The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-07-18
From the New York Post, July
An Appeal To tho Presidents.

The duty Of the country at this time is
to repair the disaster which tiupendous
military blundering has brought upon the
country, and to strengthen the army as
rapidly as possible. Ii is idle TO disguise
the fact, that the whole campaign Of the
peninsulA--in spite of the splendid fight
lug Of our troops and the admirable tkill
Of our ofEcers-has been misconducted,
and patriotic men Of the nation, without
stopping 10 distribute the blame, are look
ing to the President, with the i1tensest
anxiety, for new manifestation of energy
and power.
The people have still confidence in Mr..
Lincoln; they are persuaded Of his entire
honesty; and they know that he means to
do right in respect to the honor as well
as the interests Of the country. But they
think he has trusted too much to his sub
ordinates; he has not been sufficiently
peremptory with them, either with his
Generals or his Secretaries; and his whole
Administration has been marked BY a
certain tone of languor ana want of earn
estness which has not corresponded with
the wishes Of the people. He has taken
the advice OF the politicians rather than
listen to the beating Of the great heart OF
the people. As consequence, his Ad-
ministration has from the beginning lag
ged from behind the popular impulse. 1t
has not to this moment realized the depth,
the intensity and malignity Of the rebel
hon, and It's efforts TO put it down have
been for that reason comparative failure.
The rebels themselves are fearfully in
earnest, they aro despotically united,
they make war as war should be made, as
a military art, and not as political
scheme, and under q thousand disadvant-
ages manage to get the best of us in the
great critical moments of the struggle.
The single, transparent, undeniable
source of all our disasters has been the
want of earnestness on the part of the
civil authorities and the painful slownes:
and laxity Of our military chiefs. 1t il
now fourteen months since Mr. Seward
So little perception had he of the natur.
Of this war-predicted that it would bt
ended in sixty days: The Administration
appears, by its acts, to have put full faith
in his halcyon words. We have had fol
year on the Potomac, the finest army
that could be raised in the civilized worlt
-an army no less than 100000 strong
we'll equipped, we'll fed, well supplied Will
every material Of the art of warfare; but i
has been allowed to be frittered away b,
idlencss, by disease, by battle under ad
verse circumstances, and by military in
competency in thousand shapes.
Mr.. Lincoln, then, we repeat, mus
open his eyes withoutsa moments della
tothe exigency. Three things are NOR
imperative than all others: First, he mus
dismiss every leading agent who is imbe
cile or slothful, ON the spot; second,
must infuse unity Of design and energy
purpose into his entire cabinet, and nc
allow the members Of it to devise incor
sistent policies; and, thirdly, he must +.
cruit his armies from all classes and ranl
AZ fast AZ they can be filled up, witho,
fear Of the mean and miserable prejudice
OF vulgar brawlers.
Of the comparative capacity of hi
generals he is better Judge, doubtless
than any man in the country, for he b,