Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-06-05
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THE NEED OF PERMANENT STANDING Army. 4
The experience Of nearly century Of DO.
mestic quiet, the apparent absence Of causes OF
internal disturbance, and the traditional foreign
policy Of our Government-'speace With all ma
tions; entangling alliances with none"-had led
our people to the belief that we were an excep-
tion to the rule which requires other nations to
maintain large standing army to act either as
local police, or to resist foreign aggression. We
are suddenly awakened from this dream. At
the very moment our faith was the strongest in
the permanence of our happy condition, we were
nursing In our very bosom treason, which, for
a time, threatened to blot US from the list OF
nations.
We recovered from the stunning blow, and,
with unexampled celebrity, placed a hundred
thousand men in the field, TO be Immediately
followed by another hundred thousand. Our
first task is to eubdue; next to preserve order.
This for time must be an enforced one. The
great element of discord still remains, and must
be watched by powerful force. Confidence Is
a sentiment Of slow growth, nd 1t takes an
equally long time for subdued party to forget
its defeats and heartily fraternize with the con-
querors. We shall gladly extend amnesty to
all who lay down their arms; but we can never
again allow ourselves to be surprised and near
~ yoVcTbuEOWus IL bihtery EOnuoiun unufosutpcui
we must not forget that this is the sole cause ol
the rebellion, and that it may breed further
disturbance. Men brought up under its inhu-
ence differ radically from those nurtured 10
! freedom. This natural divergence must be
counteracted, as far as necessary, BY force
Should the slave be partially freed, we must
remember that he is of different race from
ourselves that there will soon be 5,000,O00 Of
them within our borders, rendering necessary
by way of precaution, strong arm to meet oui
anomalous condition, which unites the totally
different races under one government.
| To meet such o necessity, weImust immedi'
ately commence the organization of q standing
army. We cannot afford to call suddenly int
the field citizens deeply immersed in industria
pursuits, involving, as the summons does, dis
turbsnce and loss by which, in few weeks, the
labor Of kyears may be sacrificed, without tht
possibility of anything like an adequate COM
pensation in the shape of payroll. Thelarmy
hereafter, must be made profession, in which
the officer and soldier embark for life, and who
look forward for promotion from the efficiency
and qualities displayed. We cannot afford tt
take General, Colonel, ora private from
lucrative occupations, and discharge them II
three months or three yeare, without the leas
provision for their support, or compensation fol
the sacrifices they make. We are fortunate II
having such a class to call upon to put down In
surrection; but peace, when conquered, must b
maintained by an adequate standing army, adopt
ed as their profession by those who enter it.
Ii is, of course, notifying, after all oul
boastings, to confess that in this country, as il
others, order must be maintained by force. Il
is by no means agreeable to assume the burden
which this necessity imposes. Had it not beei
for slavery, we should have realized the highes
ideal ever formed of US. We have fully prov
ed, by the results achieved in the Northerl
States, the value of free institutions and the CO
pacity Of the people for their maintenance. Bu
we have united, under the same Governmen,
the most perfect freedom and the most ire
sponsible Of despotisms. These opposing idea
or systems, in their natural antagonisms, hav
come into desperate collision. Freedom mus
be at the expense Lf defending itself and th
Government, and Of reducing the despotic elt
ment..to submission ard order, from which free
dom itsel will be in time evolved. We shal
then have another triumph in demonstratin
that f.eedom is power, and in this way add
the debt which humanity already owes US.