The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-10-07

Der Of assertions frOn the armies; that traitors
everywhere have been dealt with too tenderly
.ba, great numbers Of seni-traitors have been
kept in Office: snd that instances OF most
aagrant treason, occurring at aud near The seat
Of government aud sometimes perpetrsted by
persons in its own employ, are passed over az
mere peccadllos, thus encouraging traitors, and
making the national authority cespsed The! /
read in the papers with asionishueut and indig- 1
nation, that clerks in the public offices, receive
ing large salaries, aud trusted by the govern
ment. have acted as spies for the rebels, using /
their Official advantages Tor the better collection
and transmission Of important news 10 tue rebel
leaders. aud that these persons, Who thus super
added lreachery 20 treason, we're punished oy
beng arrested: but how long il ~as before they
we're set al liberty, does not appear. 50 when
reverend gentleman, a lev miles from Wash
ington, By the help Of 4 boy, vas found TO have
transmitted a regular mail TO the rebels for
ong time, he wsz punished Nth the astounding
severity Of beiug-sent SOUTH This class OF
persons insist. that Government which shows
-uch weakness cannot be greatly respected
either by ils friends or enemies: that 10 cases OF
aaarsnt treason, Ike thai OF the reverend MAJ
carrier. whose course was covered Up under the
sacred cloak q religion the offender should have
oeen executed a. soon convicted. and 10 Cases
like tlo-c Of tue clerks Who gave affirmation 10
the enemy from their o~n Office, while thou
sands d our brave -oldi,- ami officers we're
% al. q .f.. -f.r &
u The c.rs. each OF the criminals ou- Lt TO have
oren banged in front OF hI- oar office on ga
lows higher tf an thai OF H4man, a. a waning
20 all other traitors
| But % i vel TO bear both sides: ard IL may
D., justly -aid, IL behalf Of ihr Pre-. dent, that
the country around Washington aud Baltimore
20 a great extent. al enemy'- country, iuhab
iiea oy a,,at number 81 families. many OF lhs IN
OF much ~eaih AID re-pectabits, who have
hved there tor one or Two generations: that
the, are rot op~n traitors although strongly
souih bern in th,is f.e.ug- ana family connections 4:
that 70 would d. imprscucao.e to remove them
south that thes are neil. nke tie people OF
NeS Orleans, ~ Inhabitants 81 a conquered
country, ou cond Goa Of thrr lot comm Ca 2
ANY hostile acts thar such families viii commu-
nctle ~ith the enemy. more or less, notwitn-
Standing all precautions: that 81 severe gunish-
ments be used on ore offender, they should be
carried out o. AL others 20 .a!ly guilty that
the mai earlier was 10 more OF 4 criminal G. al
a hundred Others Who seat their letters 10 his
oaes thai extreme severity on great numbers
would call out teye &c and icl4.alion on the
part OF their frenis. thai the Government mas
vast amounts OF public property m that region,
and the right application OF q single match, or a
lev pounds of powder, might destroy millions Il
il at once, aud the execution OF the inceudiary
uexl da, would not replace single dollar
worth of it: aud under these circumstances It Is
better TO pursue moderate rather than n severe
Course, question tor the President TO ask
.---is !. ...g not .i H. ON hnndred traitors
best receive their Just deserts, out What
course will b. best tor the mole country in sup
pressing the rebellion ?"
| In passing judgmen, on the President in this
respect, We are 10 consider the trying and diff
cult circumstances in which he Is placed that
a mild and moderate course may have substsn-
tial advantages as well a. a stern aud severe
one aud 10 choosing TO follow the one rather
than the other, he must be guided by his osn
disposition. and by the Consciousness that be
has the ability aud will TO carry il out. If be
does the work before him successfully, he must
do it in his own way, according to The capacities
IF ms osrn mind Il will not DO for him to say,
- will DO just as Jackson or Napoleon would
do in my place ;" because he is not jackson, nor
Napoleon, but Lincoln, a very different person !;
aud by 10 iorce Of resolution on his part can he
transform Lincoln into either Of those EN- nent
men. No man can succeed In any dincult IN
dertakng by trying TO initiate exactly what an
other successful man has done. If we look all
through society, ~e shall End that whatever
success each o. US achieves, We DO it 10 our
own way, and each Of Us has 4 way OF his own !,
and if We have not original powers of orr own
sufficient to help US through cur difficulties, we
should certainly fail if We triei to sct out the
character Of some other person. When John
Smith starts grocery, /, Is idle for him to say,
Il viii get rich by conducting my business ex-
actly as Asior did hisn II Smith succeeds in
his grocery, it will be through t5e exercise OF
Smilb's good sense, applied every day 10 meet
Smiths difficulties, according 10 the nature o.
Smith peculiar faculties, aud the result viii be
Smiths success but The imitation Of Astor will
have nothing to DO with the result only as
Smith was animated by the previous example
Of Aston to dsplsy the economy, perseverance
and sngeness OF purpose which had before
made Astoe successful The poet tells Us, that
Lives o, al great nsn remind =
We ean make or lives suoiine''
but II d., it viii not be by a servile imitation
Of those great men, bat BY the vigorous exer
Csc of our on powers, ia GU own way
b. taxing this COMMON sense view Of thiras
the President 5 succeeding largely 10 the vast
undertaking before hin Having no military
knowledge or genius with which TO devise a
general plan OF the war he gets aivice from
Scott. and Haleck. and others Who are come
sent He gathers and orsauiz-s men and maze
riAls 10 numbers snd quanti'ies proporuoued 70
the immense demand upon them. Not oeif 2
be To create generals he chooses the best b
car 6rd assigns them specific duties. and ~hen
they prove Incompetent, changes them for
Others. Thus the great military and naval ma
chinery l. set in motion. 20 subdue the rebels.
according TO a regular plan, which IS being
H...4 4 49, H. T.