Litchfield enquirer., 1861-08-29
The Past and the Future.


 elastic people of modern times, like India-rub- Der we yield to blow, only to astonish the ob. server by the suddenness of our rebound
 Ever versatile in our resources, we no sooner find that one pet scheme fails of accomplishment in given way, than we strike out a new one.
 Vibrating with the accuracy of the pendulum from the lowest self abasement to the heights oi inordinate eonceit, we are ever keenly sensitive to what others say of us. No parvenu in social life, ever watched the barometer of fashionable recognition, with half the anxiety we have te hear what MT. Russell of the London Time, might choose to say of the late defeat at Stone Bridge.
 In tLe period that elapsed before his letter could possibly reach us, we had gone the whols length of the scale of our usual swing of the pen dulum. From at first a perfect rout, St"n' Bridge had become to be second Bunker hiii' Now when we get Russell's letter and ma Il mucb a, we ourselves represented the battle al first, we wax terribly indignant, forgetting th' sharp judgment we ourselves pronounced only A short month ago. One of the worst results oi this national peculiarity, that we are rarely inst. At first all our army were towards, then we joined in tendering ovations indiscrminate- ,v in returning regiments, extending the same wild huzzas to the battle-scarred 69th and th' batterv that moved toward Washington to th' music of the enemies cannon.
 That this in a large measure is the natura
 in youth, is beyond question: and perhaps not 'h' worst of the results of this hour of our natlona trial is to be in the habit of settling down to thu work we have on hand. without looking over ou shoulders to see what lookers-on think. w think we already begin to see the evidences this. a quiet stern determination is taking tE' place of fierce ungovcrnable impatienee- ] little while ago, "onward to Richmond wa the popular cry; to-day, twice as well fitted t attempt the task, there is none so rash to sug gest it. We are settling down into the harnes as though we meant to pull. There is less 0 blatant patriotism, of parade, and fuss an' l feathers, and more work, We hear less of wha | the army and the administration going to q and see what they are doing. We know tha Faulkner and Burritt are snuffing the sea breez at Fort Lafayette, that the circulation of tor. newspapers is stopped, that only the other da. l the Rebels scampered away from Fairfax at tn mere whisper that Mcclellan was coming, tha l the war loan is negotiated dt par and ct homt that Wool is at Fort Munroe and Fremont il l cn to al ha there IS government, abundantly powerful fo all the cxigencies of the hour. A governmen strong enough to put down rebellion and at th same time protect from ths horrors cf eirH 'rar It is a misnomcr to call this a civil war, at leas outside of Tennessee and Missouri; it may be war of classes or sections, but not civil war il the sense at least, that the word is used histori cally as in England or Spain, when nation i divided upon the claims of rival dynastism. \ | far as the few states are concerned it is to al interests and purposes Q foreign war.
 | Shall it be kept so: There is but one wa and that is by crushing out at once thc Rattle snake treason, whenever We hear the rattlc.- The administration has not moved an hour 10 ! Rattle snake newspapers in the loyal States. a the recent events in Bridgeport show It woul have been better to have waited for Marsha Carr to have done this work, but we have no the heart to say aught against those who yield ed to the provocation of that malignant tor sheet and pulled out it's fangs. We would hay the government take the lesson home and sar us from he danger incident to such acts by prompt ly aeting against treason rhererer tt finds it.
 There is a stern unlettered logic, that sweep aside like cobwebs the subtleties of the law, an asks ho,r can tt De right to shoot Seeessionist | Virginia and wroag to shoot him in Connecticut. l Why should Mr. Nelson of Tennessee be hcl, in durance vile by Rebels because he canvasse' his own State for the Union, and Vim. W. Eato snfely address so called "peace meetings her in behalf of Jeff Davis and his scheme for over throwing the government:
 The Rebellion is ether right or wrong. right, it is right to aid the rebels with arms an money, and wrong to put it down; if wrong. is right to put it down by forco and to Pn"is those rAo aid #. If it is right to crush it h arms in South Carolina, it is right to crush in th sune ray those vho sympathize rith Gnd aid here. Will the Government sec to it that bot are done or is the last to be Left to be the ma scork cf erasperated men, smartiag under sen' of ,crong7
 | It will be done, whoever dares if, as surely a though written in the book of fate.
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 Rg- We print in full this week. to the eAclu sion of other interesting miscellaneous matte (including the excellent speech of Hon. Danie s. Dickinson in the Wyoming Valley, N. Y which We shall give our readers next week. tn Militia Law passed at our last Genera! Assembly The interest and importance of this law to ou readers, will be sufficient apology for the spac it occupies.
 It will be seen from its provisions that if should become necessary to raise-troops by drafl ing that it will be from those enrolled under thi law. It will hardly be possible however that thi last resort will be avaied of at least for the pre- sent. Volunteers are still constantly pouring il to fill the new state regiments order d and as tn call of Congress is only for "volunteers," thi law then is to meet future exigencies.
 l But an enrolment of able-bodied male citizens between the ages of Is and 45 is required by h. la,cs ofMe United States passed in l792 and 1921 The last enrolment in this State, previous to th one, was made in 1855 and from that list, if i had been necessary, and if we had no later one persons would have been drawn. This enroll