The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-05-21
The Game of Chess.


The Game of Chess.
"Pcace or War between England and
America lies now very much with the Press
of the two countries" The fact is not new,
but it never was so true as now.
Everybody knows the Print ofthe Young
Man playing Chess. with the Devil. "The
game of Life +" The young man going into
the snare the evil one has laid, is about to
make The false move intended for him. His
Guardian Angel desrairs, while Satan smiles
to the roots Of his hair. Such is the game
we are engaged in. and the Father of Evil
has too great stake in the result to leave
any chance for US, if, at the critical point,
we allow oar passion to master our reason.
The great move on the board now. is to
get us into war with England, and there
bv ensure the separation of the South, the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT tof this country, the per-
manent establishment Of Slave Empire, q
Slave Aristocracy on this continent, fast
leagued with the aristocracy OF the old
world, for one object at least, to put safe
lock on the future greatness of the United
States. Perhaps His Majesty counts too
fast r he relies on all these results. but how
foolish it would be,in moment of irritation
to make just the move he is waiting for =
1t is certain that our difficulties would be
enormously decreased, and success inGefi.
nitely postponed, and perhaps fatally cir.
cumscribed.
There Is a powerful party in England
whose whole mind is turned to find an oc-
casion which shall enlist sympathies of the
Nation in war against the United States.
This they know can be only effected by
some false move on our part. Hence the
eagerness with which every weapon is
sought and forged that can sting us into
some act OF impotence liberalization. Hence
the transcendental ingenuity Of the sarcams
of the Times Hence the cry of mad dog
raised npou every pretense. We have
shown that we understand that game, but
the great weapon.t to be employed for this
purpose, the dangerous weapon in such
skilfu hands,is the privateer question. As
to the destruction Of our ships. the rebels
know that helps them little; but it is the
most famous recipe in the world to sting us
into measures that would render war with
Great Britain inevitable. So they ply It
with might and main Had we yielded to
the pressure to issue letters of maraue,
what rejoicings it would hove created at
Richmond They would have counted the
months till war should be declared. 1t Is
their only hope. Let them play this last
card in vain, destroy this hope then, and we
may security count the months it will cost
to put down the rebellion. Let us not play
into the hands Of these clever jockies. Let
US always ask ourselves "what do the Reb-
els wish us to do ?"-and do the opposite.
Had we followed this rule since the war be-
gan where would the rebellion have been to
| day.
The clever and unprincipled portion OF
the upper classes IN England, who are thus
playing into the hands of the Rebels, are
not the nation. They are the Toombses,
the Jeff Davises, and Slidells of England
more polished, but the same at heart
Their object is the same IN England as that
ofthese clever gentlemen at the South viz:
to precipitate the nation into a war Oh q
popular cry, which shall be war against
all democratic institutions throughout the
world, and especially in England; great
reactionary war to keep the power in the
hands OF the ruling classes. They know
that war brought on in cold blood would
react on its authors; but that a war which
they could make popular by any indiscre
ton Of ours would mako enemies of GU,
friends in England; for such. at heart, arr
the great middle and lower class, and many
of all classes. 1t is in our power to keer
them our friends, and woe to England if she
makes war upon us against the conscienct
Of the English people and the puplic opinion
of the world. "The Proclamation saved t.
us the people Of Eogland, and will save u.
from war;" Did the Rebel leaders reioic,
over the Proclamations Did their friend,
in England rejoice at it! That is the tru,
1 test Of our wisdom and cucco.S