The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-09-18
The nIiua system ana the Democratic

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1865.
The nnina system ana the Democratic
Ths rebellion developed n serious de.
feet in the polity of the Northern States,
viz The want of a thoroughly organized
militia equipped, drilled, and ready at any
moment to take the field and assume hos
tilitiea against an enemy. Hsd the States
of the North, at the outbreak Of the war,
possessed that complete military system
which It is now demonstrated is 80 neces-
ssry and proper, there can be little doubt
we think, that the result which it required
four years of terribls fighting to attain,
with an immense cost In men and money,
would have been reached in one-fourth the
time, and at one-tenth of the expense.
With such q militia system as We refer to,
the EoIth would have had one million of
men ready in every particular to take the
field and enter upon active duty. They
would have been thoroughly drilled, their
equipments complete, and their training as
soldiers would have given them a desire to
make their knowledge available for the
public good, and q pride to discharge faith.
fully the duties they had learned to per-
form at the public expense
But the injunction Hintime of peace pre-
pare for war" had been disregsrded, and
war came finding Us weak and u~nprepSred,
the great mass of our stslWsrt youth
knowing nothing whatever of the use of
arms, and our State armOries almost bare
of the means of defense. The material for
vast armies had 10 be created little by lit
tie, and the armies themselves tutored to
its use slowly and tediously. The first two
years were mainly employed in the work
OF discipline, Snd though battles were
fought and marches made, our gains little
more than balanced our losses, and
the work of instruction, IS the history
Of McOlellAn's camps bear witness, sscri-
feed by disease and death more men than
were lost in battle. The people became
impatient of the delays made necessary in
order 70 secure q proper discipline, and for
q time the greatest danger to the Govern.
ment seemed to be in the decentralization
! growing out of this impotence, which, but
for the gallantry and patriotic devotion
with which the army itself bore up under
reverses and hardships, might have been
found IN insurmountable obstacle 10 the
restoration of the Union. But after 30 much
sacrifice was made, the discipline sought
vas attained, and the approach to the end
was rapid and almost unobstructed.
Now we submit that had the militia
system of the North been such as it should
have been, all we accomplished could have
been reached in n year, and at one
tenth the outlay of life and money render
ed necessary to secure it situated as we
were, ifindeed the South would have dared
to venture upon q wal with the knowled ge
Of such a preparation. And we assert
that it is the duty of every loyal State TO
hereafter maintain within its borders an
army, drilled and equipped, which shall be
at any time available in the event of war.
The smOerAtic party, however, in pur-
lance of Its policy to weaken the power
and jeopsrdize the existence of the Gov
eminent in every possible way, is losing
no opportunity to discharge its venom
sgainst this measure for local and national
protection, and discarding sill argument,
confines itself to appeals to that most SEN
sitive item in the public regard, the cost.
It masses figures to show that the people of
Ohio are taxed q million dollars q year to
pay military Communication, and in its pre-
tended solicitqde for thepOor classes, throws
out this bait to catch their support,
blindly hoping that they are ~unthinking
enough 10 be caught by the magnitude of
the exhIbIt, and that they will not pause
to consider the true character of the device.
We have too much confidence in the intel
ligence of the masses to believe they can
be deluded by any such hypocrisy. The
contingency of war, it is well established,
Issomething that nations cannot lose sight
OF without laying themselves liable at
all times to impositions and abuse, and the
ability at hand to resent insult, repel
violence, and assert the national dignity
and authority is the surest means to pre-
vent the occurrence of war. In the Old
World this is an established political posi-
ton, and it cannot be asserted that the
United States is so free from the elements
of trouble as TO discard the wholesome and
well-iounded practices of other nations.
Individually, it costs the people but q
pittance to maintain upon a firm and solid
footing smilitAry establishment ct all times
equal to any emergency that may arise
calling for its use, and there is no man SO
thoughtless but he can see that the security
thus guaranteed him for life and property
is worth ten-fold the value of his annual
contribution 70 its support. The miserable
e4pedient of the Democracy, headed by
George w. Morgan, to gain adherents by
~denouncing so necessary q measure of
public safety, beneficial not less to the poor
man than to the rich, should, and we be-
lieYe will, be spurned by the people as but
q part of the common purpose of that
party to discredit and destroy the Govern
ment of the nation.