Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-04-20

Tho Momentum Of the War.
Men talk Of this war as If it was sham
fight on an old-fashioned muster-feld, and
as easily controlled. They advise the
adoption of this policy . and the absn-
dOnment Of that; Of accepting this mans
compromise or that ones plan Of an
srmistice, as if the only thing necessary
to reach those ends, was to say the word.
They dsnOunce this general, and endeavOr
to stop the tide Of war by abuse of the
President and his Cabinet. aTurn them
out, say they, and peace will be restored
and all will be well" In all this, there is
one great radical error:-that of vastly
undertaking what we have characterized
as the momentum Of the war " Stop the
war r'f It cannot be done, sir, until one
side or the other is victorious "Deelare
an armistice" It will be Of no avail, so
long as there are a million soldiers in the
field, and twenty millions Of their friends
in the loyal States. Vallandigham may
oppose the war, but the war goes on. All
the Copperheads may oppose it and
put forth all their feeble might to stop it,
but they are pushing against an avalanche,
and rowing against the rapids Of Niagara
They may, If they hayea majority in the
National Legislature prevent the sppro-
priatiOns, and thus clog the wheels, Int
the people would, even then, rise up and
furnish what the constitutional authorities
failed to do. They tried that game in In
diana, and the Legislature adjourned with
out giving Governor Morton any funds for
the transactions of the State. What was
the result2 Did the machinery of the
State stop running2 On the contrary,
the people pledged money in abundance,
and the patriotic Governor has full Golfers
with which to bid defiance to the tories.
What is thus done upon small scale,
will be done upon the larger, if necessary.
There are those who, like the New York
Tribune in one Of its spasmOdic moods,
also counsel the best attainable peace" if
the rebellion is not put down in three
months. But the people will not consent
to peace in three, six, or twelve months,
unless all the conditions of peace honor
able and promising to the country accom-
pany it. The war itself is a greater power
than all peace" doctrines combined.
We have been led to these remarks by q
quotation made by the Washington Ma
tional InteHigencer from what it justly
styles 81 an eloquent and fervid speech"
delivered during the last session Of Con-
gress by Hon. A. G. Riddle, Of Ohio. Ha7-
ing said that personal criticism Of men and
measures must be pOwerless to arrest the
drift Of events whioA have gained mo-
mentum and a volume that places them
beyond the control of individuals or par
ties Mr.. Riddle says:
HGentlemen now denounce the Presi-
dents policy of the war. Sir, remember
that others, too, used to complain the same
way, and just as if the President was re-
for it, and could furnish policy
for the war. The war is greater than the
greater than the two Houses Of
Congress; greater than the people, with
the new Democracy thrown in greater
than all together, and controls them all,
and dictates its own policy"
The Intelligencer having quoted from
the views of Fernando Wood, and the op-
pOsite, but equally futile, ones of Horace
Greeley, adds the following comment;
But those who thus reason, either with |
Mr. Greeley or Fernando Wood, seem 10
have taken into little account the mOmen- |
ium of the vast forces engaged in eOllis-
ion like that which now shakes tie land. |
tbs TO initiate the folly Of King Canute,
who, in the familiar story which still |
lmuses the childish sense Of boyhood, is
to have said to the rising tide
Of the ocean, " Hither shall thou come and
no farther, and here shall thy proud waves
be stayed There are tides in the affairs
IF men which can be os little controlled by
words and wishes as the mighty rushing
waters in the channel Of Fundy.
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