, 1864-08-05
Amos Kendall on the Crisis.

, To all american Citizens leho long for speed
f restoration of Peace, Liberty and tie Union:
a Why is it that with army of military powe
and expenditure of treasure, and a sacrifice
e human life, scarcely equalled in any war of al
cient or modern times, the rebellion has NJ
been suppressed, and peace restored to our uf
happy country? Why is it, that call after ca
is made for the young men of our land by hun
dreds of thousands to peril health and life
the camp and in the battle field? Why is
that our National debt is rolling up its immens
: mass by thousand millions per annum, an
taxation bids fair to absorb all the profits of il
-ol indefinite war and bloodshed, increasing
debt increasing taxation, final exhaustion both
of men and money, nation clothed in MOURN
ing, agitated with internal throes, and sinking
at last under a military despotism?
These are solemn inquiries. The answers in
volve awful responsibilities, and though truly
and boldly should not be lightly given. In de-
votion to truth next akin 10 worship of Deity
and devotion to country never surpassed, l
shall attempt to answer them. ..-.t.4r.
The cause of the i'll success of the Union ar
mics hitherto, may be summed up under the
following heads, viz
/. The perfdy of the Administration, inclu-
ding Congress, towards the Union men in the
border and seeded States, and the Conservative
men of the North. All these entered into the
support of the war with enthusiasm, because
they were assured that it was war against reb-
els for the Constitution of the United States,
not war against States, for the subversion OF
their State rights and local institutions BY
perfidiously giving it the latter direction IN the
face of the Constitution as well as the plighted
faith of the President and of Congress, they
have auenched whatever of true loyalty was
left in the seeded States, alienated the loyal
men in the border States, disgusted and meas
uraby discouraged the conservative men OF the
free States, dividing the North, uniting the
South and doubling the relative strength of the
rebellion. The country is now suffering the
God ordained punishment of perfdY by pro-
tracted war with its attendant scenes of desola-
ton, suffering, bloodshed and mourning.
| Incompetency of those in authority, espe-
cially the President of the United States, who,
as many of its original friends now admit, has
neither the Judgment, decision or courage which
the crisis of the country requires in its chief
magistrate; yet, endowed with vanity and OBJ
stinacy, which at the same time make him the
victim of fattery and blind him to the lessons OF
| experience he is totally unaware that instead
of being the idol of the nation, he is supported
by intelligent men of his own party merely as
a choice of evils. ..--..r
| 3. The destruction of the safeguards of lib
! erty by the general suspension of the writ OF
ha6eas corpus, thus exposing every citizen, loyal
as well as dsloyal, with cause or without cause,
to arbitrary arrests and infinite Imprisonment.
This act and the outrages upon personal liberty
and the press which have followed, would have
produced a revolution among any people less
| devoted to peace and order and less hopeful OF
the future than are the people of the United
States
4. Military jealousy and revolutionary con-
spiraces, which operating upon the mind OF a
weak and tmid President, have defeated the
best laid military plans, driven some OF ouI
orafr q
our armies to incompetent hands, exposed the
North to repeated invasions and sacrificed heca-
tombs of human lives in sickly camps, bootles'
victories and inglorious defeats.
s. The denunciations of a subservient anc
ferocious press stigmatizing as Copperheads
svmpathizers OF traitors, all those who refus'
to endorse every measure of the Administrator
adopted under pretext of suppressing the rebel
lion though in many instances calculated II no
designed to give it strength, and Protract TN
war
6. The organization in conn ection with tn
Administration of formidable conspiracy il
the North called Union Leagues against thu
Union and the Constitution, for the preserva
ton of which the people rush to arms, tn
members of which are bound by solemn oath
not to disclose the revolutionary plans and .
aid and protect each other in carrying them INT
effect.
7 The diversion of portions of the arm
from the suppression of the rebellion and EN-
ploying them in the suppression of the freedom
of elections in loyal States not to prevent In
election of traitors but to secure the election
! of nartizans and instruments of the Administrs
ton and the Union Leagues, and employin
other portions in enabling minorities to pre-
scribe institutions and laws to majorities |
, States wholly or partially redeemed from rebel
lion, all evincng a determination OF the part
in power if need be, to carry the elections D
conspiracy and force, and re-elect their o%
J men at the point Of the bayonet'