St. Cloud Democrat., 1865-11-30

NO. 19.
were dying her sumachs their matchless
crimson, her hickeries with their burnish-
ed gold, her naples with their dapr!ed
splendors, and tufting her green sward
with the yellow fern, were scarce more
composed as they pursued their labors be-
meath that billowy mantle CT mist. than
the passengers, who were 40 longer paas-
ing, hut waiting for their trunks. and the
employees who were employed in making
the transfer.
Saturday morning at six o'clock We left
the bridge still burning, and supposed that
on Monday morning when returning. va
should have the pleasure of clamberine
around the ruin and 50 We watched and
waited for the summons to change cars
but on We went one way, while houses,
farms, fences, barns, trees, woodlands.
meadows. hills and valleys went rushing
madly in the opposite direction and | kent
| thinking chow far is it to the bridge.
Bridge indeed The last l saw of II. il
was blazing, crackling throwing lurid
glances into the damp white world around.
and evidently trying to get up sensation
and cutting off communication or some
! thing OF that nature. It's effort had been =
failure. Nobody had heard of i:-nobodv
spoke Of it-no halt in honor of its memo
ry! For all could see, there was no .eyi.
dence OF It's ever having been, or ceased to
oe. The white mis,s, too. and the chill
| from the air were gone; bat their works
| remained IN the gorgeous iints which fash
| ell back the early sunlight. Cerainly our
war has been great educator Of the peo-
pie at large: but no other portion of them
more than railroad men and travellers and
| If taking things coolly is the test of good
! breeding. We will soon be able to furnish
| the world with models Of '.deportment,
which even ''the Prince might condescend
! to notice.
The part of Pennaylyania and MARYLAND
| traversed ~ this road is succession Of
superb landscapes, tee,ning with beauty
and wealth, natural and cultivated: and
nothing could more forcibly illustrate the
madness Of secession and disunion than the
| lnpereeptible passage from State to State.
where not even civulet marks the diyidin0
line, where soil, climate, and the natural
and artificial features Of the landscape are
identical, or overlap and blend like the COL
ors in the rainbow.
The managers Of the road have followed
the good example of the Pennsylvania
Central IN stone-ballasting and stone-br1dp-
ing their route; and it travellers BY it did
not have to 60 through Baltimore it would
be all one could desire; but, now that the
war is over, could not ''the Great West''
conquer way TO the Capitol, without par
ing II1Ouso tv- tsse ..v1rumeuI3I I1nu sharks?
Is it fixed fact that Washington Is always
to be forty miles beyond Baltimore? Is
the capital Of the nation always to be in q
foreign land, to be defended against q ma
,ority Of its native born citizens by forts
and cannon and men, brought and kept at
a great expense, from their homes! Is the
wealth of our country always to be expend-
ed in city wherethe people of the country
are spoke:s Of as ''strangers" and ihtru-
ders ? VIII the people abandon this mis-
era5iy chosen site, or open such commun1-
cation with it as will make it represents
tive o; their institutions, Of their idea Of
Government! As it now is, it is q most
fruitful source OF corruption to the nation.
Its anti-Republican, anti democratic anti
Christian influence is incalculable, is 80
PERM nicious, that all the material wealth Of
the people here accumulated, would be q
small price to pay for spot where our
Government might CT, stalize with unstain-
ei earth beneath her feet, and q pure sky
overhead
This soil is 80 accursed by the bleod and
tears and swea: Ct the slave, that thorns
and thistles it must bring forth for centu-
~ longer at least. This air has been 30
burdened, so clogged BY the sizhing Of the
needy, By the groans Of the oppressed, BY
the agoniziug prayers aud despairing i'm
precautions of crushed and breaking hearts,
by cursings and blas2he1nies and false
oaths, by TIE clam; Of chains and the crack
of the lash, that Gods sunlight cannot dis
pei the mists in hundred years. No
Northern community has any idea of the
enormities which have been perpetrated
here, and for which the nation is RESPONSE
ble. None has any just conception Of the
physical curse and moral taint which re-.
main, and which cannot be wholly eradi-
Gated in this nor the next generation; a
taint which, seated as It is in the heart Of
the nation, must diffuss itself through eye-
ry artery and vein.
The oooi impertinonce With which the
rebel natives demand and receive lucrative
places under Government, while speaking Of
the defenders Of that Government as .sstraa-
gers" and s'Lincoln's rabble," il something
refreshing. The horde of traitors who are
and have been paid fat salaries out of the
peoples money, Is something appalling.
Army officers here generally acquire the
air of South Carolina overseers, and pri-
va:e soldiers are regarded as . step or two
in advance Of slaves. How should it be
otherwise where s'society" takes its tone
from u party which uniformly opposed the
right of soldiers te vote!
The people OF tha country have greatly
congratulated themselves On the transfor-
nation Of the s)avc-pcas in this region.
know not tc what special use they are all
now put; but TIE principal one in Alexan-
dria has been converted into prison.
place Of torture and inquisitorial death
for unicn soldiers. Recently, for some
tri1ng offense. one was placed in 'sthe
shower bath' within its walls until he was
taken out dead; death or protracted ILL.,
ness from torture inflicted there is reported
as no uncommon occurrence. The defend
ers of our Government could not thus be
treated within sight OF its Canitol If that
Capitol we're on american soil-where
Americans would not he aliens end intrud-
ers among q native population Of traitors,
who were too cowardly to fght for their
treason, and hordes of rebels who left it to
cast their lots with secession, and have re-
turned in search Of last ditch in the Fed
eral offices where they now propose to die.
JANE G. SWISSHELM. =,
LATEST FROM A. WAaD-Ths last efFu-.
sion Of the renowned Artemrs No hare not
yet seen in print. It is said that A. W.