The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1864-11-03

from the Union, and mad levied war to
insure their independence" Pleadings
and promises were alike Intellectual to win
them back from the error Of their ways
they were joined to their idols, and wanted
to be "let alone" What was to be done!
Taking the broad ground that the Union
sustained the same relation to them that
father does to his sons, which was
unquestionably the view of the trainers of
the Constitution, what remained out to
"coerce" them into obedience? Once
acknowledge the right of secession, and
where would the Union be! First would
come Southern. Confederacy, tnen a
Southwestern Confederacy, then an East
ern Confederacy, then Middle Confed-
eracy, then Western Confederacy, and
soon the Union would be sliced up in a
half-dozen different shapes and forms, and
all semblance of the original compact Of
States, for the establishment of which our
fathers fought, bled and died, wiped ont
of existence Without consenting to the
utter dissolution Of the Union, and thereby
to the assassination of civil liberty on the
Western continent, as we'll to the mani
festly fallacious proposition that minority
should rule In nation, the present
Administration was powerless to prevent
war.
The contest which the South precipi-
lately and causelessly invoked has been
going on for nearly four years. # it was
right and proper in the Government to
fight in tho first pace, it is right and
proper for it to continue fighting. And
it must fight on until the rebellion goes
down. There is no other way. We could
not escape the issue in the beginning-We
cannot creep out of it nor get behind it
now. Human ingenuity can devise no
settlement of the difficulty other than that
contained in the abandonment of the cause
of rebellion, and the renunciation with it of
the theory Of secession. Unthinking men
may cry "peace!" but even they must
admit that the peace, to be acceptable to
the people, must be an honorable one
How can we arrive at an honorable peace
except over the ruins Of the rebellion p
The South consistently declare they will
stand by their mushroom Confederacy to
the last, and that they will not consent to
a restoration of the Union we started out
~ 1afo 10 bo,r
mushroom Confederacy and make them
come back into the Union. The issue is
thus made up. Why not fight it out first
as well as last-fght until either our side
or theirs is compelled to succumb?
During the term of war We have already
had, our successes have been commensurate
with the greatness Of our cause. We have
conquered an extent of country fifteen
hundred miles in length by six hundred
in breadth, and obtained firm toothold
in every insurrectionary State. Besides
this, we have taken every stronghold held
by the rebels at the start except Richmond,
Charleston and Mobile, and, unless the
signs of the times be strangely at fault,
these will speedily share the fate of the
Others. The rebels have confessedly
srobbed the cradle and the grave" to
enable themselves to make last stand
they are at the ropes end they are about
played out, and can continue the contest
only limited length of time longer. We,
on the contrary, are strong as ever, buoy
ant as ever, and as self reliant. If necessa-
ry, we are able to fight On for an eternity in
behalf Of the principles we have espnused.
1t is sometimes charged that President
Lncolns Administration has done COM
paratively nothing toward the putting
down of the rebellion. Taking into con-
sideration the manifold difficulties to be
contcnded with at the breaking out of tie
war, when an army and navy had to be
created, the national finances established
on firm foundation, aud treason rooted
out of every department of the Govern
ment, every unbiased man must acknowl-
edge it has done all that could be reason
ably be expected of it. Sins of commission
and omission many and various are
charged upon the Administration; but,
although not claiming for them that they
are infallible, still we unhesitatingly de-