The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1861-10-15

NAV guess two or three times and posi-
bly, be right every time-who has ian
axe to grind" whose temper does not
suit the military grindstone in other
words, one who sees in compromis, and
in paciticalion by diplomacy, the only
issue of the present complication " in
which he can hope 10 figure AS conspicu.
ously as lis ambition prompts, or gather
up "iund for eleclioneering purposes F"
in the next presidential campaign. lie
is engaged in desperate effort to avert
the destiny foreshadowed in the develop
ment Of u class of warlike notabililies,
who, when The war is over, will turn up
again as candidates for popular favor,
and are sure TO have the - inside track. >
In vain. civilians must make up their
minds to languish in the shadow OF
hopes deferred" for some years to
come, forestalled by the prestige OF mill
tary renown. Mars is now in the ascend
ant; martial achievement is directly in
the path of future advancement. 1t is
the prophecy of al history that a militia.
| ry leader is to be our next President
More than that. the public man who
stands in the way Of the vigorous prose
cut:on Of this war. for the maintenance VI
the Nations honor and the Nation. in.
tegrity, will not merely find himself left
| behind-he will be "nowl ere" AT any
rate, whatever may be their status after
| The war, the nation demands that all
such be got out Of the way now, and it is
to be feared that ill they are out Of the
way, victory will not be - organized "
| for the national cause.
When you and l used to play at chess
in years gone by, it was all very well for
you TO give me the odds of Knight,
at some small risk Of a checkmate, for
those we're friendly conte sis, wherein vic.
tory was bloodless, and defeat brous Int
no damage or dishonor To initiate that
courtesy in game Of actual war, where
+. life and honor are involved in the issue,
would be, not courtesy. but superlalive
folly. How would it look for McCLELLAS
to withdraw his cavalry from the militia
~ chess board of the department Of the
Potomac, through Difference to the pre-
sumcd inieriority in generalship, or dis
ciplne, or equipments. or numbers, Of
the rebels in arms Is it any less
folly persistently to ignore and reject
any other element Of strength to US, or
Of weakness to them, which God has put
into our hands 1t seems 10 me that we
are making a great mistake here that
We have already suffered irreparable loss
through our tenderness Of the s!avehoId.
ing interest and that to persist in it is
to prolong the conflict from months to
years, and to sacrifice upon that bloody,
black relic Of barbarism, hundreds Of
precious, loyal lives, where tens would
suffice was the war conducted on com.
mon sense principles. ! confess l am
Disguised beyond measure with tn s
e modern improvement F" Of putting
down rebellion without hunting the reb-
els /. believe in the old vulgar way
Of Gripping your enemies however you
can"
BY the laws and usases Of all civilized
nations, the p' operty Of traitors is con-
fsca'cd. For the first time in the histo.
" of rebelions. think. an exception is
made in favor of that property interest,
which besides being essentially iniquitous
and therefore entitled to no protection
outside of that constitutional aegis which
it has contemporary thrown away, is
the fountain of these bitter waters, whose
overlooking cup is now held to the lips
of this nation. and is yet, fear, to be
drained TO the drcgs. What pitiful
device to preserve some appearance oil
consi, t.ncy, WAS the toady after -thoughl
that all property not con,raband Of war,
millions of which had been already
seized without objection by the govern
ment, should be exempt from seizure
aud confscaIion And yet the govern.
ment. with delightful consistency. re.
fuses to recognize this conflict as war
il is only rebellion and permits its
own citizens and soldiers, taken prison
ers in battle, to rot in the prisons OF
/ Seeessid, because to exchange them
would be to acknowledge the rebels as
belligerents I! II we could only unlearn
how not TO do it," all tie rest would
/, follow.
Yours. for the Union,
f. G.. b.