Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-05-27
The war Over--who Beats,

1t has long been known to few that
the most effectuai mode, in case of war, is
to give it nothing 10 oppose. This has, it
appears, been shown in she case of the for
ces sent out by the President of the United
States to discover or create rebellion in
Utah. Who shall say, hereafter, that
Brigham is not as eminent tactition as he
is prophet! Considering the nature of
the proceeding on the part of the govern
ment, there never was a defense more
adroitly managed or more perfectly adapt
ed to the circumstances. So far as words
were concerned, there has seldom been col
leeted more portentous magazine. Proc
lamations, manifestoes, protest and threats,
a dire artillery of most gunpowder appear
ance, gave token of coming hostilities as
those waged by rebel giants against tie
throne of Olympian Jove. Brigham had
drawn the sword and thrown away the
seabbard. He would raze the city Of the
Latter-Day Saints, contest every inch of
ground, and die in the last ditch, amid
smoking ruins and steaming carcasses. He
would hide his multitudinous wives and
numberless children amid the mountain
Businesses, and with the elect, sword in
hand, rush like famished tigers upon the
ranks of the invaders, giving and receiving
death, and mingling warriers and patri-
arcbs in gristly embraces to last after the
flesh had perished, and the whitened bones
of the combatants were occupied as nest
ing places for the wild tenants of the des-
ert. Brigham evidently knew what he was
about, and understood the party he had to
deal with. The powder and ball that he
used cost him nothing, and therefore he
could afford to be liberal in its expenditure.
His pronunciamontos created no national
debt, and his park of brazen polysillables
represent no taxes to be levied upon his
followers, nor dues salted down to be paid
out of the earnings of other generations.
But great as is Brigham as a warrier, he
is greater still as wag. How the rogue
must have laghed in his sleeve, when he
met Gov. Cumming, and invited him 10 a
peaceable promenade through the streets
of the Holy City, wherein every sign of
hostility had been carefully suppressed
And how rich the joke upon our Admins
tration, so desirous of cheap glory, and so
in want of something to dazzle the crowd
that has begun to discover of what con-
temp.able materials it is composed. The
complete humiliation of all the armies of
the Union could not have struck thou
sandth part so severe blow upon Mr.. Bu-
chanan and all who have given countenance
in this most nefarious and ridi ulous at
tempt to accumulate capital of military
renown, as this simple almost contemtuos,
reception of his soldiery. 1t will require
the aid of all the newspapers of his par
ty and all the talents of their conduc-
tors for the remainder of their natural lives,
to screen him from the roar of inextin-
guishable laughter that will come up from
all parts of the world, at this most lame
and impotent and yet comical finale of
that much-be-praised and perpetual-trump-
eted expedition, wherein it was predicted
that the triumphs Of Bacchus and the con-
quests of Alexander were to be thrown in
to the shade, and forgotten by the more
brilliant achievements of the illustrious
Sage of Wheatland.
But the question arises, what is to be
done? Is the war over, and are our ar
mics to return home and leave the Heaven
defying polygamists to go unpunished 3
Are the sins of the Saints all expiated by
the fact that they are not found with arms
in their hands? Must they 90 unscathed
because they won't fight? Shall not the
mighty men of valor go in andslaughter even
as the armies of Israel under Joshua did
with the Latter-Day Saints of the land of
Canaan! Shall there be no killing, no
ravishing, no sacking, no burning, after all
this preparation? And hat will become
of the building heroes among us, who for
three months past have been dreaming of
gallop over the prairies, a brush with the
Legion, and sweet repose, after the tolls
of war, in the arms of the surplus wo-
men of the settlement? We pause for a
reply.