The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-12-07
PEACE.


Il is to the patriot like the soft balm of
the summers breeze to the fevered cheek.
With what joy would it be hailed by all
who love their country, their ~fellow-citi-
zens and the soldiers. But there is \ set
of demons or mad men who love the bat
tle-cry and the smell of blood and pow
der,-when it is afar off. Their only
cry is soar, "the last ma and the last
dollar" They have preached it from
the pulpit, they have proclaimed it from
the house top, they have published it
abroad in the land and they have forced
it upon the people. Wa is the only cry
that now greets the ear; it is the theme
of the poet and the subject of the journ-
alist; the conversation of the mechanic
and tho topic of statesmen it is talked
of in the humble cot of the daily laborer
and is the subject of debate,in the halls of
Congress. Patriotic, or "disloyap' men
have urged for steps to be taken, that the
connections that are 10Y raging like a
tempest wild in our land, turning pros
perity into adversely. happiness into mis-
cry and happy homes into houses Of
mourning, may be quoted, and the dark
cloud of war and carnage that has SO long
hung over the land may be allowed to
roll away and the clear sunlight of peace
once more permitted to break out and
shed its genial ray upon the CORY fields Of
nj wasting country. They have plead
for compromise, they have prayed the
the men ia power to stop the flow of blood,
and they urged them to adopt other
measures for the salvation of oar country,
the preservation of the lives of American
citizens and the restoration of peace, and
have only been answered by imprison-
mcnt and Punishment, while those who
are eloyal' have clamored for war and
CONSUMPTION, and one more "loyal" than
the others, or one at least who had a little
more nerve has said that "without o little
more b~lood-letting this Union would not
be worth arush," and was praised by the
lovers of loyalty. Have the American
people become a set of mad men? Have
they become a set of demons that they
love blood and murder more than peace
and quiet? Why have they become
deaf to the widows walls and the or
phan's cries :? Can they not see the de-
struction impending, and the woes await
ing us? There are many "Rachels weep
ing for their first born" and yet they
heed them not They ara deaf to the
mothers cry for peace and the return of.
their sons. The Administrator and all
its satellites seem to have forgotten that
the Prince Of Peace was once on earth.
They spurn His teachings and cry aloud,
saying, sdown with peace-makers,p and
nothing will appease their madness but
blood and murder.
Notwithstanding the threats of the
men in power, the imprisonments and BAN
ishments, peace men are gaining ground,
and we hope that yet, ere long, light will
CLEAN through fhe darkness that now
hangs so thickly over us. May God in
His Providence have mercy upon US as a
nation and roll back the fearful car Of
war that is now SO rapidly destroying our
country and her prosperity. May peace
again spread her white wings over the
land and her sweet blessings again come
as in days Of yore. Then would shouts
of joy ring like sweet music upon the
morning breezes; the widows eyes would
no longer be wet with tears and tie busy
hum of business would then take the
place of the wal trumpet. With glad
hearts would we hail the dawn of peace
and the eternal oblivion of civil war, the
triumph of happiness over adversely, the
day when no more CONSUMPTION will be
known and men will not be forced to
leave their happy homes and loving
friends to murder their fellow mem
Then would the cry of more blood and
war be drowned amid the shouts of JOY ;
then would be heard that happy welkin
that rang out upon the breezes that swept
the bosom of Judea's lovely land, resound-
ing from shore to shore and over. our
whole country, as it fell from the lips of
the messengers of light as they appeared
to the watching shepherds, shouting,
'sGlory to God in the highest, on earth,
PEACE and GOOD WILL toward men,"