The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1868-09-10

II
free States would ever unite ia carrying q
such diabolical war.
That he advocated the stopping Of the -
and the bringing about Of "peace ~
sssproniss. On the bas;s Of :" The Conssttn
| ton q il il, and the Union ~ it was, Will
slavery rsaGsted md protected.
Ths fsllexiae art;els prove I'll this ant
much mora 20 clearly and indisputably thu
the fActs csanos be successfully lodged o.
denied. Voters of the First District, read
and ponder
From the Consultation, Jan. u, 1851
Our VISIT TO WAsHrscros-rHE CONDITION
OF TIE ARnY OF THE PorexAc, AID The
PRosPEcrs Of 7HS CouHTAYs
After al absssce If several weeks in the
East. We again resume onF1abors as senior
| editor Of this paper. It was our intention,
on leaving home, to write for the columns Of
the Constitution. giving to our patrons the
benefit of such observations of public affairs
as we might be enabled to make. This de-
termination, however, was changed upon our
arrival in Washington city on account OF the
great difficulty which we experienced in OBJ
might. with any degree Of satisfaction. draw
a conclusion in reference to the future.
Hence we concluded to wait and watch rath-
Or than venture an opinion before We bad
availed ourselves Of all the means Of gaining
correct information which were available To
US.
We now proceed TO place before our read
ers and the public the conclusions which We
have come to, in relation to our national at.
fairs. THE FUTURE OF THIS CON
TEST is TO Us MOST GLOOMY. WE
CAN SEE NO HOPE OF SUCCESS IN
PUTTING donn the rebellion and restoring
the Union ON its original basis BY carrying
out the present policy Of The Naturalization.
We are reluctantly and painfully Impressed
nth the idea that our once happy and pros
porous country is to be BROKEN UP AND
SHATTERED INTO FRAGMENTS. The
Government at Washington is wholly incom-
petent to the task it has undertaken. Rot
tenness and corruption seem to pervade ev-
cry department of the Administration.
Washington City is but den OF thieves,
negroes and prostitutes. The city is crowded
with this class Of people, and HE
OPINION PREVAILS THAT THE
and every ono seems anxious to
chances last. Everything seems to be At
loose ends. The great Army Of the Potomac
rAich nds expected to reduce Richmond is bul
demoralized mob; the officers are constantly
resignisg, and the men are running of Al
ercry opportunity they can get. In the south
ern part of Maryland, in which we spent sew.
eral weeks, not day passed without seeing
SQUADS of deserters from the Army OF the
Potomac, numbering from thr0 to thirty,
making their way North. We Walked with
many of these men, and, upon lnquiring the
cause of their desertion, the invariable reply
was the want Of pay, and, 1--WE volunteered
to defend the Union, and not to fight for the
negro" This latter plea we believe was
made in many cases to gain the sympathy Of
the people of the section Of country through
which they were passing, IS we haveno doubt
many Of them we're, at home, rabid Adolf
tionists.
We visited the army at Falmouth, and
there we found the principal cause Of dIsaf-
lection TO be from : cant u confidence and
trust on the part Of The soldiers in their rri,,-
ciple officers. They have been so often LED
TO SLAUGHTER that they have lost all
confidence in themselves for rietory. The uni
versal clamor Of the army is to have General
Mcclellan to lead them. He appears to be
confidence, and we feel convinced that THEY
WILL FIGHT UNDER NO OTHER
LEADER. There 10 no doubt about one
fact, which is, that both the officers and pri-
Yates belonging to that army are the devoted
friends of General Mcclellan.
They believe in him, have confidence in
him, and blame everybody else for their fail
ures, except the favorite General Bnt not>
outstanding this fact u known to everybody
around WashiDgton, the ADMINISTRATION, IN
it, blind fanaticism, refuses b Givs T. that
army the man whom Il seems to idolize, aud
for the sole reason that the General ID sol
der who considers the preservation of the
Union Of more Importance than the freeing
of negro slaves.
The policy Of the Radicals st present VIC
honestly believe to be NOT TO RESTORE,
THE UNION We believe Radicals
have abandoned that, and they are now only
seeking TO gain some victories on the Missis-
sippi, with the view of an ULTIMATE SEP
AVIATION OF THE STATES on favora-
BILE terms. We are forced tothls SAD CON
CLUSlON from what We saw and heard
while in Washington. We do not believe it
is the design or expectation of the Admins
tration to cause the Army Of the Potomac to
again attempt t. advance on Richmond. We
ed to be done, since the battle of Frederiess-
burg, is to keep up demonstration on the
Rappahannock. in order to prevent the Rebel
army there from sending troops South. And
we further believe that our army there, in ita
present state Of decentralization and dissatis-
faction, would be of no avail whatever in q
contest with Lees army, flushed with their
late victory at Fredericksburg, and with IN
BOUNDED CONFIDENCE in their officers.
Day after day, do the confident grow more
confident of final success; every extreme
measure on the slavery question assumed by
the Natiodal Administration only strengthens
them and iredkens US. In Southern Mary
land where, two years ago, the Union senti-
ment largely predominated over secession
ism, there can scarcely be found man
woman or child who does not heartily desrise
the National Government, and hope for the
success of the Coniederates. The issuing oil
the Presidents Emancipation Proclamation,
together with the abolition Of Slavery in the
District Of Columbia, and the action Of the
military authorities there in preventing own
ers Of slaves from recapturing their runa-
ways, has entirely rooted out all the Union
sentiment which once prevailed there. In
many cases, loyal slave owners, who had ar.
| rested their slaves under the Fugitive Slave
ty and themselves put in prison, on the plea
Of kidnapping. The natural consequence Of
| such treatment WAS to make these men and
oil other loyal citizens more violent in Their
opposition to the Administration which they
chose to designate Is the Government
than the original secessionists. They claimed
aud had right to be protected in their per.
son and property, and As they didnot receive
it, they nationally concluded that their own
safety depended on the success of the re-
bellion, and the establishment over them OF
another government which was net hostile tc
their slave institutions.
The effect Of oil the measures of the Ad
ministfation relating to slavery has been tc
unite the South and bride the North, until
We are forced to the painful conclusion thu,
ALL Is NOW NEARLY LOST, for (WHICH
the citizens Of the free States have made
such poble sacrifices in treasure and blood.
And ell this calamity We Go most solemnly
believe is owing to the INBECILITY AND
UNCONDITIONAL ACTS OF the National
Administration. l. the Administration had
made proper use Of he materials of war 50
lavishly furnished by tho loyal citizens, the
rebellion could and would have been sup.