Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-06-23
The Demand for a short and DecI.
slvo War.

There are doubtless now, as there alwayshave
been. barbarous, half-civilized people. who love
to fight, as men love to hunt and hsh, for the
mere sake of the sport, But in the United
States and other enlightened countries, war has
lost It's old prestige. The profession OF arms Is
not what it once was-so noble and dazzling In
the popular estimation, as to cause 1t to take
rank above all the useful and benefcent ayoca.
tions Of civil life.
War Is still deemed necessary to repel foreign
aggression or suppress domestic insurrectlon.
But the "pomp and circumstances Of glorious
war; falls on the ear Of modern refinement and
Christian civilization, as an unmeaning phrase,
or else az calling up scenes Of desolation, wo
and carnage. People 60 to war now days
with reluctance, and only consent to 1t as last
reaort-as remedy for great evils which other
and peaceful remedies have failed to reach and
subdue. 1t is used as the hangmsn's rope or
the execudonsr's axe is used In cases Of murder
or treason.
Such being the popular dread Of war, when
the people feel compelled to take up arms to re.
pei foreign aggression or crush out rebellion,
the demand 10 universal and imperative that the
war should be made short, vigorous and deci-
sive Feeling that war blocks the wheels oi
improvement, destroys commerce, robs the
country of It's mechanics and laborers, burdens
It with heavy debta and oppressive taxes, cod
blasts national and Individual happiness and
prosperity. intelligent and sensible people can
not bear to think Of a foreiga or a civil wal
protracted for ten, twenty. thirty or forty years
The tendency in tbs civilized and Christian
world, for the Last half century, has been to
make wars earnest and short. Our second wal
with England lasted but little over two years
and our war with Mexico was equally briei.-
The Crimean war, in which nearly all the Great
Powers of Europe were engaged, and which, 10
a former age, would probably have lasted TWEEN
ty years, was brought to close in two. The
French Italian war against Austria in 1859
which might, q hundred years ago, have deluged
q continent in blood, was ended in three months
and without involving any parties but the i'm
mediate Selligerents. The public opinion oi
the civilized world is gradually moulding itseli
into the determination that wars shall not only
be short, bus that they shall be confined to the
parties who frst resort to the srbirament of the
sword for the settlement of disputes.
II We could have Congress truly represent.
ing the people Of ell civilized countries, Assem-
bled in our National Capital to morrow, to give
US the best of their counsel snd advice In the
preaent emergency, they would unanimously cay
to the people Of the United States: "If this ru
inous civil war cannot be stopped BY peaceful
negotiation and settlement, bring oil your ener.
gles to bear upon It at oncei make IL short and
final, as you would the execution Of q criminal
you had sentenced to death. In short, vigor.
ous war, you will have no occasion to fear for
eign Intervention; but In protracted one,
there may be danger of embarrassing foreign
.ra.
Such, we believe, would be the almost unani-
nous voice of our own country ymen, could they
be heard in National Convention assembled
tomorrow. Our people are accustomed to see
great enterprises planned, and completed almost
as soon as planned. They are used to riding 10
railroad cars, and cannot bear the slow.moving
coach of other days. And any Federal or State
Administration that lAgs behind and fails TO
come up to the popular demand for vigorous and
decisive measures, lie preparing for its own over.
throw. The people want and mean to have
the Union preserved; but they are impatient at
hearing Its preservation everlastiDgly talked
lbout, and nothing effective done to save IL |
The Government has been threatening to crush |
,ut the rebellion, and now the urgent demand
Is that the decisive blow shall follow the threat.
If the Government Is not yet prepared for this,
let it prepare itself quickly. Celebrity Of pun
shment is more important than long-delayed
severity; therefore, strike home at once upon
he Rebel armies.