The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1862-09-26
Changing Front "a Usurpation Pre-.
{ dictod. e.

[From the New York Herald.] 49,
+. The disasters of the past two weeks
have occasioned change Of frontin the
Republican press, and Journals Mat were
only a few days ago denouncing oil who
found fault with the conduct Of the Ad-
ministrstion, now confess the failure Of
the experiment of Republican admins
tration, and rail at the imbecility that
has marked the course of the Govern
ment. The N. Y. Times trims its sails to
meet the storm ofindignation that sweeps
ever the North with all the adroitness Of
an experienced navigator, and, forgetting
it's denunciation Of Mcclellan three or
four days ago, scuds before the wind
ahead of all other craft on the new track
From its elcventh.hour convictions we
extract the following:
In a word, the battles Of the last year
the conflicts in front of Richmond, the
retreat Of our army first from their forth
fcations to the James river, and then
from the James river and the Peninsula
10 the Rappahannock-th repulse of our
troops in their march towards Richmond,
and the battles by which they covered
their retreat to the Potomac, and the
general conduct and upshot of the years
campaign, have been disastrous in the
highest degree to the Union cause. And
this is known and felt TO be the fact by
every man of intelligence, from one end
of the country to the other.
We might possibly hatter the vanity of
individuals responsibility connected with
the army or the Governments, if We were
to shut our eyes to this palpable and un-
mistakable fact. We kno,o ve7y yell The
penalg Of telling unpleasant truth But we
know also that, in such country as this,
with such people as ours, no good can
possibly be accomplished by the syste-
matte concealment of facts, however un-
pleasant, and that nothing but disaster
and ruin can follow systematic misre-
presentation of current events. however
amiable its motives. The best service
any man, whose business is to tell the
people anything, can render them, is to
tell them the truth.
And the worst service any man can
render the Government or the, country,
at this, the most critical instant of its
fate, is to hoodwink either into the belief
that the people are satisfied with the con.
dition of affairs-that the people look
upon the campaign of the past year as
having been crowned by 'long line Of
glorious victories" and that they ,oih be con-
tent to see the army handled and the Govern
ment managed for the year to come as they have
been for the year that is past Others must
select for their line of duty themselves.
We shall incur no risk of damaging
the country by deceiving the Govern
ment. 1t is but little we can do for the
salvation Of the Union-bm ,oe can al last
refuse 10 shut our eyes to its destruction. y
| We tremble to think of what may fol-
low the successful Judgment of rebel ar
my on loyal soil. We do not fear the divis.
| ion of the Union, 80 much as the overthrow
of the Government. No man of ordina.
ry political sagacity can conceal from him
self the fact that thereis deep, strong un-
dercurrent of political machination un-
derlying all the movements of the war,
and giving character and color to the de-
velopments Of public opinion. There arc
men North and South-men. Of ability, Of
character, of position, both civil and mil
:tary-who look to the possibility of
saving the Union in other ways than by
simply conquering the rebels and COM
polling by force their return to their al
legiance. We need not tell any one that
there are men who regard this war as
having been brought upon the country by
the triumph Of the Republican,party,a and
who do not believe it possible to end it
and preserve the Union, until theresults of
that triumph are for the moment set
aside and the country has a. chance to
plant the Government upon another ba-
sis. But we can tell President Lincoln
that there are men in the army who do
not believe the war will end, except by
conceding the independence of the South,
unless the Government is again restored
to Southern control or Convention is
held to form Constitution under which
both North and South can live together
in common Union. We do not know
that any officer in the army would advo-
cate, or in any event aid the execution of
such scheme. But we warn the Presi-
dent against doing anything, directly or
indirectly. by neglect or by positive acts,
to encourage the development of such
sentiment. or to stimulate in any heart
the federation. of such thought, We
need not warn him of the absolute neces.
sity of crushing the growth of such trea-
son and disloyalty in its beginning. But
done by the exercise of force, but only by
| SnO NacPAoy Va oucukeu Oll tuo part d Inc
Government. What the people wan. is
a Government adequate to the emergen-
cy-a Government strong enough to meet
any danger, however great-strong in
will, strong in judgment, strong in re-
sources, and strong in the confidence
and respect Of the people. President
Lincoln's Government is not strong in
any Of these respects.
The country has full faith in his perso.
nal integrity, his patriotism, an6 his sa-
gacity. But it demands more than these.
1t demands Cabinet made up of men,
every one of whom shall contribute
strength. and courage. and power, to his
Administration. 1t demands Govern
ment which will lead public sentiment,
and not seek slavishly to follow it. It
demands Government capable of wa
ging war-capable of holding up, in blaz-
ing characters before the people. the OBJ
jects of the war, of feeling profoundly,
and of making the people feel, the spirit
of the war; capable Of organizing armies,
of selecting and of judging Generals,
overruling their personal contentious,
their professional jealousies, and making
them all conducive to the common good:
capable, in word, of making out a clear
and comprehensive policy suited to the
emergency-of infusing it's spirits into
the. hearts Of the people, and then, with
their aid, Of giving it full and complete
success. This is what the people mean
by strong Government, and they regard
y as the duty of the President to give