The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1863-02-20
The Edict for Freedom

| w hen the Saviour drew nigh to Jerusa
lem for the last time. he rode upon palm
branches and Il DIVERS, and silk and linen
garments thrown down to carpet the way
and the air was filled with every enthu sias
tic cry of JOY and triumph. Ye. un Ter this
I victorious appearance. he was coming tc
darkness and anguish and death. Just be
fore him were Gethsemane, Calvary and the
SePulchre
time, condemned, bent and burdened with
his cross, amidst the cheers of a deriding
crowd. he was marching to his everlasting
victory! Before him lay the Resurrection
and after that, thrones and dominions, in
heavenly emnence and immortality The
insignia Of triumph led on his defeat and
the semblance of defeat preluded victory.
1t is thus in Gods moral kingdom ever.
more. We are furthest from triumph when
our external condition is most promising
But our dark hours knock at the very gate
Of heaven
ing to their consumma.ion The Trent af
fair was happily settled. Vast armies were
gathered. Fleets were prepared. series
to Yicksburg. gave US New Orleans, drove
fold disasters. and gave our armies posses
sion of Middle and Western Tennessee -
Roanoke Island was taken. and Newbern.
The great Union army was c,mped before
Richmond. And men were already count
ing the days to the settlement Of this Civil
War. with Slavery untouched. with the
malignant Southern doctrine of State Rights
more potent than before, with all the ele.
m 20 81, ,,l Il
gerous internal political struggles than the
land had even ever experienced or dreamed
Of. We We're walking toward an open sep
ulchre. We We're about TO hold communion a
with Death. The fatal policy Of the Bor-
der States--the policy which would have
parslyzed the con science. hardened the heart.
sealed the pores of the Nation, keeping in
every poisonous secretion TO work torpidity.
congestion, fever and death-was on the
eve of adoption.
Then came year of Humiliation. Out
of the whole Mcclellan period there shines
out not one single point of light. The
things which he sr3uld hare dome if he had
not been hampered, were enough to have
tillsd the most Iilustrious volume ever indi-
ted. But OF the things actually accomplish.
ed, there is not one that soothed the woun.
ded pride of The nation, or cheered its des-
ponding hopes. The career of Gen. Pope,
superseding Fremont. cleaned for mo nenl
along the lurid horiz u, and went out 10
sudden explosion. His course is written in
three words. He boosted. lied, and retrea-
ted. Buell's career was only a more staid
and sober form of the same universal disas
ter.
| And now came Faction. All the sibilan,
tongues that cowardice had kept in sheath
for months. began to vibra,e; treason began
to look ou, from behind its wells. Even 3
decent guise of love for the Union was laid
aside and not only was itaieclarei hope.
less to maintain this Governmentin its orig
inal territory, but new schemes of sectional
secession and org snization were bruited. -
Midnight settled down on the land Not
one star shone. Clouds, and only clouds,
filled the cope. Those who watched and
waited for the morning. seemed desponding
Of ever again seeing the sweet star of day.
II was jus, then. when, on the e2d OF Sep.
tember. God was pleased to iift the star of
hope above The horizon--harbirge of the
rising sun. which now. since January, has
CAS-, full light of hops upon This land.