Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-12-01
THE WORK BEFORE US.
from the New York Evening Post 7

crablc exceptions, they have rcJoiced temper
ately expressing an exubcrant gratitude for
the principle established without cxultife
nsolcntly over the party or the person de-
fcated. Even the old and offensive partisan
nickname has ullenly lost its vogue /; and
the general disposition is TO forget the ami
mosities Of the past in the pressing and serious
duties of the present On the other hand,
the democrats, who fought their battle strcn-
uously, though somewhat wildly, havc, with
the same nconsidcrable exceptions, submitted
gracefolly to their dcS It; showing that the
old instincts of genuine American citizenship
ere still alive in them, and that they bow rev.
ercntly to the majestic rule Of the people,
They have made their appeal to the highest
tribunal, to the final arbi!cr of political con-
troycrsy; Che decision has gone against them
on the main question of the prosecution Of the
war, and they obey the mandates of the court.
In these circumstances, with a temporary
f'l' in the cxcitcmcnts of passion and truce
to the late strfcs of factions, it becomes us to
inquire what is the first duty of really patri-
otto men. 1t is Enthusiastically to earry OH the
war with renewed vigor, in order to bring out
more certain and speedy peace. A distin-
guishcd democrat, long resident of the
South, and warm admiror of Mcclellan.
said to us the other day: "Well, we must
now all turn in together to see how scon by
cnerretic combinations and movements, we
can either force the enemy to the wall or COM
pei Il surrender" He seemed to us to de-
scribe the whole case. If, with one accord,
the whole people Of the loyal States will press
down upon the exhausted faction of the Ecuth,
we may easily bring the conflict to an end !;
but if we no not, if we allow ant old root of
party Bitterness 10 remain, if We persist in
quarrelng AMONG ourselves as to methods,
instead Of pushing on harmoniously to tie end,
The war must he prolonged, our burdens in-
creased and the miscries and dcsolation of the
South expanded into utter ruin.
Whatever may be thought of Mr. Lincoln's
management of the WHY, however Objectionable
his extra military measures may seem to some,
it is tbe fact now that these measures are
moatly past; they have had nearly all the good
or i'll effect that they can have, and the war
hcnceforth must be pursued principally as
grand military enterprise 1t would be idle,
and worse thar idle, to stand still and protest
against the policy of emancipation, after that
policy has become part of history and can
no more be altered. No less idle is i. to de-
claim against the employment of the blacks as
soldiers, when eighty thousand of them are
already in arms, and the faith of the nation is
irrcvocably pledged to lhe protection and sup
port of its troops. BE these things right or
wrong, wise or unwisc, they have been adopt
cd by the government, they have been pcqui-
csced in By the popular mind, anu though
they may be reviewed by Congress or by the
courts, they cannot now be Changed We
must accept them fer what they are worth,
applaud or condemn them as we may and 60
on with our immediate practical business.
That business is to Strengthen the arms of the
government in all military measures, to fill up
the ranks, to inspirit our officers to encourage
the troops, and to show the, insurgents the
extreme hopclessncss and fatality of their
wretched scheme.
In this state the Democrats who really love
their country may do immsnso good, by re-
presenting TO tile secessioh agents Here,
through lcttcr5, or il the press, the actual
condition of things. Of the thirty-six states,
twenty-seyeh are loyal, and SO strongly loyal
that they will continue the war until the Union
,tiumphs or the whole nation is bankrupted
and destroyed. These States IRE the richest
and strongest, the most populous, the most
cnterprising, the most active, the most de-
termined. Their resources are as yet COM
parativcly untouched. In men and in morley
they have scarcely felt the drain. Against
them are nine statcs-poor. exhausted, with
out industry. enclosed from the world, and
though gallant and heroic, dr ven to despair.
How can n conflict between such opponents be
long continued? ? Is there any other but one
end possiblcI Is it not madness for the South
to go on-a madness more prodigi9us and
culpablc than pen can depict? Let the Dcnl55
ocrats then, proclaim the solemn fact to their
ancient friends let them declare the whole
truth of things, and invite the awfully mis-
guided people of the Southern States to a re-
turn to obedience and sdom.
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SOLITUDE. More and greater sins are COM
mitted when men arc alone than when they