Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-12-14
Tho Tessage.

coin will be found ii length in our pres
ent issue. Nearly all Of President Lin
coins predictions are extraordinary; and
this one Is no exception. The country
was in high expectation of something
new. Newspaper correspondents had
assured the public that Mr.. Lincoln would
ioreshadow a feasible plan by which the
country could escape the inevitable ruin
that all sensible men must see in the near
futcre. But he gives us not single ray
Of hope, On the contrary, his message is
the most commonplace epitome of the
reports of the heads Of Departments, in
no better style, as the New York World
truly says, Than is attained by every
al otridger Of documents in a newspaper"
The only topics the President ventures
to discuss are the late elections and The
war and It's perusal will convince cYerv
man that he who is 10 preside Ger the
destinies OF ou country for ..ins raSt rour
years, is totally ignoran. OF ,he real senli-
menla OF bis eouutryu:en that be chooses
10 rcnsItpe every vote cas-. in his favor as
an Endorsement of his entire policy, OF
'unrelonting war, including emancipation,
confiscation, and determination in short,
! his message demonstrates him TO be one
of the most radical of the radicals. On
this subject the Philadelphia 40. makes
the following observations
lfthose who voted for the reelection OF
President Lincoln did so for the putpose
Iof pIotracting the war indefinitely, ;hey
will perceive by his message that he pro
poses 10 carry out their views Ile does
not seem 10 interpret the pu bic sent;
meut, rs developed at the late election, in
any other way than rs m7nilesung fixed
purpose on their part TO reject all other
means than the sword for The settlement
of the quarrel and the restoration of the
Union. lie assumes that The South would
accept of nothing shor! oIa severance OF
the Union but deems it idle to attempt
the asCertainment of their views upon
this important point. After careful con
| IsideratIon OF all the evidence, he thinks
that nc attempt az negotiation with the
IinSurgent leaders could result in any
good. Why not try it? Why not asccr-
tain, formally andlpostitively, whether the
Southern people would not come into the
Union under the Constitution as it is
Why close the door upon This gra We ques.
tion by the assumption that "it is not
worth while" The President himself
comedies that some of the Southern peo-
pie already desire peace and reunion, and
adds that "the numter of such may in
crease" Why not take a step that would
most a'suredly Increase the uumber, per
haps to such an extent as TO compel the
authorities nf the COuitdercy,to listen TO
the desire for peace and reunion" which
Mr.. Lincoln say s I've know" to be enter.
| !ained Iy at least some Of the present
! followers of these authorities? Briefly
he message means war, continued war
war, without pause in its dreary march
for thought, for deliberation, for disscus.
sion, for negotiation, or for giving effect to
any "desire for peace and reunion" which
the President "knows" to exist among
masses Of tho people in the South, the
follow ers"--(as Mr.. Lincoln terms them,
and as they really are and must continue
to be while the pressure of active war is
upon ,hem)-of the "insurgent leader
Would they continue TO be followers, ," il
permitted TO know that they could return
to the Union with their constitutional
rights unimpaired Would they follow,
F, il it we're made manifested to them that
the "iusurgent leader" prevented the con
summation of their desire for peace and
reunion ?"
These are Interesting questions; butMr
lincoln thinks "it could not result in any
good to present an opportunity for their
solution, So we must plod YEARLY on in
the path we have trodden for more than
three years-the dreary monotony OF OUT
way only broken as some prosperous
contractor, full Of that sert of gratitude
which has been defined as a"lively sense
OF iayors to come" shouts Sod bles.
Abraham Lincoln"