Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-11-12

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the Hismpb gsined by G1asia-a triumph shicl
she viii 90 doubt bosst OF before Earope, Will
! oayetEly c0aessiirg the mscaiuaEioss 81 mean
of which it wac ebIsiosd.
ENJUaTIOE T0 FHE PAST.
! Fran the RichnoRd ssntinsLl
!. is very oCmmea with msa 70 FORGET the 200,
which hss been accomplished, In FepiHir-s GA
! uoIe has rot bseu realized. This spirit, if a.
! dulged only TO that extent which inpTcsses upef
az the teachings Of experience, is very valuable
l0r repentance must preesde ameud1cnt. Bu
! it efteB happens that IN the Retrospective iudg.
zaents which We pass upon ourselves or othefs
Te forget the circumstances which controlled al
! ths time. We look only q! the good wh.sh~Egc
suppose might have bsen accomplished and
! overlook tho facts which forbade IT,
We have great desI of this afler-7yit in refer.
sues 70 tho coGdRct Of or sfsirs since the ecm-
! nsneemsat Of the war, which commenced with
/ our pTase8t ConfedeTets existence. Most Of
] those Gmesg Bs who claim to be seers, coniin5
| thCiE visions TO tho psst They tell us, very
| lesTnedly, rot what VS. should Go, but what we
| should hsvo dene; moi What Il coming, DC. what
has coRe.
1t is not giveR to States and to statssman,
any RsoEs than Is is . private individuals, 70
read the iutaTe With uB6rFing vision. With all
cur wisdom, shadows, clouds and ds kness rest
upon il. The American war has probably
proved ETester surprise % the parties oHSaesd
in il, and 70 the world, than any similar event
rssOrdsd in history. Oar geOple have leaked on
in wonder as the vast prodigy developed It's
h1ge proportions, snd. they have leGrnsd new
duties only from new lights.
T. Is common now ts ssy that tha President
ought to bsvs foreseen the ceming dimensions
Of he contest, snd 70 havo taken it by the fore
lOek; ought have been tas fret to raise hsge
army, and drive iSs var upon the foo, Instead of
wsiting to reesive ths sheck.
tt Is a cUTious fact Lbat shs CsnfedsrAia writer
Eho most iE'eists rpGn this view, end - ho dili-
gol-iy deVGtas lis 6Ge talents % corlgs5sud-
ing ssuUucistiOn Of tas President, affirmed aad
taught, not msBy T5zks are The storm ef War
buE55 up5l Us, ihai thaTe would be 10 war at
"a! NsT the President is assaiiod fer not fore
seeing, EEl thersGDon initiating, Tho NEST
gigantic o5F thss evsT shook ths cer:a.
These cOmmsats-0E7 on tie past seem sil to
f0isei o1s 'ac5 They forget that ia any cauu-
y, and especially iH e treo country, Govern
mont cel5os 90 any giess VioleDse 20 ihe ccnVic-
l1ls o. tso pecnie, IL ib8 measures which 81
nsy adept 10 msy lead, bBt not 100 fer il ad-
vance. Il must zcJ Fa-s out OF saPp5rAEs dis
tanes. Suppose PIes.laz5 Davis had i-lzsesa
What was e1DlaF-is = very clear taai tae Psi-
pie did H0l How macy snsnE rs then mlda
Wanls ssd camiors5 which hey might haze made
20 sdVan.sgsoU and Eieh they now so much
wish thsy had mzce aud when Linealn called
out his first army of ssyenty-five thousand mea,
the csll ttIcugh HsHy hav- new forgotten even
thiss) seemed % as Is propOstsr0u5, slj tho pro-
posed army ss vast, as whsn h8 afterwaTJ asked
for half millisa There had never been AZ
army o. seventy Eve theusand men in America
before.
