financial bill, said he, is defeated in two houses of Con gress, so admirably digested as it is, I shall utterly despair of our cause ; if this measure shall be defeated, I shall regard the war as virtually at an end, and all the generous hopes of our pa triotic and much safe! ing countrymen as erually and criminally blasted. It the honorable gentlemen here suppose that it is safe, at this perilous moment of our history, to indulge in vain and visi:mary experiments upon the curren cy. If they regard tlic, present as a suitable time for the utterance of such language as we have heard in this hall in the last forty-eight hours, looking manifestly to the wholesale repudiation of all our present currency, then do I differ from them essentially. Sir,' I beseech the honoral'le gentlemen, on this last occasion perhaps that I shall have the honor of addressing this House, to look with me upon the present. con dition of the country before they re ceive or withhold their support from this measure. 'What is our situation ? Let us look danger in the face, and provide for a shelter, it it is possible to do so. Sir, we are anon the very edge of ruin Our financial affairs are most seriously disordered. Abroad, owing to the most criminal mismanagement of every kind, no respectful consideration has been yet accorded to us, or seems likely to be accorded hereafter. A series of legislative acts have found sane tion here which must be inevitably fatal to State rights and State sovereignty end to popular freedom, if not speedily modified. Congress is rapidly abnega ting all important powers, aunt building up an irresponsible military despotism, the like of which has never been seen before upon this earth. Other acts are in progress here, which, should they pass, must produce popular convulsions which will put our whole govermental system in the most serious jeopardy ; enormous abuses of power, heretofore committed to the Executive Depart ment, have occurred, which have every where filled the minds of our country men with distrust and alarm. Ten days hence freedom of deliberation will have been effectually extinguished in this body, by means of which I may not specify. The freedom of the press will in all probability come to an end about the same time, by the operation of causes winch I have heretofere dis cussed in this hall. In the midst of, these alarming oceurances, and while corruption is known to be diffusing it self along all the channels of official in tercourse, what Is the condition of our armies Lee is nobly and successfully defendirio Richmord and Petersburg. The unjust, ttn*lse, and deeply crirni nal dis,placenient or the .gallaiit Johnson from the command of the army in Tenn essee, and the transfer of that army to the • neighborhood of Nashville, has opened all Southern Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama to the army of Sher man. Fort McAllister has fallen ; Sa vannah is about to hill. The fide of Charleston seems only to be deferred few dayk later. Hood's army has. al ; ready met with a great disaster . at Franklin, and is, in my judg,ment,. fa tally compromised. Presidential inter terenee is the cause of all these dire sus -1 chiefs, as it was of the result of the un- I fortumte battle of Murfreesboro', and the still more disastrous one !at MiSsiona ,ry Ridge. Should Hood's army be - de stroyed—an event which I fear it but too probable—and Sherman come round to this viciniage in ships, as I do not doubt he now intends, what will be the fate of Richmond ? Sir, it is un der such circumstances that it is deem ed wise to throw unseemly obstructions' in the way of passing an efficient finan cial bill Is this the prop( r time to talk about. repudiation ?- Is this the time to refuse to entertain a proposition look ing to an honorable peace? So think niany in this House, who constitute a majority; hut so do not I think. Sir, I h a ve spoken out my views frankly and explicitly, and now I wish to say to the House, that the course of events 'here and elsewhere has been recently such that I shad deem it a duty which I cwe alike to my own character and to the pricipl es which I have heretofore steadily maintained, to withdraw from this body altogether. I am a freeman, and the representative of freemen, and I know not how to legislate in el sins. I will no longer be responsible for measures adopted in secret sessions of this body, which my whole soul ab hors and my whole understanding con demns. This, as I have already said, is perhaps the last time that I will ad dress this body or discuss the questions here under consideration. I shall with draw to some sequested spot, where I can enjoy a little repose and freedom from taxatioe. It disturbed in my re treat by the hand of oppression, I wilt seek in foreign climes that freedom and happiness which I considered is denied to me here. The committee then arose, and on motion, the House adjourned. . Union Army Moving on. Gordons- EMI NEW Yomc, December 20.—The Richmond Dispatch has news that the Yankee column moving on Gordons ville has made little progress, an ad vance of fifteen hundred cavalry reach- Madism Court House on Wednes - day, the main body reported following. On Friday, the cavalry advanced three miles towards Gordonsville, and, at last accounts skirmishing with the rebels was reported at Gordonsville, and that the objective point was Charlottesville. It is rumored that Rosser is driving them back. A dispatch from Wilmington, after an nouceing that the fleet disappeared in a storm and returned again, says that Gen. Leventhorp attacked the enemy's gunboats and barges below Poplar Point on Roanoke river, Tuesday evening. The fight continued three hours. The enemy was repulsed with loss: They resumed the attack on Thursday and landed some sharpshooters. The main fleet of gunboats and transports remain Mow in three. The Montgomery Appeal, of tho 13th has a dispatch that Davidson's raiding column had not reached the Mobile and Ohio railroad on the 10th. • General Gardner is accumulating troops to meet them, mid Maury is doing something at Mobile. They are marching on Mobile live .thousand five hundred strong. Governor Watts, of Alabama, issued a proclamation on the llth, saying that Mobile was threatened by a large fiwce, and he believed that the movement was in conjunction with the gunboats in the' haw. He calls out all citizens, and or ders them at once to Mobile. Ile says he will be there to command them. He closes by sayin4, one more effort and our cause will be safe; Tennessee is re deemed; Georgia soon will be; 'Missis sippi is aroused, and shall Alabama be a lago•aid in the race for honor and glory. Another proclamation was issued by Gen. Green, of the Alabama militia, in which he says that the enemy is within twenty miles of Mobile. The World's Fortress Monroe special says that the rebel authorities are refus ing to pay their troops unless they take an oath to support the Confederacy four years longer. _____........____ TENNESSEE. The New York 'flutes Report of Hood's Def,at—He has Lost Nearly Half his cam NEW YORK Dec. 28.—The Times has received a special dispatch from Franklin, Tenn.' dated yesterday, which says: The i ebel retreat from rranklin to Duck river beggars all description. Hood told his corps commanders to. get off the best way they could with their commands. The rebel army is now beyond Co- Innibia The railroad is but little impaired, and trains run to Spring MIL The tele graphic communication is all right in all directions. Johnsonville was not destroyed. The rebel loss during the campaign was 17,000 men, 51 cannon and 18. general officers. Killed at , Franklin, 1,406; wounded, 3,800; and 1,000 pris oners. Before Nashville and on the retreat to Columbia, 3,000 killed and wounded and 1,000 prisoners. The Union loss at Franklin was 2,000, and before Nashville less than 4,000. The total Union loss will not exceed 7,000, with two generals slightly wounded. Hood has a pontoon bridge above the slioals, on the Tennessee river, where our gunboats cannot reach. them. HoOd marched on Franklin With. Of ? , 000 men. and 65 pieces of artillery: lie will hare lost nearly half his men.
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