Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-05-21
The Game of Chess.

Peace or War between England
and America lies now very much with
the Press of the two countries" So
writes distinguished American now
in London. The fact is not new, but it
never was so true as now.
Everybody knows the Print of the
Young Man playing Chess with the
Devil "The game of life" The
young man going into the snare the
evil one has laid, is about to make the
false move intended for him. His
Guardian Angel despairs, while Sa-
tan smiles TO the roots of his hair.
Such is the game we are engaged in
and the Father Of Evil has to great a
stake i'm the result to leave any
passion to chance for US, if, at the
critical point, we allow our passion
to master our reason.
The great move on the board now
is to get US into war with England,
and thereby ensure the separation of
the South, the dismemberment of this
country, this permanent establishment
of Slave Empire, Slave Aristocracy
on this continent, fast leagued with
the aristocracy of the old world, for
the object at least, to put safe lock
on the future greatness Of the United
States. Perhaps His Majesty counts
too fast if he relies on all these results,
but how foolish it would be, in mo-
ment Of irritation, to make just the
move he is waiting for ! 1t is certain
that our difficulties would be enor-
mously increased, and success inde6-
nitely postponed, and perhaps fatally
circumscribed.
There is pow erful party in Eng
land whose whole mind is turned
to find an occasion which shall en-
list sympathies of the Nation in war
against the United States. This they
know can only be effected by some
false move on our part. Hence the
eagerness with which every weapon
is sought and forged that can sting
us into some act Of impatience or re-
taliation. Hence the transcendental
ingenuity of the sarcasms of the Times.
Hence the cry of mad dog raised up
on every prete nee. We have shown
that we understand that game, but
the great weapon to be employed for
this purpose, the dangerous weapon
in such skillful hands, is the privateer
question. AS to the destruction oil
our ships the rebels know that helps
them little but it is the most famous
receipt in the world to sting US into
measures that would render war
with Great Britain inevitable. There.
fore they commenced it and now ply il
with might and main. Had we yield
ed to the pressure to issue letters ol
marque what reioicings it would have
created at Richmond! They would
have counted the months till wal
should be declared. II is their oni,
hope. Let them play this last card in
vain, destroy this hope then, and We
may securely count the months it will
cost to put down the rebellion. Lei
us not play into the hands Of these
clever jockies. Let us always ash
ourselves "what do the Rebels wisi
us to do ?"--and do the opposite. Had
we followed this rule since the wal
began where would the rebellion have
been today.
The clever and unprincipled portion
of the upper classes in England, wht
are thus playing into the hands of tn,
Rebels, are not the nation. They are
the Toombses, the JEFF. Davises, th'
SlideIls Of England more polished
but the same at heart. Their obiec
is the same in England as that o
these clever gentlemen at the South
viz. to precipitate the nation into