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　〃The　Speaker　laid　before　the　House　a　letter　from　the　Secretary　of　War；　in　which　he　says　that　he　has　the　honor　to　acknowledge　the　receipt　of　the　resolution　adopted　on　the　6th　instant；　to　the　effect　that　the　answer　of　the　Department　to　the　resolution；　passed　on　the　second　day　of　the　session；　is　not　responsive　and　satisfactory　to　the　House；　and　requesting　a　farther　answer。　　The　Secretary　has　now　to　state　that　measures　have　been　taken　to　ascertain　who　is　responsible　for　the　disastrous　movement　at　Ball's　Bluff；　but　that　it　is　not　compatible　with　the　public　interest　to　make　known　those　measures　at　the　present　time。〃　In　truth　the　days　are　evil　for　any　Congress　of　debaters；　when　a　great　army　is　in　camp　on　every　side　of　them。　　The　people　had　called　for　the　army；　and　there　it　was。　　It　was　of　younger　birth　than　Congress；　and　had　thrown　its　elder　brother　considerably　out　of　favor　as　has　been　done　before　by　many　a　new…born　baby。　　If　Congress　could　amuse　itself　with　a　few　set　speeches；　and　a　field　day　or　two；　such　as　those　afforded　by　Mr。　Sumner；　it　might　all　be　very　wellprovided　that　such　speeches　did　not　attack　the　army。　　Over　and　beyond　this；　let　them　vote　the　supplies　and　have　done　with　it。　　Was　it　probable　that　General　McClellan　should　have　time　to　answer　questions　about　Ball's　Bluffand　he　with　such　a　job　of　work　on　his　hands？　　Congress　could　of　course　vote　what　committees　of　military　inquiry　it　might　please；　and　might　ask　questions　without　end；　but　we　all　know　to　what　such　questions　lead；　when　the　questioner　has　no　power　to　force　an　answer　by　a　penalty。　　If　it　might　be　possible　to　maintain　the　semblance　of　respect　for　Congress；　without　too　much　embarrassment　to　military　secretaries；　such　semblance　should　be　maintained；　but　if　Congress　chose　to　make　itself　really　disagreeable；　then　no　semblance　could　be　kept　up　any　longer。　　That；　as　far　as　I　could　judge；　was　the　position　of　Congress　in　the　early　months　of　1862；　and　that；　under　existing　circumstances；　was　perhaps　the　only　possible　position　that　it　could　fill。　All　this　to　me　was　very　melancholy。　　The　streets　of　Washington　were　always　full　of　soldiers。　　Mounted　sentries　stood　at　the　corners　of　all　the　streets　with　drawn　sabersshivering　in　the　cold　and　besmeared　with　mud。　　A　military　law　came　out　that　civilians　might　not　ride　quickly　through　the　street。　　Military　riders　galloped　over　one　at　every　turn；　splashing　about　through　the　mud；　and　reminding　one　not　unfrequently　of　John　Gilpin。　　Why　they　always　went　so　fast；　destroying　their　horses'　feet　on　the　rough　stones；　I　could　never　learn。　　But　I；　as　a　civilian；　given　as　Englishmen　are　to　trotting；　and　furnished　for　the　time　with　a　nimble　trotter；　found　myself　harried　from　time　to　time　by　muddy　men　with　sabers；　who　would　dash　after　me；　rattling　their　trappings；　and　bid　me　go　at　a　slower　pace。　There　is　a　building　in　Washington；　built　by　private　munificence　and　devoted；　according　to　an　inscription　which　it　bears；　〃To　the　Arts。〃　It　has　been　turned　into　an　army　clothing　establishment。　　The　streets　of　Washington；　night　and　day；　were　thronged　with　army　wagons。　　All　through　the　city　military　huts　and　military　tents　were　to　be　seen；　pitched　out　among　the　mud　and　in　the　desert　places。　　Then　there　was　the　chosen　locality　of　the　teamsters　and　their　mules　and　horsesa　wonderful　world　in　itself；　and　all　within　the　city！　　Here　horses　and　mules　livedor　diedsub　dio；　with　no　slightest　apology　for　a　stable　over　them；　eating　their　provender　from　off　the　wagons　to　which　they　were　fastened。　　Here；　there；　and　everywhere　large　houses　were　occupied　as　the　headquarters　of　some　officer；　or　the　bureau　of　some　military　official。　　At　Washington　and　round　Washington　the　army　was　everything。　　While　this　was　so；　is　it　to　be　conceived　that　Congress　should　ask　questions　about　military　matters　with　success？　All　this；　as　I　say；　filled　me　with　sorrow。　　I　hate　military　belongings；　and　am　disgusted　at　seeing　the　great　affairs　of　a　nation　put　out　of　their　regular　course。　　Congress　to　me　is　respectable。　Parliamentary　debatesbe　they　ever　so　prosy；　as　with　us；　or　even　so　rowdy；　as　sometimes　they　have　been　with　our　cousins　across　the　waterengage　my　sympathies。　　I　bow　inwardly　before　a　Speaker's　chair；　and　look　upon　the　elected　representatives　of　any　nation　as　the　choice　men　of　the　age。　　Those　muddy；　clattering　dragoons；　sitting　at　the　corners　of　the　streets　with　dirty　woolen　comforters　around　their　ears；　were　to　me　hideous　in　the　extreme。　　But　there　at　Washington；　at　the　period　of　which　I　am　writing；　I　was　forced　to　acknowledge　that　Congress　was　at　a　discount；　and　that　the　rough…shod　generals　were　the　men　of　the　day。　　