The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-08-08
KenOSha, Thursday, Aug. s, 1861


KEN O S I1A. WIS @ O IN.
KenOsha, Thursday, Aug. s, 1861
What Would They EEavce
There is a certain class of men in our midst
who are continually crying out against the
wickedness and expensiveness of war in gene
raj and of this war in particular. The horrors
Of civil war are held up in all their most revolt
ing colors, and then the impossibility Of con-
querng or subjugating the seeded States is
dwelt upon at length, and then, like the arrant
demagogues that they are, they bring up as a
dernier resort the pecuniary considerations, be-
lieving the pocket to be the most sensitive point
of attack They make the most cxtravagant
calculations of the total cost to the nation, and
then work backwards to individuals. The pro-
portion of the State is 50 much-some of them
put Wisconsin's share at twenty millions a
year, a rather formidable sum certainly-and
then the county will have to pay so much, the
towns of the county so much, and the city so
much and finally the grand climacteric is reach
ed, and every man, woman and child will have
to pay all enormous sum i'll the way OF war
tax, for numberess years to come. They show
an aptitude for the fundamental rules of Arith-
metic, at least-addition subtraction and divis-
ion seems to be a favorite pastime. But their
figures are better than their logic.
After the most elaborate enumeration of the
horrors and cost of the war, these cavaliers and
fault-fnders point out no way TO get rid OF the
war. We did rot commence the war and we
cannot arrest it, except by an unconditional
surrender to those who commenced it. But
what are we called upon TO surrender? Nothing
but our National existence To these no nde
scripts who are clamoring for peace ,peace, wher
there is no peace, this may be of no account
They seem to have no idea Of nationality. A
state of utter and entire disoIganization where
in every man is for himself, and, Ito use vut
gar and irreverent phrase) the devil take The
| hindmost, seems TO be their ideal of social ano
civil existence. There would then be no taxes
though there might be war occasionally ever
in that primitive state Of existence for all ex
periance goes to prove that man is an aggres
sive animal, in the natural state, prone to take
what belongs to his neighbor, if he imagine'
he has the power or the shrewdness to do it.
These Northern clamorers for peace-thes'
aiders, abettors and apologists of secessiontr ea
son and rebellion, should be more definite il
their statements of their wants and Wishes
They should know, if they do not already know
it, that the loyal Ststes and the loyal citizen
of those States are engaged in defensive war
) They had no hand either the Inauguration 0
its instigation, and they can therefore make nj
propositions for peace. They must fight, o
own up conquered aud accept such terms a
the conquerors see fit to grant. The secession
lists claim the right to dismember the Unite
States at will, They claim that there is, il
point Of fact, no such nation as the Unite'
States, but simply several nations which for
time adopted the fiction of nationality, withou
the least portion of its vitality or virtue. The.
|, do not even admit q confederation OF the State
for that would imply obligation on the part Q
one or more States to consult the wishes of TIN
others before the confederation could be legal,
broken up. If we admit this right of dismem
berment at will, we consent to state of anar
, chy and confusion never before inaugurated b,
, civilized men. If thd Slave States have thu
, constitutional right of secession, then all tn
other States have the same right. This grant
ed, where is secession to cease3 After all til,
States have seeded, what becomes Of the ma
tional debt? What Secessionists now declare
to be a myth, a nonentity, but which the out
side world has for nearly century been led Il
believe was a nation-The United States 0
Amerca-has heretofore contracted debts ant
issued promises to pay. Secession ethics teacl
} us that the most convenient way Of getting
along with such promises is population. Car
the Northern mind be brought to the same
depth of degradation? We fear not. But sup
pose the nation utterly disintegrated by practi
cal secession until there are not left two States
together, and the national debts ali paid by re-
| pudiation. Would there not be q chance fol-
the public creditors to make q levy upon com.
munities and individuals for their pay? II
strikes US that it would be perfectly moral il
| NV ANBtA uOuo VI SOIlCCtLOli' Dub tue pctleCi
folly and nonsense of the principle of secession
is plain without tracing it to all its legitimate
conclusions. 1t is unreasonable, impossible
and utterly impracticable. Until some advo-
cate of secession shows to the contrary, we are
bound to believe it is all these, and therefore
not worthy of consideration.
There is another point that the Northern
apologists of the rebels should take into con-
sideration-We are not fighting to conquer the
South-we are not fighting 20 subjugate the
South, or to coerce the South. We are solely
and simply fighting for our national existence
not against shareholders as such, but against
those who would destroy US as a nation; against
those who are determined upon the destruction
OF the Republic and the obliteraton Of the last
vestige of Free, Republican Government.
w are frantically asked by the advocates Of
the right of secession if we can do nothing to
stay the tide of civil war-Nothmg to prevent
the immense cost of millions ofmoney and the
paralyzation of every kind of business There
can be but two things to do; one is disgrace.
full surrender to the rebels a tacit consent to
striking from the map of the world and from
the list of nations, that glorious United States
that has SO long been the glory of the New
World and the fear and admiration of the Old
The other is to conquer the rebels, put down
treason and punish traitors, and for all time tc