Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-03-29
THE TRUTH TOLD
Linooln's l1,'a Honesty Tones asia a4ai Capacity,
A Terrible Philippe Againjs Lincoln
b by a Fremont Organ.
From The New York New Nation ]

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from The New York New Nation.l
We all recollect that worthy citizen OF
Athens who banished Aristides solely be-
cause it annoyed him to hear the epithet,
"the Just" constantly coupled with his
name. We have all been struck by this
strange specimen of political liberty, and
by the lack of judgment in the application.
It was not because this undue notoriety
given TO the name Of a citizen Of the repub-
lie might after a time, prove dangerous, nor
because the epithet of AJust' was question
able, that the worthy citizen of Greece
banished Aristides. He would not even dis
.-cuss the matter, the epithet annoyed him,
and that was enough to ostracize its un-
fortunate bearer. In this we see an excess
Of liberty and a lack Of political education
Now, we are annoyed and irrtated at
hearing the words of Abraham Lincoln and
honesty always coupled together; but being
more generous than the excellent Athenian
Citizen aforesaid, we propose, before ostra-
cising honest Abe from the White House,
to consider his right to the surname of
"Honest." To call one man honest out of a
population of thirty millions, Is not so much
of q compliment to him as q sarcasm upon
all the rest. Let us look into his honesty
and capability. After three years of patient
silence we have right, and it is moreover
our duty, Mr.. Lincoln, to examine your
acts and show them to the nation. You
commenced by confiding the fate of our
cause, the honor of our arms, and the lives
of our sons to men having no higher claim
to such trust than host of voters at their
command, whose support you coveted-in
order to advance the welfare Of the nation.
- We have allowed youto further your polit-
lical and personal interests, and to transform
into heroes men whose inetficiency has
swallowed up thousands of lives and MIL
lions Of -treasurc, so that you might be able
to dazzle the eyes the people with victories
rfar-mere apparentthan real. We have per-
nitted YOU 20 sacrifice tried patriots, whose
popularity alarmed you, and whose energy
disappointed your calculations. lsas.
We have allowed you to deceive the peo-
pie; we have let you transforms disgraceful
defeats into victories; and even we made no
outcry, when you were reduced to beg
exeneration for acts which have eternally
disgraced the honor of our arms. You have
been unable either to foresee or forestall any
thing. What has become Of the nation's
enthusiasm What have you done with the
immense resources, unprecedented In his
tory, that the nation has lavishlyi given
you? ab.si,sa .i,eG Hsk
You are now appealing to conscriptibn,
and we will not enter into discussion Of
the principle itself, but we will tell YOU
that you should have fOreseen that the day
must come when you would need these men,
and that you were to blame in not calling
for them when the peoples enthusiasm was
first aroused, when they certainly would
not have been refused you. Your are to
blame, inasmuch as through your ineapaci-
ty and personal schemes the necessity for
su6hFah appeal has become aquestion of
public safety. You are to blame for de-
priying us of the services of men whose
popularity stimulated that enthusiasm.
You have told the country that both the
rebellion and slavery were dead; you have
told the people that the forces of the rebels
were reduced by desertions, and that they
could not be recruited, fed, nor clothed; and
yet you are forced to act upon the defensive,
being tlireatencd at all points.
Whenever you have directed the action of
our troops they have been uniformly un-
SUCCESSFUL; you have perpetually offered us
the wretched spectacle of splendid resources
and excellent chances of success sacrificed
to incapacity. The only success which YOU
came near attaining, but the credit of which
we intend to take from you, Is due to the
incredible imaginatlyeness that you have
displayed In describing facts. Changes Of
base, masterly retreats, and reconnoissatices
have succeeded each other with rapidity
worthyof the greatest Snowman Of modern
times. The immense variety of circum-
stances Is only equaled by the identity of
the results. We have: X M4 s'Bbi
~ Sherman's reconnaissance. Htl IA
A Smiths reconnaissance. gs 70
s Thomas reconnaissance. Is,sf 5
kilpatrick's reconnaissance.
Clusters Reconnaissance. s.,f
Seymour's reconnaissance. ~, n, ~
q Gilm0re's Charleston reconnaissance.
FVta roottlt fc
ulous and disastrous. The sole Concession
we can make to your honesty, Is that you
have improved upon the change of base in
1852; you destroy fewer soldiers and burn
less of the nations property. ~.
How Is it, that after three years of incom-
parable victories according to Halleck's |
facetious expression, unprecedented in the |
military history of nations" you are still |
pondering how TO preserve the national |
capital and your bases of operation?
Is it reYard for such success, for the
ask the nation opassa vote of confidence
and rerelect youhfor another and perhaps !
another term? 49,
Inayour, inaugural address YOU ,esye 4 |
very striking oillustration OF your pecliliar
honesty by pledging yourself I'm accordauc6 /
with the well l-lSnown principles Of the party
which had elected you, not to serve anotheil
term; you said this ina mannerwhich none |
ofyonr & , sn,pporters, ! then I. understood; !, but
n double meaning, SO that, If Won should findrl
the sweets Of office more entlcing than you |
possibly anticipated, you might change |
your purpose without seeming to violate |
your proniise. Candid people will see in 4
this good deal more evidence of cunning
than of honesty.
!, The whole truth ssthis; you are leading I