Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-01-02
PLYMOUTH MARSHALL INDIANA, 2

Presidential rivals, and no others. ant
, placed al immense minority of Democrat
in command of our armies. and kept then
there with great tenacIty. Even when. a
in the cases of Buell., Porter and Mcclellan
the Republican party was clamorous fo
their removal, he waited patiently until ,
Democratic General in Chief. on his ewr
motion relieved tbem. Having made NJ
} his Cabinet originally of Republicans, M
. sooner WAS he reinforced by the iaceessior
of Union War Democrats, than he selected
from among them an ex-member of Blu
chanan's Cabinet for Secretary OF War
and found In him the ablest war secretary
oftbe century.
Towards the rebel army Davis imperson
aied discipline, severity and bad faith, fol
the TUNED the bayone;s ofhis troops against
each other after their terms had expired.t {
compel them 10 remain In heservice. But
towards the Union army, Lincoln Imper-
sonated pardon, never allowing soldier to
die if his signature would save him, even
though at the alleged sacrifice of discipline
Davis, entering the struggle with bril-
liant reputation. waned into hated and
despised leader long before his cause was
lost. Lincoln, entering upon his Office al
most without reputation, grew into a
mighty ascendancy over those who, nj first,
might we'll have scorned TO have been his,
rivals, and, long before his cause was won
had achieved u popularity that was poliii-
cally omnipotent.
The burning impeiuosity with which the
South plunged into the war was less re-
markabie than the vast almost imcompre-
hensible moderation of the North. If !
were 10 choose" said Davis in one of his
public addresses, between the compauion-
ship of Yankees and hyenas, l should inf
nitcly prefer the hyenrs."
with malice toward none, with charity
for alr'-replied Mr.. Lincoln. Congress
resolved That The war was not waged 10
destroy slavery or the States, but that, as
soon as the rebel armies should disperse
and the Union he sustained, the war would
cease. Mr.. Davis replied, ave will have
independence or determination. Mr.. Sc
ward Instructed our diplomats abroad to
deny that The fate of slavery was involved
in the contest. European Liberals replied
naturally, ''then il is a war OF mere domin-
ion. with which we have no sympathy.
Why ask us TO sympaihize with an effort of
twenty-four States 10 conquer twelve?"
Bnt The ideas tha, underlay the struggle
were stronger than the policies OF leaders.
For the FIRST two years of the war, Mr.. Lin
coin conducted it on the most conservative
principles Democratic Generals returned
fugitive slaves, and were sustained. Re
publican Generals freed them and were re-
moved. Democrats. who opposed the war,
applauded the administration and a large
wing Of Republicans were Disguised with
Mr.. Lincoln's conservatism.
Suddenly, like a clap of thunder out of a
clear sky. came the promise, in September,
1862, ola Proclamation of Emancipation
on January list, 1868. But one or two
obscure Democratic officers resigned A
few Democratic voter fell of, enough TO
elect Seymour in New York, and TO shake
Republican majoriiies in other States. But
those who remained were Republicans
thence(orth. The Republican vote was
weeded out, but it grew more rapidly for
the upheayal OF the sol. and uprooting the
tares. te
Meanwhile the army was slodghing off
IFS failures and educating its Generals
BURNSIDE. Hooker. Kearney, Grant, Sher-
man, Thomas and Sheridan. The opposi-
tion al The North attempted but failed to
oppose the draft Twenty-Five thousand
troops around New York. and an equal
number in Ohio and Indiana. were required
to thwart the opposition, represented by
Ben Wood and Chauncey Burr, and Val
lndigham ard Pendleton. Our fearfulIy
decimated. but vigorously reinforced, ar
mics learned tales of suffering from their
emaciated comrades, returning from rebel
prisons, that improved their discipline on
the battlefield, and ended the habit of easy
surrender. in which they were at first en-
couraged by incompetent and conservative
tn 6nl Will II
vincible obstinacy and to win victories.
Yet in every strict military respect, in dis
ciplinc. courage, generalship, endurance,
and zeal, the supporters of the rebellion
were fully equal, and at first superior, at
the average. TO the Union forces But, in
the maintenance OF their finances and in
dustrial resources, and in care for the COM
fort and health of their armies, the con-
tending parties showed the most marked
contrast. The Sanitary and Christian
Commissions, organized by the philanihro-
pic men and women of the Norih, resulted
in sustaining aid and timely kindness TO
our soldiers in The periods of their most
critical straits. The Bureau of Freedmen
and Refugees identified the government
with benevoleDce in the South. All these
agencies had no counterpart within the
rebel lines. Aid 10 the wounded rebel sol
dier, excep, he fell into our hands, was
confined To the surgeons knife, and the
rude sympathy of his companions in arms.
No commissions of benevolent men and
women, except in few exceptional and
htful instances, nurscd the sick, sbriyed the
dying. or buried the dead The South was
unframed to organized benevolence.
But. as the war progressed. the North
principally contrasted with the South in
the maintenance of its industry end
resources. Much of our superiority was
doubtless due 10 our actually greater wealth
and diversity Of industry, which rendered
us less dependent on importations from
abroad for means of war; but much, also,
10 The abler management llv our Treasury
Depsrtment--of our loans and currency.
To have attempted To conduct so great a
war with no other currency than gold, and
the heterogeneous bills of the State banks.
many of which, in the Western States, had
failed, would have been like attempting TO
float a. steamer on morning dew Both
parties issued paper money. The Confed-
eracy issued theirs with as little system,
and the same result, as pcrtained 10 the
Assignats OF the French Revolution. Sec
retary Chase, however. founded the National
Banking System. by which the debts ofthe
nation became a most valuable commodity
10 the banker and the very corner stone of
his business. The umbilical cord which
connected the frail offspring currency with
the parent gold, was maintained by the pay
ment Of gold interest; and by founding the
National Bank notes on the security of
bonds payable in gold making legal tenders
convertible into bonds payable in gold,
and taxing the State hank notes out OF
existence. the visible connection between
gold as the basis. and our entire currency
as The credit superstructme never was
severed. The country felt the healthy |
stimulus AN abundance of money without
the collapse ofdeprecisiion.i ''rhe fight,
said an eminent rebel TO one of our officers,
as between our meat and your money. So
long as we can feed our men. you cannot
conqner US. So long rs your money holds
out, YOU cannot be prevented from carrying |