The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1864-07-06
Tn. End OF the War.

nrobable results OF the war, anu PIe'ens 'uSA
from having a correct and impartial judgment
,espscting It's duration and fnsl adjustment
The irst class are loyal men, who see In every
succsss of our armies the assurance that the
next one. or the one thereafter, will surely be
the fnal victory of the war " the backbone Of
the rebellion is already broken; and they can
tell you with the greatest confidence that hicn-
mond will surely be taken BY the Fourth oil July
This class of people are those who expect that
great veteran armies, like that OF Lee, trained oy
Years of labor, aud suffering, ard daring, eau be
dragged" as they express it, BY single mill
tary maneuver, which, perhaps, has been studied
out with much acuteness, in their editorial sanct-
nm. With these people every new success, like
that of Donelson, or New Orleans, or VIcksourg,
ia the certain iorerunner Of 6naI victory They
are also great magnl6ers Of our own successes,
believing With ease the most exaggerated re-
ports without evidence, if they are only on the
loyal side.
This hopefulness Of feeling might be regarded
a. harmless, we're il not that it begeIs feverish
and restless state Of the public mind, which ex
acts unreasonable things Of the Administration
and Of its Generals, censuring them for not do
ing things which were impossible to De done I'M
der the circumstances, aud impAiriug public con
fdence in our military commanders as being un-
faithful or inco ApetenE Persons ~ho have thus,
without sufficient reason, been led to hope
much. and have been often sappointed, are IL
able 10 fail away to the other extreme, and be
leve that because the progress of the war has
not Deen what they hoped for, its further pros
ecution will be useless and uuavailiDg.
The other class Of people who mislead and
delude the public are the editors OF Comprehend
papers. aud the orators and takers who retail
among the people the statements OF those papers
The conductors OF these papers hate the loya
s4as4 With a perfect hatred. which Is developed
in mavuifying all the successes of the rebels: in
quoting from rebel newspapers exaggerated
statements of our losses aud Of rebel advantages
in prasing the vaor, skill and heroism OF rebe
generals in disparsging criticisms oil the con
duct of our generals, trying to impair or destroy
all confidence in their ability and integrity il
often repeated aud confident assertions that the
rebellion never can be put down: in never ceas
ing assaults upon the public credit, and the mos
confident predictions Of national bankruptcy: IL
extravaganza praises of such "patriOts as Val
landgham and Wood, and the vllest abuse o
every Democrat who gives his soul and energies
for the prosecution Of the war. These men strive
willfully and Indignantly, to lead the public II
false conclusions for the promotion of party ends
The bitterness of party feeling eats out wha
little Of patriotism might have once existed il
their hearts: and not few of them have grin
and malignant JOY in being able to tell you tina
graanbacks are worth 0"iy iVrSy s>-su CENTS, anC
Sherman has been defeated with loss of S,00(
men. Ii Shermaus loss were 80, 900 aud greer
backs were worth only four cents each, instead
of mourning over these facts as patriots, the.
would exult in them as partizans, al a means o
the overthrow Of the Black Republicans.
Those, therefore, who would come to correc
conclusions concerning the war, must study thei
subject, not from the sensation headings OF news
papers, paraded in great letters for the purpos
of enabling the newsboy to make greater sales
or to throw odium on political party, but iron
two very different sOurces-the dictates OF com
mon sense, and the lessons OF history.
We learn from these, that among civilized ma
tons, wars cannot last always and the create
the vigor with which they are prosecuted, III
SOONER they come to al end. They come L
an end in one of two ways; by treaty Of peace
or by the subjugation of one of the beligereu
parties. Now as to making peace with the reb
els, We have heretofore discussed the questio
at length; and We need only observe, that n
peace is pos 10 because no common terms ca
be agrevu on. We offer the rebels peace o
ccldiGiOn of thrOWing down their arms aud sub
hitting to their lawful government. This the
will not do. They offer US peace on condtio
of acknowledging their independence as a gres
saveholding empire, making our republic INT
two nations, with a prospect of often renewe
wars between them through all future age:
This We will not consent TO. NineGeen,twen
ueshs OF the people OF the loyal States, if IN
vote were taken to-day, would be unanimous i
maintaining the unity of the great American ma
ton at any expense OF blood and treasure whic
might be necessary.
If, then, there can be no peace between th
rebels and their lawful government, there mus
continue 70 be contest of force; and in thi
contest, as they cannot subdue US, We shall con
quer them, if we press the war With sueicien
energy to its final issue. To say that any con
siderable united people cannot be conquered is
simple absurdty. Within the last hundre
years, we have seen Poland, Hungary, Holland
Spain and Italy ruled by foreign princes: and il
1914, two foreign Emperors in Paris, dictate,
terms OF peace to thirty millions of warlk,
Frenchmen. Any nation or people can be con
quered by the application of sufficient physica
force tor sufficient length of time.
II the further inquiry be made, why we bav,
not already conquered the rebels, the answer i
that We have not yet fulfilled the prereouisit,
conditions OF conquest War between two peo
pies struggling for national existence is no child
play. IL is death grapple of the parties. l
IS death struggle. We are not to suppos,
that when We put our hand upon the throat o
the Southern Confederacy, that she will allou
herself to be choked to death without rssistanc,
to the utmost extent of her power We mus
strike her awful blows, not once or twice only
but hundred or thousand times, until her vi
taiity shall be so exhausted that the last blo-
VIII De fatal. We may take an illustration from
'oe contest between Heenan and King. Kin,
might have struck Heensn a hundred beav,
blows before ne struck the last; and every on,