〃Pack　them　up　and　send　them　in　boxes　to　their　several　States。〃　　It　would　come　to　that；　I　thought；　or　to　something　like　that；　unless　Congress　would　consent　to　be　submissive。　　〃I　have　yet　to　learn！〃　said　indignant　members；　stamping　with　their　feet　on　the　floor　of　the　House。　　One　would　have　said　that　by　that　time　the　lesson　might　almost　have　been　understood。　Up　to　the　period　of　this　civil　war　Congress　has　certainly　worked　well　for　the　United　States。　　It　might　be　easy　to　pick　holes　in　it；　to　show　that　some　members　have　been　corrupt；　others　quarrelsome；　and　others　again　impracticable。　　But　when　we　look　at　the　circumstances　under　which　it　has　been　from　year　to　year　elected；　when　we　remember　the　position　of　the　newly　populated　States　from　which　the　members　have　been　sent；　and　the　absence　throughout　the　country　of　that　old　traditionary　class　of　Parliament　men　on　whom　we　depend　in　England；　when　we　think　how　recent　has　been　the　elevation　in　life　of　the　majority　of　those　who　are　and　must　be　elected；　it　is　impossible　to　deny　them　praise　for　intellect；　patriotism；　good　sense；　and　diligence。　　They　began　but　sixty　years　ago；　and　for　sixty　years　Congress　has　fully　answered　the　purpose　for　which　it　was　established。　　With　no　antecedents　of　grandeur；　the　nation；　with　its　Congress；　has　made　itself　one　of　the　five　great　nations　of　the　world。　　And　what　living　English　politician　will　say　even　now；　with　all　its　troubles　thick　upon　it；　that　it　is　the　smallest　of　the　five？　When　I　think　of　this；　and　remember　the　position　in　Europe　which　an　American　has　been　able　to　claim　for　himself；　I　cannot　but　acknowledge　that　Congress　on　the　whole　has　been　conducted　with　prudence；　wisdom；　and　patriotism。　The　question　now　to　be　asked　is　this　　Have　the　powers　of　Congress　been　sufficient；　or　are　they　sufficient；　for　the　continued　maintenance　of　free　government　in　the　States　under　the　Constitution？　I　think　that　the　powers　given　by　the　existing　Constitution　to　Congress　can　no　longer　be　held　to　be　sufficient；　and　that　if　the　Union　be　maintained　at　all；　it　must　be　done　by　a　closer　assimilation　of　its　congressional　system　to　that　of　our　Parliament。　　But　to　that　matter　I　must　allude　again；　when　speaking　of　the　existing　Constitution　of　the　States。

CHAPTER　III。　THE　CAUSES　OF　THE　WAR。

I　have　seen　various　essays　purporting　to　describe　the　causes　of　this　civil　war　between　the　North　and　South；　but　they　have　generally　been　written　with　the　view　of　vindicating　either　one　side　or　the　other；　and　have　spoken　rather　of　causes　which　should；　according　to　the　ideas　of　their　writers；　have　produced　peace；　than　of　those　which　did；　in　the　course　of　events；　actually　produce　war。　　This　has　been　essentially　the　case　with　Mr。　Everett；　who　in　his　lecture　at　New　York；　on　the　4th　of　July；　1860；　recapitulated　all　the　good　things　which　the　North　has　done　for　the　South；　and　who　provedif　he　has　proved　anythingthat　the　South　should　have　cherished　the　North　instead　of　hating　it。　　And　this　was　very　much　the　case　also　with　Mr。　Motley　in　his　letter　to　the　London　Times。　　That　letter　is　good　in　its　way；　as　is　everything　that　comes　from　Mr。　Motley；　but　it　does　not　tell　us　why　the　war　has　existed。　　Why　is　it　that　eight　millions　of　people　have　desired　to　separate　themselves　from　a　rich　and　mighty　empirefrom　an　empire　which　was　apparently　on　its　road　to　unprecedented　success；　and　which　had　already　achieved　wealth；　consideration；　power；　and　internal　well…being？　One　would　be　glad　to　imagine；　from　the　essays　of　Mr。　Everett　and　of　Mr。　Motley；　that　slavery　has　had　little　or　nothing　to　do　with　it。　　I　must　acknowledge　it　to　be　my　opinion　that　slavery　in　its　various　bearings　has　been　the　single　and　necessary　cause　of　the　war；　that　slavery　being　there　in　the　South；　this　war　was　only　to　be　avoided　by　a　voluntary　divisionsecession　voluntary　both　on　the　part　of　North　and　South；　that　in　the　event　of　such　voluntary　secession　being　not　asked　for；　or　if　asked　for　not　conceded；　revolution　and　civil　war　became　necessarywere　not　to　be　avoided　by　any　wisdom　or　care　on　the　part　of　the　North。　The　arguments　used　by　both　the　gentlemen　I　have　named　prove　very　clearly　that　South　Carolina　and　her　sister　States　had　no　right　to　secede　under　the　Constitution；　that　is　to　say；　that　it　was　not　open　to　them　peaceably　to　take　their　departure；　and　to　refuse　further　allegiance　to　the　President　and　Congress　without　a　breach　of　the　laws　by　which　they　were　bound。　　For　a　certain　term　of　years；　namely；　from　1781　to　1787；　the　different　States　endeavored　to　make　their　way　in　the　world　simply　leagued　together　by　certain　articles　of　confederation。　　It　was　declared　that　each　State　retained　its　sovereignty；　freedo