Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-11-17
Their victory.

McSSrS AhonuonlstS, you nave won the
election. We shall not now inquire by what
agencies. \ short time will reveal them,
and disclose also the appropriate action to
be taken by your opponents in relation there
to- Suppose, however, that your triumph
is a Legitimate one, honestly obtained that
it is the deliberate expression of majority
of the people unnhnenced by intimidation,
bribery, the enormous patronage of the adj
ministraton, withits hordes of subordinatos,
and that fraud and falsohood have not been
chief contributors to the result, - what then
arc you going to do with your victory? What
is it in your possession?
You won similar one four years ago, |
Mcssrs. Aboltionists. What did you do
with it? In all candor, did it not conduct
you to the assets which your triumph of the
sth inst. leave still in your hands for brief
period? What are these? a war; which
will require for its prosecution under your
management even for one years contin-
uance, further conscription of at least five
hundred thousand men, and to obtain these
the calls must be for nearly double the
amount The calls will be made, and the
conscription ordered and enforced, and your
selves, in proportion to your numbers, will
be the victims of that CONSUMPTION. This is
one of the results which will follow from
your victory and your use of it. Do nottcll
us YOU are content We know, and you
know, that you do not tell the truth when
you say so. The leading newspaper in your
party but few weeks ago tauntcd you with
'raking the cutters for substitutes, hunting
Europe for merccnaries, and enlisting ignor
ant and degraded negroes to supply your
places in the ranks" These cannot here
after be so easily obtained.
You have also national debt which is
variousy estimated at from three to five
hundred thousand millions of dollars. This
debt is accumulating at the rate of three
millions of dollars per day. What are you
going to do with it? The credit of the gov
ernmcnt is sinking daily. Are you intend
ing to pay that debt? How are you goins
to do it? Will you add to the taxation whicl
is already imposed upon every necessary o
life? Do you not know that the nation i
already taxed to the extent which the peo
pie can bear? Will you continue to ad,
three millions of dollars each day to thcdcbt
and do you hope to meet the addition by
proportionate increase Of taxation2 lfyoI
do not expect thus to meet it, how will yoi
provide for it?
You have, as one of the results of the vic
tory gained by you four years ago, q pape
currency which has driven gold and silvc
from circulation The latter are no longc
mediums of exchange, but are, as they eve
We're and ever will be, standards of value -
They aflx the price Of government paper
day by day, and your currency is now wortl
forty cents on the dollar 1t will speedily
sink to thirty, and from thence to nothing
under the certainty that the continuance o
the war will compel II further increase, anC
will also lessen the capacity of the nation t.
redeem. How are you going to prevent it
depreciation? Can you tell ? You know
you cannot The leaders and newspapers o
your party know they dare not thcmselvc
contemplate, much less warn their follower
and readers against the consequences whicl
currency to worthlessncss.
You are now elatcd boastful, and cxtrav
arant in your flush of triumph. 1t is per
haps somewhat rude and unkind to awakcl
you from the dreams induced by your sue
cess to the realities of your victory; to tn
ghastly facts which it represents to you TO
consideration aud action. You have n
'plans" as to their adjustment. Your eadc
says he has not attempted to control them
and conicsscs he has been CONTROLLED by them
You have sought to obtain and have achieve
responsibilities which you cannot compr,
hcnd, much less discharge, and which, COZ
sequcntly, will sooner or later result in
curse to yourselves and the nation intcrostc
in their proper iulimcnt
Mcssrs, Aholitionists, your army contra'
tors and navy agents, your provost marshal'
assessors and collectors, your treasury agent
and loyal" spectators, your apostates ic
greed, your aspirants for office lifted frol
obscurity To prominence by blatant dcmagog
ism, these, described by the leader in tn
conservative wing of your party as "th
the places of power and dellcd them will
its reek and offensive odor, are most jubi
liant to day. They form large portion o
your party, but back of them are the people
whom they have dcludcd and deceived
How long, think you, can the deception
be mantained2 Win not the misery i'm
pending lead the people to closer exami
nation Of the statements and pledges Of you
party? When the advance in prices of oo
and clothing and fuel, which will attend tn
decline in paper, shall bring suffering I
their homes, will they not inquire the caus,
When II sweeping and relentless conscril
ton shall again, within few months, tak
them from their families and friends to off,
them as fresh sacrifices in u war which h,
already made every house one Of mourning
will they not ask for the redemption Of III
pledge that there should not be anoth,
conscription? Who Of your leaders, whc
that demand is made, will be able To eiaculat
through white lips aud chattcring tcetl
thou cansi not say did it'2 You have We
in your victory full license to achieve yo,
own ruin in the all-cmbracing one which