Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-08-13
The Call for half a Million of
Men-AnotherY Year ofWar.


The Call for half Million of
Men-Another Year ofWar.
The Presidents call for half a million
of men is construed by unthinkng people
to mean that we are going to have o more
vigorous prosecution oi the war right off,
and that the new and extraordinary force
will come in in time to help Grant put the
finishing touch to the rebellion at the close
of the present campaign. Nothing could
be further from the fact. The call is, on
the contrary,a confession that the military
operations Of 1864 have in the aggregate
failed, and that another army must be
formed to renew the struggle next spring.
Troops raised between this time and fall
can be OF little use in the present campaign,
The Tribune recognizes this, saying:
Since it became apparent that more
troops would be needed, there has been no
time TO summon them into the service in
season for employment this year. The
men will not be collected into regmental
oranizatons till October at the earliest,
and will remain in service during next
summer.
The Springfield Republican, smother ad-
ministration paper, thus spoke in advance
and on the eve of the call
Some Union presses arc again urging
the President to call for half million oil
Volunteers, and exhorting the whole peo-
pie to devote themselves to war till the
rebellion is chrushed out. We should
have unlearned such lollics by this time.
War can never be conducted successfully
in this way. Half a million Of volunteers
could not be organized, equipped and put
into the field before the campaign Tor this
year is at an end, and to maintain such
gigantic armies for another year, with the
better portion of our able. bodied men
withdrawn from productive labor, WOULD
EXHAUST OUR RESOURCES AND BRING US
TO BANKRUPTCY VERY RAPIDLY.
Nor is there any promise of success in
such q measure. We have now twice as
many men under arms as the rebels, and
if this number is kept good they can bring
the war to close just as soon as it could
be dono with double that number, and with
vastly less sacrifice of men and means--
We have had quite too many of these
spasms.
Still another administration paper, the
New York evening Post, has leading cd
itorial on the call to which we would call
attention OF every citizen. The Post goes
On TO speak of what one hundred thous-
and men might accomplish if we had them
ready for the field now as we ought to have,
and says:
But the shape in which the President
has chosen to put his demand is, We are
constrained to say, pretty sure to do the
very reverse. TO threaten premptory
draft now, when everybody believes the
war is nearly ended to demand men for
three years when the struggle should be
and must be over in six months to call
for half million men when the country
had rightly or wrongly Imagined that q
hundred thousand would suffice to termi
mated the struggle, this does appear to us
to misunderstand the spirit of the Ameri.
can people, and to blunder
This is apparent in the first place, be-
cause it is sure to be misunderstood by all
our enemies abroad and at home. 1t will
be received as confession of weakness and
not as a sign Of strength (; it will be regar-
ded as compliment to the resisting pow
sr Of the rebels it will be quoted as an
official acknowledgement that unless our
army, already so vast, is made stronger
by half a million of men, we shall fail
In the second place because, instead o
stirring the hopes and reviving the en-
thnsiasm o! the people, il rather depresse.
them, it gives voice to the doubtcrs, and
sildnces those who never doubted before
of our succe'. In great crisis like this
it is important to keep up the spirit Of the
people, to maintain their hopcfulness, t.
new Efforts. BUT THIS PROCLAMA.
TlON, tOl.D LlFELESS, RIGID
BOUND ROUND WITH RED TAPE
CLOTHED IN THE FOHMAL Ian
GUAGE OF THE BUREAU, SOUNDS
AS THO IT'S AUTHOR THO'T THE
PEOPLE GOULD BEAR TO BE
CHILLED AND DISHEARTENED.-
Its tore is NOT that of chief OF repub
lie calling upoa his fell ow citizens 10 sup.
port cause in which all are alike interes
ted, BUT RATHER 1T Is THE TONE
OF A EUROPEAN SOVEREIGN
TELLING HIS SUBJECTS WHAT He
REQUIRES OF THEM.
This burning language, dear reader, il
from the New York Evening Post, ono O
the most powerful of the administration
journals.
Sill another administration paper, tht
New York Commercial Advertiser of las
evening thus addresses itself to the call
The uthor Of the bogus proclamation
has had the satisfaction of seeing all tn,
main features of that document ratified
by the President,and can now Justly CLAIM
release from Fort Lafayette
We have had the proclamation for ada,
of fasting and prayer, and now comes tn,
call for more troops-the only differenc,
in the call being that Towards was issu
OIL