"On the same side of the river with Leesburg," said Mr.Conkling, "within a day's march of that place, lay General McCall commanding a division containing fifteen regiments which marched fully eleven thousand men.

If Leesburg were to be attacked, or if a reconnoissance in force were to be made in that direction, one of the first wonders in this case is, that the work should have been assigned to General Stone's division, divided as it was from the scene of action by a great river, when the division of General McCall was within a day's march of the spot, with neither river, mountain, nor barrier to be traversed." -- Mr.Richardson of Illinois thought Mr.Conkling's resolution was calculated "to raise an issue between the House of Representatives and the army, and divide the country." He thought this would injure the cause of the Union.

In military matters he would "rather trust the commanding general of the army than a committee of the House." -- Mr.Crittenden of Kentucky protested against "the House interfering in the conduct of the war and the management of the army by investigating transactions which are in their nature purely military." He maintained that "such a policy takes control out of the hands of men supposed to be competent and puts it in the hands of men supposed not to be competent." "If," continued Mr.Crittenden, "we are to find fault with every movement, who not appoint a committee of the House to attend the Commander-in-chief?
Why not send them with our army so that the power of Congress may be felt in battle as well as in the halls of legislation ?" -- Mr.Lovejoy of Illinois gave a characteristic turn to the debate.
"I believe before God," said he,--"and if it be fanaticism now it will not be when history traces the events of the day,--that the reason why we have had Bull Run and Ball's Bluff and other defeats and disasters is that God, in his providence, designs to arraign us before this great question of human freedom, and make us take the right position." Slavery, according to Mr.Lovejoy, was the Jonah on board the National ship, and the ship would founder unless Jonah were thrown overboard.

"When Jonah was cast forth into the sea, the sea ceased from raging." Our battles, in Mr.Lovejoy's belief, "should be fought so as to hurt slavery," and enable the President to decree its destruction.

"To be President, to be king, to be victor, has happened to many; to be embalmed in the hearts of mankind through all generations as liberator and emancipator has been vouchsafed to few." THE DISASTER AT BALL'S BLUFF.
-- Mr.Wickliffe of Kentucky believed we should "preserve the Union and slavery under it." He wised to "throw the Abolitionists overboard." -- Mr.Mallory of Kentucky, while not believing slavery to be incompatible with our liberty under the Constitution, declared that so far as he understood the feeling of the people of Kentucky, "if they ever come to regard slavery as standing in the way of the Union, they will not hesitate to wipe out the institution." Loud applause followed this remark.
-- Mr.McKee Dunn of Indiana, while believing that "if slavery stands in the way of the Union it must be destroyed," was not yet "willing to accept Mr.Lovejoy as prophet, priest, or king." He thought "the gentleman from Illinois was not authorized to interpret God's providence" in the affairs of men.
-- Mr.Thaddeus Stevens, in recalling the debate to the immediate question before the House, took occasion to protest against the doctrine of non-interference laid down by Mr.Crittenden.