Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-12-03
SATURDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 8, 1864.
OLD SERIES, VOL. 25, NO. II.

their principles and actions, will be the ma
TONS morality and deeds.
A nation is not person--has no soul to
be responsible before God. 1t is the indi-
vidual members of it, who have souls, are
responsible, and give it character.
As are the people, therefore, will be the
nation. If the individuals faith secures his
success, the peoples faith will obviously Sc
cure their success.
But is it not fact as undeniabe as it is
sad, that our national faith has not been or
thodox. do not say, that other nations
are better. All nations are wicked. But it
does not alter the fact that WE have trusted
in charots and horses, more than in the
name of the Lord. The few acts of national
picty put forth in public fasts and thanks
givings will rot atone for deep corruption
and general indifference.
Such appointments, however, good in
Themselves, can have little influence for
good, when not observed by the powers that
issue them or, if counter-balanced by bias
phemy and drunkenness on the part of our
generals and governors; or, if despised anG
sneered at by the bulk of the people, who
believe that God favors the heaviest artill-
cry.
To this spirit of infdelity, and intense
capnality of mind, that pervatles all classes,
many, if not all our evils may be attributed.
Hence, 1t is no more true, as one party
offirms that the war has been complete sue
cess; than as the Other AYERS, that it has been
Il complete failure
Our twenty-six millions of people, our
exhaustless means, our grand preparations,
and gigantic armies, have promised far
more than they have accomplished.
Much, indeed, has, been done, but little
for the force employed and the blood and
treasure expended.
There has been humiliation to us IN our
struggle. What appeared but summers
picnic for a few thousand volunteers, has
drawn itself out to three years of bloody
carnage aud has employed constant force
of half million of men, raised, and sus-
! tanned by the stern and unpopular crnscrip-
ton
Did our enemies compare us to the Per-
siuts, with their invading millions, repulsed
| by 1.-THE of their numbers; or to the As
syriaas, and PhHistines defeated by a hand
| full of Hebrews, the parallel in conduct,
would at least hold good They trusted i'll
their horses, and charoits, and so have zee:
and if our fate has not been as disastrous as
theirs, it is not but tnat we have deserved
it.
| The good general, the heavy armament,
the strong force, the convenient base of sup
plies, the horses and chariots in fact, have
been the ground of our hopes.
! The highest sentiment, perhaps, that has
! ever animated the nation and whispered of
success, WAS that OF abstract right. Never
| has it risen to the sublime altitude of the
| Psalmist faith trust on God.
But the comparison to Zerxes, and Sen
nacherib is not true.
We have been long held at bay and per-
haps by an inferior force, but not deteated.
we na.s not been wholly successful, thus
| lar, but we have not failed
We have had cause to mourn, so have we
had to rejoice lost much to deplore, but
gqined much to gire thanks.
Taken unawares at the beginning, we
| have but lately learnt the art of war brit
lately discovered what we had to do, ard
| how we must do it. Now we have able
commanders, efficient forces, and complete
organizations. Our armies are in the very
heart of the confcderacy, our navies are wal
| ling in the gulf of Mexico, and the atlantic
coast with grim iron monitors, while our
| light draught gun-boats clear the rivers, and
our swift steamers sweep the seas; protect
ing our own and destroying the enemys
commerce.
And not to catalogue minor successes-the
| tearing up of the enemy's railroads and
means of communication, the destruction
of factories, war material and sources of sup
ply, cavalry raids which for brilliancy and
success have never been equalled, and the
imprisonment of the grand army of the con-
! federacy around the walls of Richmond and
Petersburg-much rebel territory has been
reclaimed, many SectioHs have already return
ed to their allegiance, and whole Stdtes are
| waiting to capttutate, or return uncOndition-
ally, and are only deferred by that iron
( despOtism that rules the South.
Substantial victories have crowned every
arm of the service.
| The last few months, have added the fall
of atlanta, the capture of the Mobile forts,
| the splendid exploits of Sheridan, in the
valley, and the capture of PlymOuh \. G.
The Pirate Alabama was sunk while boast
| Ing in the presence of her aiders and abettorS
off Cherbourg. The Florida-her mate in
piracy and infamy--is now II captive in our.
hands and the 44Nemarle the monster iron
ram, and naval hope of the confederacy-
now lies beneath the uaterS of Plymouth
Harbor
The feeble nary of the South is either
driven inland among the mud and reeds of
inaccessible rivers, or lying, for protection,
beneath the guns of some harbor fort, while
our O,Cn invincible armadas are blockading
all their ports, and by their oft and valuable
| captures are defraying much of their cost
and expense, and enriching their sailors
and marines.
In addition to this, by reason of the ac-
cunauIated uealh of the nation, by reason OF
! the profits of trade which exceed our ex-
penditures and of the increased efficiency of
industry, through improvement and sSillful
management, our resources are immense,
while those of tie South are rapidly falling
The whole North has become selfsup-
plying and self sustaining workshop, produ-
cling everything we need, in abundance,
while the South, through the baleful in
fuence of slavery--the nightmare of the
South-is dependent on foreign nations for
many Of her most necessary articles OF con-
sumption.
| Our credit both at home and abroad, is
good, and still improvingi as the late offer
by the Hamburg bankers, of thousand
millions of dollars at low rate, demonstrates:
while theirs is marking a constant decline.
King Cotton has decended from his throne.
The price of gold, with us, though in
fated By the operations of unprincipled spe-
culators, tluctuates between two and three
dollars, while below the line of freedom 1t is
twenty-eight.
While our vast revenues, from taxes, tolls
and customs, combined with the mineral