Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-07-21
Questions for the Future.

A person might ~ well attempt 10 swell
the volume Of the ocean by adding 20 il u
buckctiull Of water as 10 ATTEMPT 10 increase
the mass OF charges against Mr. Lincoln 4
administration by adding tot a new instance
oilncompetency or mismauagemcnt n is
already 80 vast that to add more 20 il with
view Of making it greater would be like an
effort 10 increase the bulk and altitude Of
Dbawalagri by pitching children marbles
upon It's summit. 1t is therefore for no
such useless purpose a. on attempt TO add
further proof Of the total unftno,s Of this
administration for its position thatwc alludc
to the humlating condition of affairs in
Maryland and Virginia. 1t is folly to
longer charge Mr. Lincoln with the RESPONSE
bllity OF any isolate occurrence precisely as
1t would be to accuse man convicted of a
cold-blooded murder Of having been guilty
OF petit larceny To say that he is com
plctely responsible for the present thorough
ly disgraceful condition in which the nation
finds itself after all its generous sacrifices.
would be to utter truth but il is a truth
which, in view Of the already monstrous
bulk OF evidence against him, it is entirely
useless to state.
When this war began it was to end in
thirty. sixty, ninety days. When the
campaign began, the capture Of Richmond
and the annihiation of Lee were to occur
IN week, month, by the 4th of July at
the farthest. In the former case the nine
ty days have been extended to three years ears
and to-day the rebellion has more formida
pie proportions thanat any former period of
It's progress In the latter case, IA week. n
month, the 4th of July have passed and
instead Of Richmond being ours, our noble
army, lately dccimated in its vast but fruit.
less struggles, now lies supincly before an
outwork of the rebel capital while Lee.
whom we were to capture, swarms on Nor
thern soil, and envelops with his legions
the capital of the nation.
Everybody knows that Mr.. Lincoln has
produced this result, but who, in view of
what Mr. Lincoln has already done, cares
to charge him with this additional costly
blunder-ths accession to our already i'm
measurable disgrace? While it is. there
fore, useless to adduce further evidence of
the powerlessncSs of Mr. Lincoln to man
age the whirlwind which he has loosened.
we may profitably turn from the past to the
future, and ask how long shall these things
be allowed to continued
For three long weary years have the peo-
pie given their treasure and their lives.
confiding i'll the promises of the admins
tration; and yet for the same length Of
time they have seen those promises falsifed
and their sacrifices wasted-utterly, com
plctoly wasted as much so as if they had
tossed their gold into the ocean and had
sacrificed their lives by selfmmoation
Each year has been pronounced confident
ly the last of the rebellion, and yet each
year sees defiant rebel hosts cnveloping our
capltal--each year sees the rebellion stron
ger and the nation weaker. Each draft is
said to be the lastthc one which will close
up the rebellion; and yet, the confding
people have no sooner given their contribu
tions than these are wasted by some mon
strous blunder, and new call for hundreds
of thousands is issued 1t is not three
months since our armies in the field were
large enough to have fought the world with
success for years, if properly managed in
righteous cause but to-day there is only
fractional part left of all this gallant host;
and tomorrow, when Mr. Lincoln, igno-
minlouSly hemmed in by exultant enemies,
can communicate with the people, he will
demand of them five hundred thousand
more.
Have we become worse than slaves, that
an uncouth backwoodsman shall thus spend
our treasure and sQuander the lives of our
people, and, as an offset, give us only dis
aster and disgrace? The question is now
not what Mr.. Iiucoln has done, but what
he will do. 1t is the future that concerns
us, and not the past; and upon our decision
rests our lives, our liberties, our property,
and our existence as a nation. CHicugo
Times