Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-05-04
Probable Duration Of the war.

B. teresf and especially by those who nave enter
a tanned the idea that this would be a comparative
/, small contest and of brief continuance. From
, present appearances, il will evidently be one Of
the most tremendous conflicts that the world has
ever witnessed
Let our Younger readers, especially those Of
the metropolis carefully note the visible signs
and preparations Of war. Let them enter in
their diaries the regiments they saw en- route
for the East the day they babe good by 10 the
uncle or brother they were never 10 see again,
when iley first heard Of the Cars bluif answer
10 our summons. the Queens Message 20 Par
lament the addresses II reply. and. II they
Glanced to witness it, the procession yesterday
10 the Palace 10 present those addresses, nor can
We omit the first Sunday when they heard the
PRAYER for time Of war used IN our churches
I 81 them store these things IN their memories,
( and ponder over them, for, though II may be only
| a few years. in all human probability 1t viii be
I fnauy before they will see the end OF which this
/ j. the beginning. Sixty years ago. with great
Z urdor and temerity. &c rushed into war with
/ a people whom we had learned to hate anu des-
/ pisa. standing at that time alone among nations,
! beaten bY u out Of their colonies and depend
I onoies. pent up within mountains and seas, ana
under the perpetual surveillance Of cur fleets.
Nevertheless. that var. 50 begun with so much
enthusiasm. aud with such a confidence # right
on our part tina hardly pulpit but what sound
ed the alarm. lasted near quarter Of century
filling Europe with disaster and CONFUSING the
whole bahitable world. We have now 20 deal
with continent rather than State and with "A
lnrge section of the human race rather than
people With our own numbers more than ever
finite and with materials, labor, aud man himself
yearly more appreciated, we contend with cheap
and ineahaustible multitude. We wage war with
a government whose domestic system Il despo-
tism aud whose foreign policy i conquest. IN
the former il has refused to improve; III the lat
ter it has scarcely known "A check
Sixty years ago il was imagined L at the lndg'
nation and self .hness of all Europe would con
centrate all her armies against devoted France
the one common foe. Now, there are thousands
Of miles of frontier and unapproaehable and I'M
known interior to be- attacked. Onr foe contains
within her bosom the seodpot OF nations, and
still hhrbors the originals of the very tribes that
used to menace and conquer the civilized world.
When some one observed The other day, that IT
had been long forrsccn that il must come 10 this,
aud that We only accepting a task that 9th
crwise would have fallen ON our successors aud
proved above their strength, TINT implies not
merely the greatness Of the efforts required OF rs,
bur the length of time during which they VIII
probably have to bc sustained few great
blows. aided By fortune, aud by some return to
sanity IN the councils. of Russia, may perhaps
bring the war 10 nm carly termination That is
dcspotic violence is apt to bring ON the world
But il cannot be disguised that the yastncss Of
the Powers involved in the present war, the
depth al the causes which have provoked IT. and
the Importance OF the principles nj ~sue. all por
tend contest as hong and as ehanFeiul as any
that hive darkoued the annals 81 the world
\ usual, aud as seems 10 be the fate of tins
country. ours will bc not much the painful
endurance, a ; the costly maintenance Of active
hostties. Ne take public and active
part IN the affairs Of the world at large, and we
hold It our vocation to do Relying on our
power and our comparative immunity we be
friend the injured aud chastlse tbe opplcssor.-
Once engaged IN these generous, though some
times grainitons ntericrcuces. our honor iorhids
us to recede. aud we fud ourselves pledged to
crusades in support Of The common liberty and
Justice. aud our own NATIONAL honor. That is
our ease now. There j. little likelihood of our
own shores being invaded, our commerce Sc
riousy damaged. We shall ever wage the dis
tant with caution, skill, and with every ap-
plianee that modern art and AN mexhaustiblc
Treasury supply. The courage and disci-
pliue -four soldiers, and the steady Judgment of
our commanding officers, may probably save as
from painful reeerscs. We have little fca, that
mothers aud sisters, aud those still dearcr, who
have just suffered the pangs 81 separation. will
hear of such unqualified and unredeemed disas-
tels that of Cabul and some incidents in the
no doubt But what We have to expect is pro
traoted, difficult, costly war, costing n large NOR
tally rather than much blood, and entailing ON
the nation a large increase of expenditure s well
as a sad check To that long course oil social i'm
proyement in which confidently believe
ourselves 10 be embarked.
Much then, a. there was in Lord Dcrhy's speech
on Friday unsuitable to occasion when all
should be united ia IA common cause. he certain
v did public service in dwelling on the serious
character OF the war, and inviting Parliament to
look failures and national disasters IN the iace.-
| We cam, quite 90 along with him in deemng our
| finances unpreparcd for it, seeing that nothing
! will be 80 easy 10 re impose, when necessary
| the taNes which we have repealed We shall not
| BE the less able 10 pay any single tax, direct or
! indirect, Tor having discontinued II during hap
pier times. As "A question between repeating tax
| es and paving off our debt,t might have been bet
ter 81 make some more pcrceptible Impression on
the huge bulk Of the atter,cy AT the cost OF re-
tanning announcement burdens. That ~ course,
| indeed. which we have frequently advocated; and
in - doing. We have had 10 encounter the special
opposition of the country party, who, whatever
| they might think Of the Customs, were always
for tampering with the Excise But it cannot be
said that in repeating fax we have lost re-
source. ON the contrary, the country VIII con
sent the impo stiou Of taxes all the more cheer
fully, from the knowledge that they have been
demanded only a. long rs they were wanted Al
the present moment the financial condition OF the
country is better than il ever WAS, inasmuch as
we never had so decided surplus OF income over
ordinary expenditure, or great capacity ioI
bearing new debts. Nor again, can we agree
with Lord Derby in holding that we have dlsa-
bled ourselves from having recourse to extended
paper currency, if that should seem necessary
| LII ttaA "a