The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-10-27
Drattmy

One of Cen walkers iieuteuants, in . pronun-
ctamento inviting the ardent warriors of Texas TO
his banner speaks Of him as the "Man OF Destiny"
This is no doubt a recommendation which will
greatly facilitate the labors Of the recruiting ser
ooant There IL charm in the idea OF imam Of
destiny" which faseinates the imagination, IL II
does not pat money In the purse. That General
Walker is man of hardihood, enterprise and pith,
he has abundsntly demonstrated; but, when to
these is added the mysterious charm of destiny,
that Napoleonic attribute, we may expect the bold
shirts ~ the border TO Gock in multtudes TO bis
flag, The only question is as to the KIDD OF "des-
.tnv~ that In In reserve for Gen. Walker. Napo-
Icons destiny was very good thing till he grew
fat and lazy and then il led him to barren rock
In the Atlantic. Walkers destiny deserted him
most scurvliy, when he suffered himself to change
his position of General for the Presidency and IL
has played him another shabby trick, when, just
as he was readv to make second descent upon
Nicaragua il cuts off the "sinsws OF war by
money pressure, and sends fast-sailing United
states steamer to watch him in the Gulf, thus in
dehnitely prolonging the prospects of Central
America for liberty and independence
We do not intend to speak disrespectfuiy Of
DESTINY, but, republicans and friends Of equal
rights, VIC insist that the privates of Gen. Walk
er's army have destiny" we'll as their COM
manier. II was the destiny of those who served
under him before, to be led where some of them
were confoundedly well peppered;" others, half
starved to death, and still more carried of by the
diseases of the climate. The subject of Fate has
always been a vexed question, but II must be adj
mitted that when men put themselves in the way
of'builets, their destiny is to be shot, and when
they inhale pestilentiai air, to sicken and die.
10
possible to determine; but, judging from the for
mor experiments Of Filibusterism, we should pre-
dict poor pay and privation, yellow fever and a
soldiers grave Nevertheless, there must be some
thing in destiny, or with the lights of the Past be-
fore them we should not find so many men willing
to repeat ali nnpromising experiment, and rush
like moths into the consuming blaze of Glory.
A good deal used to be said OF our National
Destiny" which term, reduced to plain English,
means the wholesale appropriation of such neigh
boring countries as will help TO enlarge and round
off cur very contracted national limits, whilst at
the same time we extend the iuestimable blessings
of orr civilization to the benighted races whose
territorial possessions it is our fate to plumber
Now. to plain understanding, such destiny as
this seems scarcely worth Dragging Of fla youth,
by education and the force of circumstances, Is
marked out for a Jack Shepherd, the less that he
says about it the better. The ouly difference we
can perceive between the morality of dispossessIng
an individual of his purse his horse, his dwelling,
or his farm, and the wholesale robbery Of pro-
vince or an empire, is the difference between pill
fering five hundred dollars and five hundred mil
lions. or the difference between small act OF
roguery and great one. The fact that the coun-
try appropriated is half civilized, makes no differ
euce in the question of meum and tuum. The
right of property, either national or individual,
does not depend on the amount of education and
refinement of the possessor. We presume 1t would
be defence in a court of law against charge Of
robbery, that the individual robbed was ignorant
weak and depraved, whilst the robber inteli
gent powerful and man of destiny. If we have
"uatonal destiny" let us hope it is our destiny
70 be honest, decent, and to mind our own bust
ness, and let other people and their business