The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-26


chief embarrassments of that war was tho ~
willingness of some of the State authorities f.
surrender the control of their military foros.
to the Federal Executive. Another of tbesS
elnbarrassmeDts was the great Difficulty n
keeping the armies up to the necessary 6cnrs
Notwithstanding extraordinary bounties f.,
the encouragement Of enlistments. The 81.
rotary Of War, at that period, in his strs;,
for soldiers, proposed a CONSUMPTION system
but it was deemed by Congress dangerous and
impracticable, and hardly obtained a earina
In fact, up to the last year, the popuIa,
mind had scarcely bethought itself for a mo-
ment that the power of an unlimited consrr.
ton was, with the sanction of Congress, opo
of the living powers of the Government IN
time OF war. The general notion was that
CONSUMPTION was feature that belonged g.
cluslvely to despotic governments, and that
the American reliance could only be upoD
volunteered effort, as prompted by patriotic
feeling or pecuniary inducements. TWAS not
until the second year Of this terrible rebellion
that the public mind began seriously to Dues.
ton whether it would answer to depend en-.
tirely upon these preoarious stimulants; and
even then it began to question only in whis.
per. Even the boldest shrank for they we'll
understood how quickly the factious enemies
of the Government would seize upon the old
hated word conscrsption, and do their best
with 1t to make the war itself odous. But
as the war fingered on without result, the Gov.
eminent gradually braced itself up to the re-
sponslblllty of demanding, under the mild
name OF National Enrolment bill, what
was IN reality nothing less than a CONSUMPTION
law on the European model Congress, after
elaboration, framed and passed such law.
The great practical question now to be deter.
mined is whether such a law can be sustained
or not; in other words, whether this Ameri-
can Republic has or has not the penary pow.
er for Its own defence which is possessed by
European monarchy.
For time after the act was passed, the
chiefs Of faction were free in their threats
that any attempt to carry it out should be
resisted by force ofarms In some few local
tiles they succeeded in working up popular
passion against its first processes, even to o
fighting pitch but it vas very quickly made
apparent that the people at large would never
sustain any such resort to violence and it
was worse than idle to contend thus with the
Government Since then, the talk of these
tactionists Oh the platform and in their news
paper organs has been that the appeal shall
be carried to the ballot box. They hatter
themselves that, by working diligently upon
the basest motives and meanest prejudices,
they can secure popular majorities that will
force repeal of the measure, or at least de-.
ter the Government from carrying it out to
Its complete execution.
Well, let them do their worst We want
If determined whether the majority of the
American people can be induced by any such
influences to abandon the cause of their coun.
try. So far as the Government itself is con-
cerned, We have no fear that it will fail to do
its duty. Every day adds new evidence that
it means to 60 strait on to the complete en-.
torcement of the act. The world will now
have better chance to judge than ever be-
tore what the real strength of this Republic
IS. And, unless we greatly mistake, it will
be seen an overwhelming majority of the peo-
pie will stand by the Government in this ex.
ercise OF the mightiest of its powers and will
show proud satisfaction in demonstrating
that freemen are as capable as subjects and
'eris of abiding any needful requirements for
the national safety.
No people2on the face of the earth have
such reason to submit to the EXTREMIST sac
'ltces for the salvation of their Government
and, If CONSUMPTION be necessary to replenish
It's struggling armies, no population, we un-
iertake to say, has ever endured it with more