The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-04-18
A Few Questions solved.


Within the past twcnty.f60r hours
many falsehoods, which for years VIZ
have been patiently contradicting, have
been melted in the hot fiery crucible Of
battle, and are now dissolved, evaporat
ed and vanished. Their authors here
after will deny that they uttered them
In the amnesty for political offenses,
which the very number of the Offenders
will compel us,to issue, must be included
those who losing faith in the Republic,
have been the inventors oflies, the pro
pagators of false and discouragine
prophecies, the forboders of evil, the
slanderers Of our civil and military au-
/, thcrities, the defamers of our soldiers,
the opposers of recruiting and enlist
ment, the worshippers Of generalship
amp rebel statesmanship. The surren-
der of Richmond is their surrender.
Che capture of Petersburg and Rich
mond converts their "wisdom''into fool
ishness. Our troops are yindicated as
patriotic, our officers are sagacious, our
authorities are prudent and statesman
like, our cause asjust, our CAMPAIGN as
successful. The campaign which be-
gan when Grant crossed the Rapadan
did not end on the Po, the Pamunkey,
the James or the Appomattox. 1t ends
in Richmond. There has been no step
backward, no army wasted, but every
step taken, every lift lost, every soldier
disabled, from Spottsy lvania to Rich
mond, looms. up rs part ofthe conquer
ing ahd triumphant host which, in the
capture of Richmond, gave the finish
ING, blow. to the rebellion. Had not
Lees army been throttled and halfdes-
troyed in the forty-five days battle
which began on the Rapidan and end
ed in front of Petersburgh the subse-
quent history of the war would never
have taken the turn it has. The other
armies Of the Confederaoy would not
have been stripped of men to defend
Richmond. Sherman could never have
made his marches, Thomas, Terry Scho-
field, and Sheridan would not have won
their victories. The spirit of the rebel
lion was really staggered, shattered,
and shivered in that bitter and expen-
sive conflict. Without Spottsylvania
we could not have had the Union.
Every martyr of that bitter and bloody
campaign as he looks down from a bet
ter world on a nation rejoicing in the
speedy certainty ofthe restoration ofthe
Union, and the universal realization Of
individual liberty, will say the boon IS
worth the price.
What is true of theis campaign is
equally true of the entire war. 1t is
now seen the victories of the rebellion
have proved. its most decisive and dis
astrous failures: while even our defeats
have tended indirectly to the final vic
tory. Had the rebellion been defeated
at Bull Run or crushed on the Chicka-
hominy, how imperfect must have been
the success of the North in this contest.
The next Presidential election would
have restored the slave holders, and
with them TIE rebel leadeIs to the con-
troll Of the Government, and the North
must have submitted or the strife brken
out afresh. But the progress OF the
war compelled us to lay the axe to the
root Of the tree of slavery. BY Its last
will and testament the dying rebel gov
ernment before expiring endorsed the
policy of Freedom for arming the ne
groes. That endorsement is worth lit
tie in itself, but as sustaining our eman-
cipation nolicyi it is inestimable. Next
to our gratitude that the Unionis to be
restored is our JOY that the Union is to
be free-a land without n despot and
without slave.
We recognized in the entire war, the
hand of a ruling and oyer-ruling Prov
idcnce,- encouraging us by victory, and
instsucting us by disas,eg, sustaining
us by successes and purifying us by
chastisements, both of which have tend.
ed equally though differently to the
great and glorious consumation-Lib-
Srty and Union. Our "four years of
war are not failure" and have never
been, expect in the forbodings of the
aithless-infidels to their country,
their freedom and their God. Those
who have endured unto the end, as see
ing that which was Invisible now have
their patriotic filth rewarded by the
visible realizations. Tie rebellion. is
dead. Slavery is dead. Thus perish
every foe to Union and to Freedom.
The HANDS. One Of the most com
mon want of breeding, is a sort of un-
comfortable consciousness of tae hands,
an obvious ignorance ofwhat to do with