The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-04-13

The spirit Of fanaticism u always agrees.
sive. The attainment of one demand only in
spires 1t with new strsngt tn and new detef1ni-
nation to exact another. It will be satisnsd
with nothing but complete success, complies
dominion. It's appetite is a. Unsuitable as ~
spirit is truculsnt. Inthe French Revolution
It gorged itself with q million Of human sac
rinces and Its cry was still, like the daugh.
tiers of the horse leech--' od-blood--eive--
give" For time, its cowardiee win restrain
It: but the moment its victim quails, that
moment does 1t let loose all its bloodhound
ferocity, never to curb 1t in, until fear again
drives ii to Its kennel.
From the beginning Of this con troversy, the
only safety Of the South has been in concert,
courage. defiance. The cry OF peace, peace, has
been but an invitation to the fanatic 10 come
on. The counsels of conservatism have been
interpreted as counsels of cowardice To
make cowardice valiant, nothing is more eff
fectual than display of cowardice In its ad-
versary. Then comes aggression, prompt,
fierce, and bloody. The laggardness of the
Border States has lost the Union. The lag
gardness of Virginia has put an end to the
peace of the country. Her inaction is impu-
ted TO timidity; and fanaticism gloats upon a
cowardly adversary. 1t has grown valiant
and clamorous. 1t has forced LIScoLS's Adj
ministration into war measures. 1t demands
blood. As the battle stands, it is nineteep
States against seven 1t is eighteen millions
OF citizens against three millions This is the
sort of odds that fanaticism delights in. This
heavy odds makes them count upon victory
as a sure thing, over the seven States who
have seeded The Border States are delega-
ted to position of craven neutrality, rs too
tmid to take sides in the early stages of the
combat Assured of their neutrality, the IA
natical counsels of the North have forced
LINCOLN into war and, until repulsed and
beaten, it means to carry on the war with the
high hand.
Virginia may still delay, still put up her
ands for peace but it will be at the risk of |
being cloven down with the battle Ike of the |
invader while in the very act Of imprecation.
Or all the South she 10 hated most dreaded |
most. The war of the fanatic is against the |
Shareholder and slavery. Once having con. |
gu cred the seeding States, will he spare the |
mother Of them all, the largest sla yeholder in |
the South, the ''slave- breeder ?" The distant |
victims having been inundated returning |
from his work of blood, is ii believed that ths |
fanatic will spare the one near at hand who |
has lorded ii over and defied him SO long II |
this war has commenced in earnest against the
seeding States, Virginia may as we'll prepare
tor battle. She cannot escape the sangu mary
hate OF the fanatic, even by the cowardIy
measure OF submission and alliance, She will
only be set down coward, and there is
nothing so sweet to the fana tic as the blood
of coward whom he has long been wont to
Tear. t9 Pfctis will be her lot The fate of
her submlssionists will he doubly severe
Ihey will have to endure the wrath of the
people they have betrayed, and of the fanatics
who despise and scout them The one will
hang them for scorn and shame: the other
Will butcher them for the love of blood
The only honorable, the only safe policy for
irginia now, is that which she pursued in
l''6. Her Tories then cried peace, peace, but
she said that there was no peace. The whole
wisdom of her policy, and the whole sources
of her success, was embodied in the thrilling
words of Henry, which she made her own
Sir, we must fight repeat it, sir, we must |
light" Her best policy, her safest course, is
% show fight, and put away the white fea Their;
o get up from her knees and prepare for war:
% cease the whine of Union, Conference sub. ,
MISSION, and raise the shont of defiance, even /
hongh her knees smite together at the sound |
" her own voice. To avoid the danger, she | {
must meet it plump. To escape the expenses
u war, she must be in condition to DEFY her
dversaries. To save rivers of that blood
which her submissionists turn pale at the
mere thought OF, she must, like ABRAHAM On | :
lount Horeb, be ready to offer it up freely.