The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-08-04


| GENERAL STERLING PRICE, c. 8. A., EX-
I GOVERNOR OF MISSOURI, JOINT COM
] MANDKR WITH GENERAL BEN MCULLoCH
/ OF CONFEDERATE TROOPS AT BATTLE or
| WILSON'S CREEK, FOUGHT THROUGHOUT
! THE WAR AND DIED IN ST. LOUIS IN
| 1862
er faults. Yet after discounting these
personal defects in his character one
must admire the mans ability in the
creation and disciplining of armies.
think history will decide that he was
/ the one man needed at this juncture.
Things do not happen by accident, ell
ther to individuals or nations. With
a great need comes the man or men
TO fill it. Whatever we may think of
him as a man or as soldier, George
b. Mcclellan was needed in 1861.
Call it providence or what you will,
one cannot read history understand
ingly without being struck by the
larger intelligence that is behind the
shaping of events. We call things Of
this kind condolences, but that is only
term behind which we hide our ig-
norance. However men may scheme
and seek special ends. however blind
or self willed they may be, this larger
intelligence goes on shaping the trend
of things No man of insight can fol-
low the story of our own land, can
read the annals Of the Revolution and
of the civil war, without seeing in
them the expression of what Emerson
calls the "oversoul." without tracing
through them the finger of God.
There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough hew them how we will
1t may be objected that all this has
little to do with story of the war
fifty years ago, but in my own view it
had and has a great deal to do.
One Of the laws procured by Gen
eral Mcclellan in the early days Of
August was that authorizing the APP
pointment Of additional aids-de-camp
to general officers. These aids might
be taken either from civil life or from
the army, and none Of them was to
rank higher than colonel 1t was not
till a few weeks later that the order
was given to form the Army of the
Potomac, but when 1t came it was on
the lines laid down by Mcclellan.
Extra Session Adjourns.
The extra session of congress was
now drawing to a close. On Aug. 5,
the day before final adjournment, the
two houses by joint resolution called
upon the president to recommend
day of public humiliation, prayer and
fasting, to be observed by the people Of
the United States with religious sOlem-
nifty, and the Offering Of fervent sup
plications to Almighty God for the
safety and welfare of these states. his
blessings on their arms and speedy
restoration of peace"
The session had lasted only two
days more than one month, having
convened on July 4, yet during that
time it had provided means for car
rying on the war, defined the nations
attitude in regard thereto, increased
duties on imports, authorized loan
of S25O,OO0,00O provided for the issue
of S50,O00,0O0 of treasury notes, laid
increased taxes for the future, repeal
ed the specie clause of the subtreas-
ury act, increased the army to almost
any size the president might think fit,
the taking of slaves engaged
in military occupations as contra
band of war" and generally had raj
lied to the support Of the administra-
don in manner that left no doubt
as to the attitude Of the people Of the
north.
Little was said at this session Of
concerning the ultimate fate
Of slavery. The preservation Of the
Union was the one theme. But in one
Of the last debates Thaddeus Stevens
Of Pennsylvania did predict that as a
war measure it might become neces-
5ary to free the slaves of those in
actual rebellion against the govern
nent He would not go further than
hat. Was this a prophecy Of the
proclamation?