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The Fruits Of Victory

The Fruits Of Victory image
Parent Issue
Day
11
Month
December
Year
1863
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

From Uw N'. Y. 'World. The military prospect Las, within the last few days, become so hopeful that we may confidently anticipate the substantial annihilation of the military power of the rebels before midsummer of next year. This favorable prospect is not a reason for relaxing, but, on the contrary for uvigoratiDg our military opörations. The rebels should bo aiiowod do breathing spell ; no iuterval for such partial recuperation as their enfeebled resources may permit. They must, with all possible energy, bo pushud to the wall. The war must be endcd before they can reap anotlier harvest to replenish their suppliesoffood; before the aspect of Europeau politics changas to our disadvantage before the inflation of our currency culminates in a commercial crisis. Mucb may be expected from Gen. Grant's immediato operations ; and as a winter campaign is perfeetly feasible in such a climate as that of Georgia, we may, perhaps without being over-sauguiue, expect to see the whole región west of the Alle ghaüies and extonding down to the Gulf fully recovered before spring. If, rneanwhilo, Gen. Gilmore captures Charleston the shruken remnant of the rebellion may easily be disposed of in a vigorous spring campaign. With this chcering prospect, we may fairly demand that our suecesses shall begin 'o bear some of the appropriate fruits of suecess. The timo has come when thero is not only no excuse, but not even a colorable pretext, for interfering with the ordinary course of judicial proceedings in the loyal States. Even tho bliudest and most servile partisans of the administration must now confess that illegal searches, seizures and imprisonrnents cannot be justified on the plea that they are rcuired by the public safety. The country has a right to demand that the strong measures which have for the last two jears, made the military independent of and superior to tho civi' authority, shall immediately be discontinuod. Tho reaaon (or pretenso) on which the negro policy of the adminis tration was originally advocated having ceasod, that policy should cease also.- The original argument was, that slavery isjtüe mam prop ot tüe reöellion, tne labor of the slavcs being the incans by which the rebel armies are supported in tbe field. We do not iasist on the fact tbat tbis argument bas been refuted by tbe logic of events, tbere being at present a million more slaves in tbo area not yet recovered than therc were before tbo war. These slaves have boen sent there for eecurity from the slave States ia possession of our anus. Had we left slavery unmolested, Ibis million of laborers would havo been coutributing during tbo last summer to the resources of tbe Union, instead of to those of the rebellion. But this consideration belongs to the past, and we will not now press it. The point we wish to present is, tbat from this time forth, the labor of slaves can contribute nothing to the support of tb. o rebellion. In all reasonable probubility the rebels have gutbered the last cropa they will gathcr bofore the destruction of tbeir armies. What is planted next spring cannot be harvested before next summer and autumu, when the rebel armiea will be past succor. It is only as a war measure that Mr. Lincoln bas ever attempted to juslify bis proclauiation ; but even if it had ever aoy etiieacy as a war measure, it is now eo plainly obsolete in that view that the argument can no longer be urgod. It ought, therefore, to be abandoued (or at Iea3t ignored) in all future proceedings. Our Generáis, if not unduly interfered with, are competent to give the coup de grace to the tuttering rebellion, and the administration would do well, while giving them efficiënt 3Upport, to devote a reasonable aniount of attention to the moinentuous politieal problems that emerge in proportion as the rebeliion wanes. The wisest thing it can do with the proclamation is to cause it to be understood that it will not take anotber step in the matter, and leave all the questions of property involved to the decisión of the Supreme Court. In the present posture of affairs no politieal proceeding would contributo so inuch to the termination of the war, and the speedy pacifieation of the South. In January and February the leading pratieal question with the planters will be, what crops they shall plant the coming season. If the war is soon to end, it is neither for their interest nor for ours that they should devote their fine cotton lands to cereals. The country does not want the enormous overplus of breadstuffs that would result frora this direction of Southern industry. The country doos need the great addition to its wealth which would be ruada by a successful eotton erop the coming ycar. Soon after the cIosg of the war we must return to specie payments; and we need to provide, by all reasonable means, against the shock to business and the fall in values which will naturally aoeompany the chango. A large export of cotton would save us the necessity of exporting an cqual valué in gold, and it would likewise give inoreaaed value to our breadstuffs by reopening for them a most important parket n the South, The country needs this great resource. If tbere is any statesmansbip at Washington, the government wi)l do its best to induce the South to malee a cotton erop next year Auothcr most important question grows out of the hopeful military' situa tion. The President who succeeds Mr Lineóla will not be elected on a war issue - which will be obsolete before Mr. Lin coln goes out of office- but on political is sues growing out of the condilion of the country at and after the return of peace The subducd South will have even a greater interest in these questions thar the victorious North. The South wil be fairly entitled, unless we abandon re publican principies, to have a voice, anc to their proportionate weight, in the ad uiinistration of the goverument in th restored Union. Every facility and en couragement should therefore be given t the Southern States to particípate in th Presidential eleetion. They should b allowed sueh participation beoause ther it is justin itself and because are n other means so promising for revivin Union sentiment and fellow feeling wit the North among the people of that alien ated section.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus