The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-09-01

NAVSoOu wv ~" "l'iH"n W Nnip Dec anu
take Richmond. Lee drove him in
the first battle, and then Craft exech-
ted what you call q brilliant flank
movement, and fodght Lee again
Lee drove him second time and then
Grant made another flank movement
and Sd they kept on-Lec whipping
and Grant hanking-untl Grant got
where he is now. And what is the net
result? Grant has lost seventy five or
eighty thousand men-more than Lee
had at the outsct-and is no nearer
taking Richmond than at first; and
Lee, whose front has never been bro
ken, holds him completely in check,
and has men enough to spare to invade
Maryland and threaten Washington.
Sherman, to be sure, is before Atlanta;
but suppose he is, and suppose he
takes it. You know that the farther
he goes from his base Of supplies, the
weaker he grows, and the more disas-
trous defeat will be to him, and defeat
may come. So, in military view, /
should certainly say our position was
better than yours. ut.
"As 10 money, we are richer than
you are. You smile. But admit that
our paper is worth nothing, it answers
as circulating medium and we hold
it all ourselves. If every dollar Of it
were lost, We shonld, as we have no
foreign debt, be none The poorer. But
it is worth something it has u solid
basis of a large cotton crop, while
yours rests on nothing, and you owe
all the world. AS to resoul ces, we do
not lack for arms or ammunition. and
we have still wide territory from
which to gather supplies. So you see
we arc not in eXtremeiies. But if We
were-if we were without money,
without food, without woapons-if our
whole country were devastated, and
our armies crushed and disbandoned-
could we, without giving up our man
hood, give up our right to govern our
selves? Would you not rather die
and feel yourself man than live and
be subject to foreign power?
"From your standpoint there is force
in what you say" replied the Colonel.
but we did not come here to argue
with you, Mr.. Davis. We came hop
ing to find some honorable way to
peace, and am gricved to hear you
say what YOU do. When have seen
your young men dying on the battle
field, and your old men, women and
children, starving in their homes, /
have felt that l could risk my life to
save them. For that reason | am here
and am gricved, grieved that there is
no hope"
Il know your motives, Col. Jaques,
and | honor you for them; but what
can | do more than | am doing? |
would give my poor life gladly, if it
would bring peace and good will to the
two countries; but it would not. tits
they who desolate our homes, burn
our wheatficlds, break the wheels Of
wagons carrying away our women and
children, and destroy supplies meant
for our sick and wounded. At your
door lies all the misery and crime of
this war, and it is fearful, fearful ac-
count.
mot all of it, Mr.. Davis. / admit
fearful account, but it is not all at
our door. The passions of both sides
are aroused. Unarmcd men are hang
ed and prisoners are shot down in cold
blood by yourselves. Elements of
barbariSm are entering the war on
both sides that should make us-you
and me, as Christian mcn-shudder to
think of. In Gods name, then, let us
stop it. Let us do something, con-
cede something, to bring about peace.
You cannot expect with only four and
a half millions, as Mr.. Benjamin says
you have. to hold out forever against
twenty millions"
Again Mr.. Davis smiled.
ado you suppose there arc twenty
millions at the North determined TO
crush us"
81 do-to crush your government
A small number Of our people, q very
small number are your friends-Seccs
sionists. The rest differ about meas
ures and candidates, but arc united in
the determination to sustain the I'm
ion. Whoever is elected in November
he must be committed to vigorous
prosecution of tho wal
Mr.. Davis still looked incredulous,
| remarked -
at is so, sir. Whoever tells you
otherwise decoivcs you. | think |
know Northern sentiment, and l as.
sure you it is SO. You know wo have
a system of lyccum lecturing in our
large towns. AT thu chose of these lee
lures it is the custom of the people to
como upon the platform and talk with
the lecturer. This gives him an excel.
lent opportunity of learning public
sentiment! Last winter l fectured be.
fore nearly q hundred of such associa-
tions all ovcr the North--from Du.
buque to Bangor--and took pains to
ascertain tho feeling of the people l
found unanimous determination to
crush the rebellion and save the Union
at every sacrifice. The majority are
in favor of Mr.. Lincoln, and nearly oil
of those opposed to him arc opposed
to him because tEcy think he does not
fight you with enough vigor. Tho ra-
dical Republicans, who go for slave suf-
rage and confscation, are those who
will defeat him, ifhe has to be defeat.
ed. But if he is defeated before the
people, the House will elect worse