Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1863-05-21
The Greatest Reaction Of tho Ago.
Tho New iosk Zki6sns announces

York Tribune actually resolved to tell
the truth henceforth! A leading article
opens under the bold caption "zhe
Truh IS BEST" and it proceeds
There arc sundry conceivable and
even popular modes OF expressing the
| Shareholders Rebellion IN which we
instance, lst. The stranging il in the
folds OF great s'aoaeonda :" ID. The
starving II out; but we have even less
faith in lying It down by Chinese
bvttettns Of Union ricfories neeer ron
or the suppression IF recerses actually
trperiencea. On the contrary, We deem
il infinitely wiser AS well ~ honester to
state facts as they occur, and thus put
ourselves IN the way OF proiiting by our
own III stakes and avoiding a repetition
Il our past errors. We are sure that
4 thi. course best becomes great and
brave people.
| A silly Chicago paper denouncos the
Tribune for representing lIooker's late
demonstration across the Rappahannock
in TOO gloomy colors. II Cen. Hooker,
III his late offensive movement, commit
| ted the error Of extending his lines too
far, and thus enabled Lee to pieeipitate
all tie rebel force excessively on di-
fercnt parts OF ours, no good can TO at
tanned 10y denying and concealing the
/. fact. On the contrary, the perception
Of past mistakes is the first step toward
| their avoidance ID future. 1t Is well to
| learn from enemies So wary and skllltul
Is tie Icie chiefs notornnsly are.
| Tie results Of the late struggle in tir.
.inia are fall Of encouragement 10
[ nionsis, if We accept facts as they are,
resolved to draw all possible instruction
and profit thereirom In. If We refuse
to be taught hv them, insisting that a
reverse was no reverse, We may rush
bhndlp on ruin.
here ) nothing new or remarkable
expressed in these views II is the
place IN which they are found that gives
them sign .ficance. Their Substance
gwen in these columns, was declared BY
those WHO seek salvation through the
columns OF the 7rbane decidedly "cop-
perheadish" and "disloyal.'
Another singular manifestation. SIM
ultaneousy With the TtLuHe's CONVEX
sion t. the truth teiiers faith, the Lead
ing tadieal organ In The South west, the
Cincinnati Ga7ette, gives signs 81 being
moved Is similar spirit. One OF IL
editorial curls Il Washington writes OF
the late battle:
On tic Whole, Therefore, ii seems safe
and honest T. acknowledge that we
have met fepu.se. 1t Is always well
honestly t. lace the facts. have no
ms 10 give about Changes Of base, or
smooth excuses about "niiitary reasons
for modifying plans We are again
rcpulsed On the ksppahannoek. TIE
movement for which we have been
waiting for months is a failure, and
after tour bloody battles we are back
again at our starting place.
it would be easy H. gloss over the
painful facts, to dwell with deserved
euioey on the billIi4ncY of Rockers
movements aud the superb fighting Of
the army, TO show how Hooker surpris-
Cd Lee, aud how he held his ground til
the Hood in his rear admonished him 10
save his commuuicati ms hy rctrcaling /,
aud from all this it wonld not be d III
cult task TO deceive ourselves with the
dcluslon 81 partial success. But this
people is strong enough to face the
truth IN all lis CHASTITY nakedness.
We are not IN any sense successful.
W. started out to capture or annihllate
the rebel army. We did neither. We
expected at least 10 take no steps back
ward. We have taken them.
10 It's totally, il was not even draw
battle. We NAV sometimes have held
our ground durlrg the day, but then fell
back at night. We may sometimes
have repused the enemy from certain
positions, but then they always got them
next morning. We did not hold our
baule-tieId (which high military critics
pronounce almost the intariable sign OF
defeat = our wounded are III the enc
iny's hands; We have retieated Nv the
@ay we came. and made haste TO place
deep riyer heta cen the enemy we bad
talked o. annlhlatlng and ourselves.
/ Verify there must be an unseen pow.
or working in mysterious ways when
two such prints as the Gin clnnsti Ga.
=ettc and New York Tribune come over
TO the side Of truth What 4 blessing
it would be if this same power would
only put brains IN the heads of our SER
wants at Washington, or at least proper,
y balance those already there,
nL-IIa - L......a