Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1864-07-13
CONMC CNICATIOS.
Lorctto, Penn July Q, 1864.

IGTsHC IIOSSOH :-tLUJUyInS my ocI4 si7
best | could for the past two weeks, l
mixed considerably among the people,
and ascertained fully their feelings upon
the all absorbing question OF CONSUMPTION,
or taIniliarly known as taking the last
man and the last dollar. The unanl-
nous feeling among the people, as near
as | was able 10 arrive At q conclusion,
was, that after three years dreadful war
for the equality OF the "neyr0," ttey are
worse III condition, and We as Il Govern
ment Is more feeble, and more Inundated,
and further from a peaceful adjustment OF
our unhappy condition, than We were
four months after the first assault was
made on Fort Sampler. The South can
! not be conquered. i he South cannot DC
/ subjugated. She fights for her rights
/ She fights .Og her homes, her children,
! for her guarantees under the only bond OF
union, the Constitution of the country.
! Since the war commented, Mr.. Lincoln
! has called out trO m!lhunS three htIndlred
and LaHfg-elJfh LtOusGld eight htt'tt7'et and
Io1fy-Sir m.n, from what Is called the
! 'Loy;I' States 10 suppress the rebellion.
I The first and most important inquiry to be
made Is, where are these men what has
! become OF them in what army are they
, made effective Either the Admuistra
ton talSilies TO the people as to the dead,
the wounded and the prisoners, or our
army l. powerful enough to conquer the
South within Il less period than one month.
( The Army OF the Potomac Is reported only
about Two hundred and twcnty-a!N thous-
]
, Gen Sherman, is only estimated at lO0,
and thirty-four thous and effective men, ON
the 9th day OF June last Now where are
the balance OF the tico HsdiIOns and Il Quur-
ter of the army, recruited, enlisted ant
lruTteds How do they account for the
1878, ,S462 They must be kGtlod tcOtHUed
or prisoners; with all this we have not
conquered the South-we have not ctlrct-
ed a pcacc-wc have moi accomplished
the abolition Of slavery we have only
depopulated our country, destroyed Our
commerce, utterly made worthless our
currency, the industrial interests OF the
country unprotected, ~ tne, nothing but
ruin and desOlation seems 10 be our por-
ton. If we desire to learn from the eX-
perience of the past, we may read lesson
from the History of France The forces
drawn from the so called Loyal States, is
far higher than that which obtained under
the conscription for the French army,
during the period when Napoleon was
/ waging war against combined Europe,
! and which held to lie such an oyerdratt
on the energies of the people, that Alison
directly attributes the overthrow OF Napo-
leon to the violation of the physical laws
! which regulates the bounds of prudence
in this, as in all other matters of human
conduct And if Napoleons absorpsion
of one in forty of the whole population in
the profession of arms, was Judged to be
so injurious TO the vital powers of the
French people, IN view of the fact that ii
has never been found by experience that
an empire, however powerful. can for any
length of time flourish with more than one
in hundred engaged in such pursuits
We may soon bcgin to profit by lessons Of
history on this score Nothing SO tends
TO impai the strength of q nation as an
excessive strain on its powers. The time
has now come when it behooves the people
TO consider well the dictates Of political
economy in the wise expenditure of their
blood as Of their money. l know it is con-
sidered by a certain class of persons very
''disloyar' to sight in opposition to any
thing which it seems expedient or necessa-
ry for the military power to do or require
but l hope it may be permitted the people
to refer TO the laws of nature and the in
functions of political economy for the in
structons of our authorities, without COM
ing under any such reproach. The fol-
lowing prudential maxiams under this
head, may. think, be affirmed without
! fear of successful contradiction:
First-As in the case of individuals, so
in the case of nations, nothing so exhausts
| the physical power Of a nation as a spas
modic overstraining of its energies.