Year: 1862

The Right Sort Of an Armistice Demand.


ed--The Right Kind or Democracy


Proclaimed.


From tse Detroit Free Press-ths Democ.tc organ of


htehgan-of Friday morning. July 25th.l


The chief business of the people of the
State of Michigan during the next thirty
days, must be recruiting. The ranks of
the army must be filed. Actual, solid
lighting is the only path to peace. The
people see this but they must act upon it
promptly, and in such masses as to finish the
struggle between now and the first of january
next. This can be done. The power. of the
North assures Us of that. The only question
is whether that power viii be used efficiently.
In word, will the men take the feld7 All
other questions are subordinate to this. Abo-
lition, confscation, taxation--all political
questions are of no Importance until that ques-
tion Is answered by an uprising of the North,
which viii crush the rebellion beyond all hope
OF resurrection. The danger of the country
is too urgent to admit of ary division upon
mere politics today. That can and ought to
be postponed until the fall elections, and,
above all, until the last man is enrolled, whose
services are needed by the country.


The irritation of political discussions be-
tween individuals ought to be dropped. It
breeds bad blood between men who may have
to stand shoulder to shoulder, brothers in
oA AAcY bu0 COuLuOu w q 10
not mean by this that party organizations
ought to be abandoned, or principles deserted;
but we do mean that, in the work of raising
men, there must be harmony. The people, as
| one great body, should esteem the reinforce
meEt of the army common duty, to which
every mans hand should be turned. Mem
bers of all parties should come boldly forward
| in the performance of this duty. The grand
principle should be to get the men of, where
| they can be serviceable. This is duty so
| urgent and imperative that we must pro-
nounce it the sole test Of patriotism. 1t is all
that any man at this instant can do for the
country.


We are literally justified in this position by
the situation of the country. The danger is
! great-the crisis imminent. The government
| is on short time TO accomplish the restoration
| OF the Union. Every moment which passes
now is precious with the destiny of the repub-
| lie. Delay is ruin-it is defeat at home and
disgrace abroad, the degradation of American
honor, the annihilstion of American power.
| The whole world will not await the issue for
ever. We do owe something to the family OF
mankind, to the interests of commerce and OF
! labor in the great family Of nations, We owe
it to all Christendom to push the rebellion to
the wall We owe it to our prosperity and
peace to finish the war by rapid and decisive
strokes. The magnitude of the struggle il
daily increasing. 1t grows more alarming
with every day that passes. We have not put
forth our power. The country must now arise
in its greatest strength, or it must submit to q
humiliating and cowardly peace. -


Let US, then, turn our State into camp
Let war be the business of every man Lei
US remember that home life, happiness for al
of rs, will be lost if we are beaten in this strug
| gle. Let the recruiting drum be heard in every
street and highway. Let the flag receive
every instant defenders beneath its folds. Let
US be one people in fact as we'll as in name
during the next thirty days. If this is done in
Michigan and elsewhere through the country
three hundred thousand men Will march to tbs
field in time to decide the fate of the war;
Win not every man in the State assent II
this In word, shall we not have politi
cal armistice antil we have put men enough
| in the field to finish the warf


For ourselves, we believe this is the only
1 practical and patriotic course at the present
moment. We see no other course which il
possible. Let the people. therefore, inaugu
rate an era OF good feeling" so that it may
be said in history forever that, on this DAY
in the year of our Lord 1862, the people wer,
one in purpose and in action, and then mad'
the rally around the flag which preserved
liberty for themselves and their posterity.


The great mass of the people receive sucl
articles as the above from influential sources
gratefully. We have nothing TO say agains
such democracy as that of the Detroit Ere


Press as shown in its proposed srmistice.
Out upon all faction, and false cries from al
quarters. Let the radicals cease their barking
and go to biting, and the conservatives prov
their devotion to our institutions by the weigh


of their contributions for their preservation
| =.