The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-09-06


with mack Of cards hardly feels more foolish when
.ome person strikes against the table which 1t is
erected and tumblcs IL on the floor than we sup
pose the constructors Of that grand edee the Chi
caro- Convention,-huilt with 80 much difficulty
ana At such cost Of brains-to have looked when
the news Of the operations at Atlanta reached
them upon their arrival at their homes. 1t
has blown them and THEN schemes "sky-heh /.
sky-hixhl" as John Randolph said OF the
effect Of some political torpedo which he once
threw into the ranks Of his opponents IL may
be expected that should express some sorrow iof
them but of all the results likely to follow ffom
sheIman's temporary success, this Is Tue one
which We least deplore. The Chicago Conveh''''
was designed to aid one party IN turning out All
other and in obtaining possession Of the onces anu
money Of the Government for the use OF the sie.o-
.ious party. IL traded on "peses ana 1'a''
rights" as catching cries, and as II ~euid nave
traded on anything that would have broush'
price The peace the Chicago Convention meant
has now been sufficiently explained IN Its platform
II means precisely such peace as lAncoln is "ii-
ling TO give us peace condition Of absolute sur
render: and on no other terms whatever We are
TO go into convention i'll which We shall assurediy
be overwhelmed by the majority, and back into the
Union, TO receive precisely the treatment which
made Us leave it in the first instance. 1t Is all
"Cnion, Union" That is regarded by the poll
ticians Of Chicago as the ultimate object Of al
their exertions, in the attainment OF which the
sacrifice of free government and personal liberty
are matters Of such small Importance as scarcely 10
deserve consideration. The "Union" Is the entire
burden Of their song, the alpha and omega, the be-
ginning and the end, of all their political movements
II they can lure u. back into the Union with them,
they will be delighted receive We shall then
60 over again the same old that used to be
pea.ed every winter, and would every winter again
for the next two hundred years, if We CHANGED to
exist so long. Not a word about reparatioI; not
word about our Government not a word about the
night of secession which lies at the base Of all our
differences. If they cannot have the Union restored,
there Is not word to show that they Will not be
prepared to wage war as reentlessiy as Lincoln is
waging it now They offer no terms which We can
embrace; they propose no basis on which We can
even meet them They say not one word as to our
separate existence ahd indeed, it does not appear
to have entered the mind Of anybody at the Conven
ton In a word, the whole affair was speculation
from beginning to end and if the operations at At
lanta have no worse effect than making short work
Of the concern, they will have been Of serious bene-
it to the Confederate States.
For the anticipation Of what this Convention was
to do for us has wrought change in our people
which, if it be INDUCED in to much greater extent,
will do for the enemy what Grant has been unable
to do and what Sherman, though more successful
than Grant, will in like manner be unable to effect
1t has created general belief that shortly to
have peace although most certainly, the signs never
have appeared more warlike than they have done
throughout this summer. The country has again
been indulging in those foolish dreams which were
VI the era in which Cotton was sup
posed to be King and Great Britain an efficient, al
though unacknowledged ally. To use the bold fig
ure Of Patrick Henry, We have been listening to the
song Of the syren until she has almost transformed
IL. into brutes." Gentlemen" added that mighty
orator. may cry peace peace, buttheir is peace"
And so they may cry now-and 60 they have been
crying for MONTHS but We tell them now, Patrick
Henry told them then, there peace. This small
success of Sherman, magnihed by falsehood into
crushing defeat Of the rebel army will dispel that
dangerous and delusve dream rs the trumpet OF
war starts the warrior from his slunber III the midst
Of danger We shall hear yell OF exutation, and
cry for more blood from twenty millions Of throats
and then shall to doubt and once more APP
Ply ourselves seriously to the business OF For
III that alone Is safety 1t is proper that should
look our situation resolutely in the face We have
Yet to fight probably, many battles before We can
hope to be let alone. The heart Of the Yankee
nation is bent upon making q conquest Of our
country firmly at this moment it
ever has been. If their resolution has ever
Ialtered, it has been only when they have
met with succession Of bloody defeats and have
Rpprehended that the enterprise would not pay.
But the slightest success has always been sufficient
to make them as eager for conquest ever We
tan only hope for peace by continuing to battle
shall open their eyes to the utter hopelessness Of the
task they have undertaken And that time will
and must come at last for they have already made
their greatest effort and they make such
another. Let US not, therefore, be downcast. When
we commenced this We, of course, expected that
is fortune would be varied, and made up our minds
10 meet all Its changes with eQuanimity. Let US
act now be disheartened by a single reverse, which
ails far short of disaster but bend up our minds
to the task that is before US. We must reinforce
General Hood. If he be not the right man i'll the
light place, We must change him and try some other.
In the meantime, the army Is not lost and as long
Ia that remains entire, there i'd much to hope, and
40 reason To despair. We are engaged in a struggle
Which cannot afford 10 lose and, therefore, this
5 time 10 be downcast.