Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-05-28
Make this Campaign the Last.

thouSauus anu the Wouuueu Wy teus VI
thousands. The contest for Richmond has
been ushered in with hideous saturpalia
of blood. This havoc of the first few bat
ties is without parallel upon the red pages
Of human strife, unless we look far back
into tbs record Of heather barbarism, when
slaughter was the object and not the in.
strument Of warfare. 1t is true that at rare
intervals great numbers have peri i'hed
upon single fields, but never, in a militia.
ry sense, to so little purpose. Waterloo
decided the fate of Europe. The victory
there was complete, the defeat utter and
overwhelming. The total loss of the
French was twenty-sx thousand three
hundred; the battles of the Wilderness,
undecisve, barren of perceptibc results,
and but the prelude of work more terrible
yet to he done, have cost the North ,as has
been computed, twenty Eve thousand men.
If We estimate the Confederate loss as
equal to ours, says the New York NeacS,
there is the appalling list Of 6ily thousand
human beings killed or disabled at the
very threshold Of the campaign. Fifty
thousand human beings, in their strength
and manhood--as many as constitute the
total population, men, women and chill
dren, Of second class city, have been
stricked down at the very first collision,
without bringing the issue nearer to its
close. When it is considered that fifteen
thousand woun dcd Federal soldiers are
huddled together in the streets of Fred
esicksburg, and that they are portion
only Of the victims thus lar of this cam.
paigu, the extent OF the carnage can be
more nearly realized.
1t may be gratifying 10 our national
vanity that we have troops who will move
without laltering into the jaws Of death and
who will stand to be shot down by musket
| ry and torn by cannon shot, but every bet
Ter feeling attests the inhumauity aud folly
OF prosecuting war that involves such
waste Of life aud serves TO accomplish no
( desirable end.
II our people do not profit in q moral
sense by the lessons now being taught up
Oh the battle plains of Virginia, we shall
lose faith in human nature and set al
naught the influence of Christianity and
civilization.
Whatever may be the military result
of this campaign, so terribly iuaugurated
the blood that has been shed, tho blood
that will be shed must not appeal in vain
against the prolongation Of this inerna
war We cannot believe that the people
will consent to repeat these scenes of mu
tual destruction. There must be a period
in this strife when humanity will refuse tc
permit such slaughter, when common sense
will imper rativcly command at least pau
for reflection, an opportunity for the min
istration OF reason. If we interpret arigh
the suppressed sentiment Of the people, ,tha
time has come. They are appalled, ane
conscience stricken at the ghastly aspcc
which the present phase of this struggle
has revealed, They say, in their souls
ifn,t aloud "We have gone too far
the God ofChristians will not sanction thi
mutlation and destruction Of Hi creatures
endowed with the essence of His divinity
In testimony to this growing conviction
; the confession Of noted and extreme Alb
, olitlonist is most opportune. Wendell
Philips said on Tuesday last: "As a
American white citizen deprecate on
, month of war. | see in it the seed {
debt, military ambition and c'potism.--
The settlement Of this war is not to be b
battle but By statesmauship.' We az
, knowledge and admire in this the powo
of conscience to repress the unpatur.
, cravings of fanqtici'm The intellect {
this man has comprehendcd and submi;te
t to the truth and enough of the angt
has tiumphed in his nature to inspire hi,
with that courage that renounce' error
We accept il as a sign that, perpaps,
that quarter where it was least expected
G the revulsion of feeling will have its mo-
, powerful impetus.
Perhaps the energy of fataticism tht
has imE elled him to mischief may NAL
; him au enthusiast in working out aton,
mcnt. The evils generated by this wa
3 have not so much accumulated, the sacr
flee oflilo, awful as it has been, threater
1 to become as uncomfortable to Chri,ta
sentiment that we think the time has con
when, without distinction Of party or E,
cial creed men will rally to the standard
OF peace or war according to their ind
j vidua! attributes as members of the huma
family
e Ii is our solemn conviction that no ma
, oil ordinary percepIive faculties honestl
believes tod y that further bloodshed wi
secure political result more desirabI
than such, whatever it may be, that ca
be secured by negotiation. Neither is