Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-03-17
pence and the price of Gold

There Il a great and prevailing ml-conception
as to the effect Of peace on the monetary con
Germs Of the country. II is supposed that should
the pending campaigns in Virginia and the Carp
l.nas be successlul. The var would be substan-
TALLY ended The first expected consequence OF
this success - great and immediate reduction
in the expenses OF the government This anti
cipated reduction begins already To be discounted
in advance Gold falls under lie influence AT
important victory by sherman, or by Grant.
would cause prices 70 dip. Tor a moment, Ike
bows kite in a sudden gust of wind
But let "a not deceive ourselves.
Peace With the south will come in no such
shape, nor be followed by any such immediate
consequences. 90 are implied in the idea of peace
at the close OF foreign VAT. peace made BY
US with foreign nation does no, include, but
precludes, our military occupation of their cOun
try Who believes that We can safely withdraw
our armies after the subiugation OF the SOUTH
When We make peace with foreign nation We
depend upon the faith of It's still existing gov
erDment TO control It's 0wa population by It's OVID
military force, alike fer the preservation Of do
nestle order and the protection Of ourselves
against aggression Elements of turbulence, re-
suting. in the main. from unextinguished hos
tility to the Union. will keep that section in com
motion, as the waves OF the ocean continue 10
roll after the storm has spent ice force
tered over 80 vast an area. 70 be CONTROLLED The
emancipation experiment alone may heave
southern society Ike an earthquake. The dis
banding and scattering OF the southern armies s
sufficient alone to jeopardze the tranquility oil
the south for years The southern whites never
had any regular habits of industry into which
they will es,ly fall back when their soldering il
over They are far more likely To break ~
into bands OF despersdoes than 10 dep0rt them
selves az quiet citizens They will Turk in the
mountains and forests of that extensive region
prowling about the settlements. and indemnify
ing themselves for the loss of their slaves by
maraudng on the crops Of the freedmen If We
leave the south with arms and a military organ
ization efficient enough to suppress such disor-
ders, what warrant have we that it will not, on
the frs. favorable occasion, be turned against
ourselves Quis custodes custOdief' A south
ern military force. permitted Tor the purpose OF
preserving internal order, would need a northern
army of observation to keep il in subsection.
Ii is apparent, from these considerations, that
whatever NAV be the success OF our arms in the
spring campaign We cannot. in a long time, safe
ly disband our armies Ii the southern forces
break up into guerrilla bands. it will require
more troops to occupy aud hold the country than
it did to subdue it; just ne could have fought
southern navy to greater advantage than We
sive privsteers When southern troops are col
ected in q body we know whittier TO direct our
march, and can make tOlerable estimate of the
force are likely TO encounter. But in giving
chase over wide expsnse OF broken and wood
ed country, 10 guerrilla parties that can suddenly
unite for an onset, aud as suddenly scatter foI
safety we shall be liable 20 be always out in our
reckoning. 1t will be transfer to land, with
new actors and scenery. of the old play of "hide
and 60 seek" on the ocean. where a great navy
vas so long baffied by few buccaneers.
But il our armies are not dsbanded, how are
our expenses to be lightened7 This question
hies, like an arrow, straight to the heart of the
subject The cost of an army is not in proper
ton TO its liability to pitched battles, but II
proportion to its numbers and its mobility
Whether soldiers fight or merely march and biv
ouac. they must, in either case. equally eat ano
be paid. Until somebody shows Us that we car
prudently disband our armies after one more sue
eessiul campaign, it is not safe TO look upon the
close OF such 4 campaign as the termination o.
our military burdens In our reasonings abou
peace we are unconciously misled by false an
slogy between civil and foreign war The
treaty of peace by which foreign war is ended
closes the whole thing up at once.
The government with which We treat becomes
responsible for the hostile population whose con
duet it can biud. But in the present case, We
overthrow the government. and substitute for il
our own rule, Co which no submission will be ren-
deTed as OF right, but only such as we can extorr
by eompulsion.
Il hence follows that any fall in gold based
upon the expectation of an early reduction oil
our military expenses will be but a Temporary
prelude to a new disappointment. The hope OF
a better currency must, for the present, resi-
mainly on the financial wisdom of the new secre
tarv Of the treasury. But Mr.. McCuloch is sc
new to the office tina, this ground of confidence
requires the confirmation of some further tes
of his oua lity-N World