The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-10-26
is the War a Failure ?

The Chicago platform declares that the
war has been prosecuted for four years and
has been a future. This fact Mr.. Chase
disputed in his speech on Saturday night.
He enumerated some military victories
which we had gained, as if that was re-
ply. He did not enumerate our defeats
or our losses He did not state that no
substantial results had thus far followed
our victories. Well says Mr.. Vallandig-
ham, in his Sidney speech Gin. Eng
lam speaking now of the fact that this
Convention pronounced this war failure,
and giving you the reason why it is a fail
ure, Is it not failure to restore the Un-
MON :? TCries of yes.] I have said it
was not the want of an army of soldiers
or of officers, but that it was first, because
of the nature of things, and, secondly, be-
cause of the policy of the Administration.
That it is failure 10 restore the Union,
you all know What State has 1t return
ed out of the eleven which seceeded ?
What State has representative in the Fed
eral Congress among those that went out!
What State acknowledges obedience to
the Constitution and laws of the original
eleven? Not one. What has been gain
ed by this campaign? More lives have
been lost, more hard fighting has been
done. more courage has been exhibited by
the Federal as well as the Southern SOL
diers than in any former campaign, and
what has been accomplished ? General
Grant is nearer to Richmond; occupying
territory of perhaps eleven miles, whioh
was not in the possession of the United
States when the campaign began, from
CITY Point 70 the suburbs of Petersburg.
To secure that he gave up all the coun-
try from Manassas down to Richmond,
and large. part of the valley, until the
last few DAYS. What there is in these
victories reported by telegraph 1 know
not. We know that Presidential elec-
ton is pending and every instrumetality
will be resorted to, to magnify these VIC
tories. Gen. Sheridan has gained VIC
tory; but Gen. Lincoln did not It hap
pened in his administration, and tha IS all
t hat can be said in regard to it. What
yet is to happen there, we know not
How about the Southern campaign! Gen.
Sherman, tnrougn the courage vi Iiie eosV
disciplined. best organized and most pow
erfui army that has been seen since the
campaigns of the first Napoleon, has ia
ken Atlantis town somewhat larger
than Sidney. 1t has cost him sixty thou
sand men and four or five months of the
most trrible campaign ever waeed on this
continent OF any ether part of the globe;
He occupies from two to five miles on
each side of railroad of 13s miles in
length. He has penetrated that far into
Georgia. What has been surrendered 20
obtain that All of Texas. nearly all OF
Arkansas. Mississippi, Alabama and
part of Tennessee which were in possession
of the Federals on the first of May
Kentucky has been open to continual IN !
cursions of the Confederate armies All !
this has been surrendered to gain this mar
row strip of country on the line of the
railroad. The war then has been prop |
srly pronounced a failure in military
point of view. The Convention meant
hat it had failed to restore the Union.
md there is not Republican in the land
who does not know it.