The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-04-13
The End Approach eS.

Last week we greeted our readers Win
the gratifying announcement OF the fall OF
Richmond. That was conside red about as
good a piece of news as we could give, but
even that is thrown into the shade by the
glorious intelligence which we are able to
give this week-the surrender of Gen. Lee
and his whole army to the invincible hosts
of Grant. We believe, now, there is no
prematurity in the declaration that ''the
end approaches" The main hope of jeff
Davis for his bogus confederacy was in the
Generalship of Gen. Lee and the Army of
| Virginia that he comma nded. Both are in
our hands, and Davis himself is a fugitive,
thus publicly acknowledging that there IS
no more hope for secession.
We are not surprised or over elated at
this final consummation. We have never
for one moment doubted the result of this
struggIe-not SO much on account of supe-
rior numbers or superior strength, as on ac-
count of the business of our strug gle. We
had Justice, Liberty, Freedom and Christi
anity on our side, and therein lay our supe-
rior strength as a people, and our individu
confidence and trust We fully believe in
and acknowledge the overriding hand OF
Providence in the affairs of men. We be-
lieve that ''the battle is not to the strong,
but that He gives the victory to whom ii
wills. We believe that seven millions OF
people united in struggle for their own
liberty and their just rights in the sight OF
Heaven are unconquerable. But the pres
emf, on the part of the rebels has been no such
struggle 1t has been the effort of the few
thousand Shareholders and aristocrats to
destroy popular and benehcient Govern
ment with all its cherished and Free lnstltu-
tions-to establish on the ruins OF such a
government an absolute monarchy Or the
rule of slave Oligarchy, even worse than
any absolute monarchy; with slavery, as
they wickedly and boastfully claimed for
its chief corner stone. Another object was
to vindicate by the prowess of arms. in the
sight of nations, their system of human
chattelism, and their ability to nationalize
it, in spite of the moral disapprobation of
the civilized world All these ends have
ingloriously to the rebels and their abettors
and sympathizers, but gloriously for the
cause of Justice and Human Rights in the
world, most signalIy failed.
Henceforth, this Government, founded by
) the heroes and sages of the Revolution, will
be established on frmer and more indie
structible basis, purged and purified from that
element of self destruction, and foul blot up
on its escutcheon, African Slavery, with all
its, fostering and corrupting wickedness.
This publication has cost enormous sacri-
; fces-sacrifces of hosts of precious lives,
and millions of treasure-tears and groans ,
broken and bleeding hearts-but who shall
say that the result is not worth the sacri-
ce ? In the long ages that are to come, for
this glorious Republic, founded henceforth,
in practice as well as theory, upon the
righteous basis of Universal liberty-of the
right of all men to Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of happiness" what vista of moral
and political progress opens to the prophetic
eye of Hope and Philanthropy
AS nation, we shall profit by this strug-
gle.
There are several lessons in national eth
les that we shall have learned through the
bitter school of experience.
We shall have it more practically i'm
pressed upon the National heart that "Eter-
nal vigilance is the price of liberty" aud
and that the safety of the Republic lies in
the intelligence of the massers." The people
must be educated.
In the rebellion now happily nearly end
ed, we may see the great danger, the i'm
inent peril, this nation has been saved from
by the intelligence of the people. AS in all
countries, there were bad and ambitious
men, even among ourselves here at the
North. who were ready to take advantage
of the rebellion to let the Union and the
Government so by default that through dis
union, division and anarchy the people
might be enslaved.
Those men were loud in their protesta-
tons against coercion-they insisted that
there was no power in the constitution to
prevent disunion-that the experiment
Of free government was failure-that the
the only antidote to southern secession was
still further secession and the formation of
a Northwestern confederacy, with New Eng
land 'left out in the cold" Especially
loud and vehement were they in the declar
alton of the impossibility of conquering the
south.
Against all those Vaccinations of the en-
emies of the Government, the intelligence
and education of the people stood an ilnpreg
nable shield and barrier. They were the
nations sure defence, always under the
overriding hand of Just and Righteous
God. But we were not going to write an
essay but to announce the grand success of
our arms, and mingle our congratulations
with our readers over the news which we
publish in another place.
success of the $50 Loan.
Our readers will notice that subscriptions
to the popular 7-30 Loan are still contin-