The national Republican., 1862-06-09
TssE DEFENSIVE POLlCY o. TnE m.

TaaE DEFENSlvE POLICY o. TDE IN.
HMY.
We have had, ever since this war began,
manifest lions Of the existence st the South Of
party, insisting upon the policy Of an aggres.
sive war against the free States. This party
has found sdvocatss among many editors, who
have innsmed themselves. and perhaps their
readers, with descriptions, now Of the wealth
70 BE- made the prizs Of vslor In New York and
Philadelpbia, and now OF the rich and vast
plains Of the Northwest, over which The march
OF Southern armies would be upobstructed By
physical obstacles, and where they would be
welcomed bya population ready to cut loose
from further connection with Yankees, and 10
renew one with the region through which their
great river flows to the Gulf. This, in various
forms aud oitentimes eloquen,ly, has been said
and repeated during eighteen months past, but
there is no rsssoa to suppose that such ideas
have ever, for one moment, been entertained by
the men who have had the control Of Affairs at
the South. They have known too well their
total lack Of means 10 transport armies off the
lines of their own railroad, they have believe
fsebly, If at all, in the reputed dash and supe-
riority Of Southern soldiers, and they have
seen clearly, that they had nothing to oppose
to the vast superiority Of the North in wealth
and numbers, but the defensive power result
ing from the immense territorial extent Of their
projected empire, its climate 80 unfsvorable st
certain seasons to Northern men, and the Oh
stinscy Of their people, whose passions had
bern long and skilfully ipfamed. The policy
Of the Cabinet Of Mr.. Davis was explained in
the official article published in De Bows Re-
uie'o Of last January, and has never been varied
from. 1t has been the wise policy Of delay
and Of exhaustion, aud If 1t has not succeeded,
1t is because the free states have exhibited q
tsnscity Of purpose and an ever springing fund
Of resources, which have surprised the world
and have really surprised themselves.
HArmonizing with this policy on the other
ade, was that strange theory, which got 90
strong foothold among political and military
Leaders on our side, that the rebellion could be
put down without fighting, and simply by sur
rounding II and starving It out. A theory In
trinscally more prepostsrous II is difficult TO
conceive Of and now, that we look back, II
seems incredible that 80 many persons could
have been deluded by 1t. 1t, Of course, received
the support Of those among US, who are not few
who secretly desired the succees Of the rebel
lion, AID of those, still more numerous, who
without desiring the success Of the rebels, wer.
excessively anxious that they should receive nc
essential damage In the contest. But with al
these aids it is difficult to comprehend how tb.
idea Of starving out q region of illimitsble
agricultural capacities could have acquired 60
much of position In the public mind, or how 1t
could have failed to be seen, that delay is pre-
cisely what all rebellions want, for the purposes
OF consolidating their power at home, and OF
procuring recognition abroad.
When the time arrives to write the history Of
this war, the country will appreciate the enor-
nous debt of gratitude which II owes to the
present Secretary Of War, whose advent 10 tn.
Cabinet was followed by those memorable or
ders to advance" Issued by the President last
winter and which 80 soon brought public
ansirs out Of the slough Of inaction and dee.
PondeLcy. 1t ia not detracting from the merit
OF President who bad the frmness and good
sense to issue those orders against the views ei
90 many Of our military leaders, to recognize the
fact that In doing SO be acted under the advice Of
the able, energetic, and patriotic man whom he
had placed at the head Of the War Department.
II the country ever forget what Mr.. Stanton
did last winter, there is one class Of men who
will never forget Or forgive 1t, and that is the
traitors, and the sympathizers with traitors.
There Is not newspaper In that interest from
here to the Canada line, which has not steadily
reviled him from that day to this They know
where the blows came from, under which their
csuss is now tottering to its fall While they
were yet dreaming Of their plans of recon
struction" and compromise" TO be realized
BY delays and by the exhaustion Of the free
States, they heard from the new Secretary Of
War those words, fatal to them, "advance and
f9a"
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