The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-11-08
THEHAWK-EYE
Saturday, .1,ocess.be,. s
WAT WILL SAVE THE COUNTRY.

Saturday, November 8
WHAT WILL SAVE THE COUNTRY.
The result of the elections, about which the
rebel sympa.hiziDg press cackle 90 much in
their forcible-feeble way, ought to be, and
doubtless will be, lesson to the people and
The Administration. The election of here and
there Democratic Congressman, more or less
opposed to the policy of the Administration, Of
itself, will do no harm. It will, on the contra.
~, do good, if it shall awake the Administra-
tion to greater activity, and prompt more eff
fective action. Had the President taken coun-
eel year since Of the earnest patriots Of the
land, and placed our armies under the command
of sincere and Jealous Generals, instead Of re.
tanning the proved imbeciles who have hitherto
controlled them, the whole people would have
come up to his support with hearty unsnimity.
Had he thought less of securing the co.opera.
ton of the Border State men, whose influence
has been, and will continue to be, like blight
upon the Nation, and pushed on the war re-
gardless of their wishes, the people of the
North would not have been cursed with any
party divisions, such a. are now existing. The
endeavor to please the lukewarm, the hesitsting,
the pro.slavery sentiment, has failed. If that
were all, We should have no fault to find But
it has gone further and has alienated, for the
time, . large class of persons who are more in
fuenced BY existing facts, than by sincere and
unchanging purpose. This class of men are
tired Of waiting for something to turn up."-
Had the President secured apparent results, the
whole Of this class would have been most active
and hearty in his support The failure to &c.
cure these results was caused simply BY the
Presidents misplaced reliance upon those who,
though they may be Union men, are still more
anxious about the interest Of the rebel States
and their peculiar institutions, than the safety
and perpetuity Of the Nation.
It ought to have been apparent to . states
man Of ordinary forecast, from the commence
ment Of the rebellion, that nothing but over.
whelming armies could put it down-that earn
est, effective and decisive blows only could deal
with it. Earnest men,-men who we're jealous
in the cause, we're and are the only ones fit to
deal such blows. Instead of selecting such and
placing them in command, class of imbecie
or half-hearted men have had control They
have, of course, accomplished nothing. 1t wae
folly to suppose they would accomplish anything
They never intended to do more than they have
done, or, with the means they possessed, they
must have done it.
The elections prove,-and they prove moth
ing else,-that the people are wesried of half
way measures, and of half.hearted men. They
have made many and great sacrifices, and they
are willing to make more. But they demand re-
suits. They cannot be expected to pour out
their blood and treasure like water, unless they
are convinced that their devotion to the Coun
try is, in some mode, beneficial to its cause.
All this feeling Of dissatisfaction might have
been avoided. 1t may yet be removed, if only
right counsels are allowed to prevail, and the
right men are put into places of responsibility
The President may still regain the confidence
not Of part but Of the whole people, BY adopt
ng and steadily pursuing judicious and deci
sive policy, with energy and effectiveness. Thi,
is oil thatis wanted. This will crush the rebel
lion. This will overpower all opposition. This
will In good time, and that speedily, restore the
supremacy of the Union, and ultimately give ia
US an enduring peace,-a peace not again to be
broken by Southern rebellion And We are
sure that nothing else ever can. The lesson Of
the hour ia good one,-if soe improve IT,