The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-09-09
Another Richmond View.
The Critical Stage OF the War...Cau.
ton and Patience Needed..The Ap.
preaching Union Draft...The PeO-
pie Of the south Heartily Sick
the War. &c. ftIU. r u.H

preaching Union Draft...The PeO.
pie Of the south Heartily Sick o
the War, &c. r
From the Richmond Sentinel August 20.
We have arrived at very critical stage
of the war, and calm circumspection, eau.
ton and patient endurance are needed tc
carry us successfully through it. tt
weather the next six weeks will be most
difficult task for the North. She is vel
aware of this, and will no doubt be very
busy in endeavOring to entrap us into
hasty compromises, concessions or admis-
sions that may deprive us of the vantage
ground which We are likely to attain in
less than two months. Within that time
it is not at all improbable that the armies
of Grant, Sherman and Sheridan, by
losses in battle and by other causes, will
have been almost annihilated. Within
that time it is almost certain that the ap-
preaching Chicago Convention will have
thrown its apple of discord and destruc-
ton into the already distracted and dis
cordant ranks of the North. It may sug-
gest terms of honorable peace. At least
it will be sure to endeavOr to battle rather
than promote the peculiar war policy OF Lin
coin, because it believes that his war pol
icy is equally directed against the liberty
OF the North and the independence of the
South. Let US await patiently the results
of that Convention before finally commit
ting ourselves to any specific terms OF
peace for they have much to fear from
that result, we nothing to apprehend from
it. 1t may impede, thwart or embarrass
the plans and purposes OF the war party at
the North. 1t may make their situation
worse but cannot affect ours.
Let us wait, too, the experiment of the
impending draft. If it fails, the North
will be almost without an army, and we
should be sure of better terms of peace
than we could now even hope for. That
it will fail, at least partially, seems to be
expected or apprehended by all parties,
even among themselves. 1t may give rise
to mobs, riots, revolutionary outbursts and
civil war in that section. 1t will certainly
increase and excerbate the hatred of New
York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the
Northwest towards New England The
former States and section sustain this war
as a matter of honor, New England as
source of wealth. She is growing richer
and richer every day by its prosecution,
while they are being impoverished by it.
We believe according to the duello code,
the requirements of honor are satisfied
when blood (however little) has been
drawn. These States and that section
have shed whole oceans Of it. Neither the
code of honor nor the dictates of the most
generous magnanimity require that they
should shed more To do so would be
savage brutality, not generous chivalry.
They should say, and might say most truly
to New England, ''You brought on this war.
1t is your war. You have made millions
of money by it. We made common cause
with you, for we felt that the storming of
Fort Sumpter was an insult we could not
bear-an insult to the whole North. But
it was mere insult, and one which New
England men and measures compelled the
South to offer u.s. We have shed enough
blood and lost or expended enough treas
ure to wipe off thousand such insults.
We can bear and suffer no more to satiate
your hatreds and build up your wealth,
whilst by so doing we are wasting our own
lives, wasting our own treasure, running
ourselves and entailing hopeless poverty
on our posterity. This draft we will not
bear!" Even if any one State should
take the stand we suggest, the further
prosecution OF the war would be hopeless,
for other States would soon follow the ex-
ample.
But suppose the draft succeeds. 1t will
only put in raw, undiciplined, reluctant
recruits and mercenary substitutes to sup
ply the places of volunteer veterans. We
shall be better situated to treat for peace
after the draft than now, even it succeed.
There will be long interval or gap Of
time between the enIisting of drafted men
and the making soldiers of them wherein
We may carry on the war to advantage or
treat for peace on fair and equal terms.
In the meanwhile the expiratiOns of the
terms of service of their three years vete-
rams and one hundred days men will be
continually weakening them and strength
ening US. Their currency, too, is sure
to grow continually worse, and without
money-money that is really current
they cannot long prosecute the war. Our
currency is fast and steadily improving,
and congress-, at It's next session, mas only
boldly to proceed with the stringent meas
ures it has already inaugurated to relieve
us in a short time of all difficulty as to
money matters.
Six weeks hence we are almost sure to
be in much better condition to treat for
peace than we are now, and our enemy in
a much worse condition. Within that time
it may be that we shall have defeated and
gotten rid of the armies of Grant, Sherman
and Sheridan, capturing part Of them and
expelling the balance from our territory.
Six weeks hence, instead of waging defen-
sive warfare, we may be invading the enc
my's soil and carrying on offensive war
fare. We have little to apprehend and
much to hope within that period. Time is
victory to us and death to our enemies. We
are heartily sick and tired of this long
bloody and cruel war so are all our people
But let us cautiously beware, lest oul
anxiety for peace should give our cum
ming and wary enemy the opportunity
to overreach and entrap us into improper
concessions. At no time during the wa
have We stood on such high vantag,
ground. At no time have we had 81
e o,r1 rooeOn IN insist IN III =