es,,-.--,- AZ, 7.-.t l. Z c.-.-. -. -
s3ming, and had met the eall for se7snly.fya
thousand men With a proposition for ths con-
seTipiiOl sct. There is no observaat nan whose
memory Is thirty months long, who daas n0t
kB0W that no could not have got It. N1thia~
bat the necessity which afterwards developer
and becsHs apparent 70 the peopls sid tho sol
deTs, could have gsi0sd for 70 ths aiightest sun
port. Resisted to some extent when II did pass
1t Woaid have produced general mu.iay ts have
passed It before ihe people saw the necessity
Even ths P,esident's earlier rafaszl 70 receive
volunteers for one yssr instead Of three, created
considerable diseontelL
There are these who delight TO calculate what
the Government Woald have made by buyiRg
uP sli the cotton when ths WeT hrst broke cut
when tie pTles WsJ mbeh lower than is~is BOW;
end they charge great sho.t-s ghtednes5 il BOT
doing 50. Waen the proposition vas frss made
and advocated il was az a meazure of reliot 70
tbs planters. /! was net srgasd or forsseen that
the Government was ts be great gamer. It
was, indeed, understood that the ownership Of
cotton by the GoEeTsment yysula DO bssis Of
pscuaisry credit, and perhaps, poitiesl iHfassse
abroad, sRd wish this view the GavsI unsnG
bouoEed oil It could; a., in other words, bouehl
all It could where payment would be received in
bends instead OF currency.
Bus tbey who fnd fault that The Government
did E0t 20 into th9 msrkst ss 8 cotton sBscals-
tor, sBd make purchases with cuTrancT, should
remember thai if it bad done 30, th1 country
would have bsen f9Oded with a TedEadsnt err
culasica in tho very outset Of tbs war thus max
iBg tho evils Of Ito present day lfHiiely beyosd
vast they are. And If we ought 10 have EPseg-
lated ia ce!ton, Why no: in tobacco, and other
articles which have risen still Eagrs thsa co5.oa7
At least let Us remember now The reasons which
controlled then, and il they do n0s satisfy as
with the course pursusd, they will eertsigly 70
far to moderate the oensugos Of all ccusideTSEe
people.
There arc Essy, too, 10 be found, who ils5-
tHabs thsiT swn superior ssgseiiy bY dsn9hneins
cur war policy in the past. It, hes been very
common 70 ssssl she President fST act setting
On foot az invasive policy in the outbreak OF tie
war If we had only rushed on Washington
and taken it, afser the 6Ist Manassas, the war
would have como 70 sudden end, they tel U.s.
Now, these gentlemen should remember, that
our Generals thars asii that the adYsuce of olr
army WAS military inp9sSibility;" snd, ws
suppose, the most ordinary philosophy viii teach
Us not 70 chafe ct Epsssi Diliies. Aud, besides,
il viii hardly be co1si idsTsa c0Epinsnt 70 any
mans Judgment, Ia tas ight Of the subsequent
experience, to suppose that the capture Of WASH
i1gloR woHid have eadea the var It Certainly
Wazld not hsye weakened tss military strength
Of the enemy Il Hould have pat an effrsat
upon him, which we have every TsksOn to sap
pose weUld have eIssperatod rather thzn in.imi-
dated hin, ard hurried the war on with still
gTestsr impeiuosity.
The Pis5idoatis much blamed. too, for at
tempting 10 defend our fIoAtisTs as long Is be
did, instead Of seeking mere military aavln-
iegss, and making tbs war g strictly military
problam and confession On his part that .'too
much had been attempted, has often been IN
generously used gsinst him But ws all know
he vehement ppposition which was made 70
leaving any p0Ttioa Of cur psOsie to lie mer-
5ics OF the eRemyi 50 that Is I3 probable that if
shoy had been taus abaado1ed without aa effort
90 protse. tbom, tho inj1ry which would havu
been INFLICTED upen the spirit snd ssai Of the
91ope, wea.d isr have Tsugeau6ed any damage
He lave gUatAipsd By the gensT0as attempt.
Moral combinations sometimes c1Gtroi s1ssTsct
Hiiilssy policy, ara thas oes mine military
-1oasuTes. Washington foUnd is Sc, uhaa he
fail imPeliod 10 attempt the defense ef New Yosk
city, against the concentrated land and navsi
forces Of the BELishi and it is probable taat the