Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-09-11
LINeOLN'S LETTER-THE YANKEE
PRESS.

the pretty composition Of Mr.. Lincoln, and
not having any y'disrosition to cri;icise it our
selves. We suffer 'bc New York "Wrrld' 70
speak for Us:
"c quite agree with the President that ~
lon. a. the S-uth maintains this temper, there
Is no cha:icc of restoring the Union bq q COM
promise. But hi, emphatic assertion OF the
lruitIessuesS ur all uur recent victories must
cxtinGuish the recent exLlaralian of tie pub
lie mind. Victories have no value except as
Il key to an ultimate political settement.-'
But President Lincoln informs the country
that General Meade and GencEll Grant have
been turning costly keys that open nothng.-
If 50 little impression has been made on the
rebels that there is no possible compromise
they would not disdain To make, if it included;
their return'to to the Union, how very far must
they be iron tho unconditional submission 10
produce which is the ayowed object of The
war 4
lie asserts that our military success has
been as great since the Emancipation prorl2,.
nation Is before; but that is nothin. in favor
Of the proclamation, unless it can be S'lnwn
that the pro"anution aided Gen. Meade at
Gettysburg arI enabled Gen. Grant to get
in the rear of ficksburc aud reduce the
place 1t would be absurd to pretend that it
Ind the slightest effect in either case. If all
thnt has taken place since the proclamation Is
to be regarded as Its consequences, the dis
graceful defeat; Of Frederick sburg and Chan
celorsville are among Its fruits But it is
preposterOus to pretend that it II s caused any
considerable military event, either prosperous
or adverse. We have neither won nor lost
! battles 10y it; but it has so fortified the reso-
luti0n OF the South thata succession ci splen-
Nd victories produces no lruit beyond a small
! contraction Of the theatre "i mIi,aLv opera
| ti1ns. BY the Presidents uAn -.lOwing
the South Will no more ACCEPT III anything
| short "f their independence to-day than they
w"uld after the bat.ir 0f Ciancc!lorSvillc.-
And the President announces his Intention to
persist IN policy which produces nothing hut
iruitess slaughter, and r'akrS tie rebels
alter great reycrScs as dciiaut as ever.
Mr.. Lncoln's inicc"rous tr;llucing nf the
motives and misrepresentation Of the princi-
pies of his political opponents, Sn unbecominS
the position of the Chief Magistrate Of the
:" untry. Of course, call for comment: hut we
have no heart to take zip the wcap"nS ni party
cou;r0versy while the recent public inrcs are
sill Staggering uu;cr tic hlow whic: The Pre-
>itlcnt has given them. His confession that
all our victories are fruitlrsS that all our
enormous expenditures Of life and treasure
have not, III the slightest degree, humblcd the
rebels, or abatcd their prccnti0as. is i'm
portant that we can al present think nt no.
thing else.
The "IIerald' says:
The comments Of the press On the letter of
Mr.. Lincoln, circulated at the Syracuse Con-
yention, and published in the Herald" are
very like the criticisms on Artemus Wards
il-ok-thcy know not what n make Of st -
Whether it is in earnest or in rest - not de-
termined. If it be serious, then they are puz-
| zlcd and eonfounded: but if Mr.. Lincoln be
| Joking, then it is all right. Some think that
he is only humbuyrin: and lpistiryirg tho
politicians. The trlIeh Is, that, mixed mp with
| a good deal Of c. mu,on sense, there is much
fun and some strange, quaint language in this
letter, which smells Of the spiritual circles
aud Of the atmosphere 'hrcathcd by Eobclt
Dale Owen. But, amidst nl ,hc droIcry and
visionary ideas it contains, there is one grave
md important point winch deserves attention,
md that Is, thut the end ul the war is pro-
,ounced by the President to he in The a- dis
ant and uncertain future in Gri's own
5,'nd limc;" nnd he warns The country TO ''he
: ber," aud mot to he urer sanguime Of Il
SPEEDY aud final triumph" lie says hc sees
lu indication whatever nr Gns intention on
lie part Of the Cun,clcratcI to subuli; or even
:.mprumIse-that, as TOR tho Southern nom
ombatantS, they have NOT ,i.e i,pyer to dp it
ii they had the will, the strength If !l,a re
bellion consisting in it, army, which is wicld-
ei by men who will never yield or cntnpro-
mise. In other words, Mr.. Lincoln regards
the war rs intermlnabc.
This is u sad and glcomy picture, and it IL
the view that appears to ire taken Of il by ,Ec
shrewd ockjobbers of Wall street. Simulru-
neously with the appearance of the letter here
is Il sudden rise in the price OF gold and Il cor
responding fall in the price of railroad stocks
This letter did not produce all the effect; but
it was the last feather which broke the camel
back. 1t gave the finishing blow to Il e. 'nh
dencc already shaken by the military and naval
mismaRagenent OF the wai-the prrsenr "ei.
er;.l inactivity OF our forcns-the political mas
conduct Of Congress and tl,e Cabinet j" adopt
ing series CT absurd measures. which have
united the South and nervet 1t to tic Inn-'
desperate resstunrc-whiIe Alr. Chase comes
forward and demands from the bankers and
merchants of New York another loan Of fifty
millions. 70 cap the climax. Mr.. Lincon's
letter, which now first sccS the light, holds out
no hope of any termination to the war. This
letter was in the first instance addressed to a
political body in Springfield, Illinois: but it
vas intended as an exposition to the whole
country Of Mr. Lnccln's view Of the past,
the present and the future Of the war. He is
the highest authority On the subject. and
whom he says he can see 10 end to the conflict
the announcement becomes one Of the most
serious nature. The mOncyed interests take
the alarm, and they naturally cxclaim:
"Wherc is all this to ed - Already we have
cxpcndcd fifteen hundred millons-half us
much in two years as England lavished upon
hoE great war Of twenty years to crush the
French republic and the Napoleon dynasty
At the end of another year the expenditure
will have fully equslled that Of the British
iovarnnent during its gigantic struggle with
France, extending over two decades. When
men who hold railroad stocks and United
States stocks ponder over. these things it is
not to be wondered at if they show symptoms
of uneasiness and prefer gold to paper.
Thus the loss of confidence spreads on every
side till at last it becomes /, panic. 1t is the
doubt in which the future polly Of the ad
ministratiOn is involved, and the uncertainty
a. to the end Of the war. which undermine
the financial stability of the government
Had the war been pushed forward with rigor
and success, and mad n2t impossab!c ohstruc-
lions been placed i'll the way Of the return Of
the Southern States to the Union there would
be very little danger of the public credit be-
ing impaired. But let the present unsatisfac
tory state of things continue for q little longer.
and it will be very difficult to prevent uni
versal financial crash. The only possible
preventive, indeed, is another letter from the
President, addressed 10 Horace Greeley, or
somebo "; in which,. after consulting the
spirits in circle, including Robert Dale
Oven. Andrew Jackson Davis and !trtemus
Ward. he will positively announce the end Of
,he war within some definite period. The