Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1862-12-27

dom and slavery cannot harmonic and
co-exist at present under our govern
ment. There has been 4 contest goine
on between them from the organization
Of the government until it has culmina
ted in the great conflict now raging il
our land. The civilization Of the Nortl
is civilization which encourages and
sustains, and is in turn sustained by
free thought, free speech, free press
a free pulpit, free and universal educa
ton, free homes, and all those institu
tions and influences which arc the out
growth and development of these free
principles. These things cannot exist
in land where slavery is fostered and
protected. Their harmonious existence
under the same government is an abso
lutte impossibility. They are always a,
war and always will be. The free
principles, institutions and influences OF
liberty will overthrow slavery, or slave.
ry will overthrow them. There is an
''irrepressible conflict" between them
and it cannot be avoided. Men may
endeavor to ignore this great fact; by
concessions and compromises they may
attempt to stihe the conflict, but all will
be in vain. The only result Of the tenn
porary delay will be to make the con-
test the more severe when it comes
We are now engaged in this deadly
fight. The part of wisdom and com
mon sense is to make clean work while
we are about it. If a peace could be
patched up, with the cause of all the
trouble still in existence, with the cir
repressible conflict still raging, it could
only be a temporary peace; the loss of
the hundreds Of millions of treasure,
and Of the hundreds of thousands of
lives already sacrificed in this war
would be in vain, and worse than in
vain, as but a few years could pass
away before the war would be again
raging with increased fury and bitter
ness. In view Of these considerations
we can see that our true policy now is
to make finish of the war while we
are at it. Let us lend our entire ener-
gies to the work until it is done, ulz
doaae! WELL DONE! and DONE FOR
EVER!!
We should favor, then, the most Wig
orous prosecution of the war, until this
wicked rebellion is entirely subdued.
We should give to the national admin
istration most hearty support in all
its efforts to carry on the war with Wig
or and energy. We should vote it all
the men and all the money needed for
the accomplishment of this important
result.
We should move on the enemy's
works at once and treat them as ene-
mics and traitors until they are willing
to lay down their arms and return to
allegiance to the government they are
now seeking to destroy. We must have
fighting generals. If we have those
now in command who are not in favor
of moving upon the enemy's works,
who are fearful of hurting the rebels,
they should be removed at once and
their places be given to men Of a dit
ferent stamp. This should be short
war. There is no need of protracting
it through series of years until our
substance is wasted away and our brave
soldiers destroyed. The work should
be done up in the shortest time posi-
ble, thus saving our money, and, what
is vastly more important, saving the
lives Of our volunteers, and allowing
them to return to the homes and fami-
lies they have left behind them; and
as one manner of securing these results
we should sustain those measures of
confscation and emancipation adopted
at the last session Of Congress. We
should favor the employment of all
proper and legitimate measures for
bringing this war to an end, and hence
we should most heartily and unequivo-
cally support the Presidents Emanci-
patton Proclamation Of September 22d,
and should most cordially endorse the
resolution adopted by the House of
Representatives, at Washington, on
Monday last, in the following words:
"Resolced, That the proclamation of
the President Of the date Of September
22d, 1862, is warranted by the Consti-
tuition. That the policy of emancipa-
ton, as indicated therein, is we'll adap-
ted to hasten the restoration of peace !;
is we'll chosen as q war measure, and is
an exercise of power with proper re-
gard to the rights of citizens and the
perpetuity of a free government"
We should especially favor this proc
lamation because it is the most power
full instrumentality yet employed to put
an end to the war. Nothing has been
done since the commencementof of the war
Which bids fair to accomplish so much
towards the overthrow of the rebellion,
as does this proclamation. am fully
of the opinion that to-day the rebels
fear it more than they do Burnside's S
army. If they had it in their power,
by single stroke Of the pen, either to
blot from existence the combined ar
mics of Virginia and the Potomac, or
Abraham Lincoln's emancipation proc
lamation of September 22d, 1862, and
thereby restore the slavery protecting
policy which so long prevailed in our
armies, [ am fully persuaded they wo'd
allow the army to remain while they
blotted out the proclamation.
We should favor this proclamation
because while it is the most powerful
means for the overthrow of the rebel,
lion, it is at the same time, in its results
I Al. I