Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1861-10-22
Six Months !!

CA mVulHS az tuc bl'ab ')'N HlidN(
of the Southern Slave Aristocracy bios
somea out into open Rebellion. On the
18th Of April, tl.c insurgcnt Davis com
manlcd that fire upon our fig and faith
ful garrison, in Font Sumter, which awokc
a nation to lis peril. 1t was a mcmora-
BE day for Americans, and those who ex-
pcricuced It's anxious hours will hand down
to their children story which has ro par
allel in history.
a short half year has passed, since then.
The 18th of April found the nation utter
ly and pitiable disarmed and our crafty
enemies armed a, all points. The couspir-
ators had diligently used their great oppor-
tunitcs. The sworn servants Of the na-
tion, had robbed It's arscuals Of three hun
dred thousand mlske's, its treasury of Six
Millions Dollars had dispersed our Navy,
aud the most faithful among its officers,
on the most distant frontier lines and had
placed tue most important military posts
in the hands Of traitors ike TSiggs. They
had Deliberately destroyed cur credit,
abroad and at home; and having in every
way tied the people hand and foot, these
suIacious aristocrats proceeded to revenge
themselves for their first political defeat.
They believed themselves secure; they
had prepared their masked batteries; they
bcheld already twenty nine millions Of peo-
pie meel.ly submitting to three hundred
ami forty thousand pamPered, labor hating
aristocrats. They played great gau.c--
and they have lost it.
Let US review the months which have
passed since tho day of Sumter, and SEQ
what we have done Six months ago, We
had not seven hundred Soldiers within
reach Of dcfcuseless Capital. To-day,
We have probably two hundred thousand
armed men on the line Of the Potomac,
and another hundred thousand iu the west.
Six mohtns ago, we had not arms to put
iDtot he hands OF seventy FIVE thousand
volunteers to-day, We have muskets, can
non, every supply in abundance for four
times the number. Six months ago, We
could neither feed nor move an army Of
five thousand mea to-day, every depart
ment of our vast military organization is
completed, and VIC can make war across
the continent. Six months ago, We had
not dczcu ships of war at hand to-day,
We plumber our navy By the hundred, aud
are guarding coast line Of more than two
thousand miles. Six months ago, the
Government could scarcely borrow a few
hundred thousands, at twelve per cent to-
day, twelve millions of people lend it fifty
millions Of dollars at par. Six months
ago, the question was whether the people
would support the Government to-day the
only question is whether the Government
will suppor: the people.
1t is no slight work to have been done
in six months. An army of three hun
drcd thousand men is recruited, organized,
drilled; commissary, supply, transpcrta-
tion and hospital stores arc prepared and
collected in the vast quantities required
all departments arc systematizcd aod a
people, till now curiously ignorant of war,
look with Just pride upon labors, which
the most warlikc nation of Europe never
achieved in the same short time.
In these six cvenful months, there have
been many days of deep discourasement-
almost of despair; days-likc that of Bull
Run-whcn our women wcpt bitter tears
of shame at the disgrace Of their sons and
brothers; days when efficient treason looked
triumphantly down upon helpless Loyalty.
The people have been impatient, and some
times il!,judging. They have rasbly con
dcmncd, and rashly praised. They have
demanded impossibili,ics, and rejoiced over
trivialities. Because hours seemed days,
we have looked to see years work done
in a month and, as fault-fDding needs
even less judgment than indiscriminatc
praise, we need not wonder that trivial
losses have been magniiicd into disastrous
defeats, while half-successcs have made
heroes whose fame will scarce outlive the
first frost.
But, whatever errors of judgment there
may have been, the American people may
say proudly that they have been guilty OF
no faults Of temper they have not turned
their back upon the plough, aud the dis
graceful failure of the white feather party
proves how few are the towards aud trait
ors among Us.
Looking back, and surveying the field
OF to day, We fud reason only for PRIDE
and encouragement. Our pFeparaiions--