Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-11-08

eouFagement and apathy diffused every
where by our military failure. They have
triumPhed, not ia their own strength, not
by the presentation OF any new, peculiar
and effective policy, but through sheer
| force of general dissatisfaction. Let the
authorities at Washington be rebuSed sig
ni6cantiy, it was said on all sides, aud they
| will do better for the futare.
We trust they will',; We trust the incl
dents of the day have impressed upou their
minds two solemn and important lessons
First, that war, when it has been once un-
dertaken, is to be fought as war, according
to war principles, and not as politics, sc
eOrding 10 the interests of localities or
classes, or the schemes of willy intFiguers
and managers. The mistake OF The admin
istraIion from the beginning has been that
IL has regarded the war not as deadly
and inevitable encounter between two
forms of society struggling for the mastery
of continent, but as neighbOrhoOd feud,
which must end in a compromise, mutual
cOuciliatioD, and a final shaking of hands
1t has accordingly allowed at the head Of
the armies generals who sought to exhaust
both sides by delays, rather than to fight
battles; who have never made attacks, and
who, when they were forced into fight and
won victories, were certain never to follow
not supplied the nation OF the armies until
recently with any definite method of deal
ing with that enormous evil OF slavery,
which was the caase of the war, and which,
as the whole world cOnfesses, will deter
mine the end of the war. But hereafter
the nations says to it, remove all the do.
nothiugs, make war in earnest, strike your
blows at the heart of the enemy's resour-
ces and power, and literally AMI at once
crush out this internal rebellion.
The second lesson taught is that the
rights of peaceful aud loyal citizeus-the
acknowledged guarantees of civil liberty
are not to be trifled with, or handled in an
arbitrary manner We acquit the Adniu-
istraIiou wholly, ia its various arrests Of
individuals and its suppression of ueWspA-
pers, of the purpose to do wrong. We be-
lieve that in the ma jOrity of instances in
which they have incarcerated persons in
Fort Warren or Fort Lafayette they have
done no substantial injustice; we hold, too,
that in times of civil war these exceptional
proceedings are often absolutely necessary;
but we approve and applaud at the same
time the jealousy with which the popular
mind always watches sucb resorts. They
should be used only under imperative cir
cdmsmnces; the reasons for them should
be made public whenever that is possible;
and they should never be Suffered TO wear
color of caprice or of personal Whim.-
While poor country editor, for instance,
whose sheet does not reach n thousand
readers, is suddenly hauled up by the Off
GERS OF the law for an incautiOus expression
of treason, the rich city editor, who speaks
to hundreds of thousands, who lies without
scruple and who boldly promotes anarchy,
invites military despotism, and viliies ev-
cry officer OF the government, should not
go scot free. Such Inconsistencies show
that the arrests nre rather voluntary than
Imperativei while they strengthen and even
embitter the natural resentment with which
every interference with the operations of
courts Of justice is regarded.
The Administration will be warned in
time, we hope, by the results of the recent
elections. Il is not too late to repair the
past. All the requisite power is still in its
hands. The people are good nAtured still.
They have chastised, not so much in anger,
as in hope. They want to see the cause of
the Union defended with vigor worthy of
the greatness of the cause they are as rea-
dy as ever they were to do and die in its
behalf but they will no more tolerate rose
water craftsmanship, or generals who are
afraid to hart the enamy or policy which
drifts with events like piece of cork upon
a stream. Aetion-stern, hearty, energetic,
irresistible-is the one demand of the hour
without which we shall be::earried into uu-
Imaginable dificulties, but with which we
csn compel an honorable peace long be-
the trees which are now stripped aud bar
reu, shall resume the green liveries of
spring.