Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-05-15
sound Sense.

The Richmond E1aminer. in the following
article, gives earnest expression to sound
and sensible views
Military pedantry is prominent at the be-
ginning of every war, aud In every country
The first thought OF Incompetence is to Law
the blame OF their failure on the press that
expresses it: and 70 muzzle the newspaper is
the first idea OF those who have the sense of
the ostrich. that hides her head in the sand
WI b the hope that her foes cannot see her be-
cause she cannot see them.
The press of the SJuth has been advised to
keep in ptofund secret all facts relative to
the military preparations of the State. and
has obeyed il; every day the editor of this
newspaper has thrown away information
only TO see it some twenty-four hours after
wards in the columns of The Herald, the Tn
bLae, the Times. and every other leading news
paper of New York Our secrecy has only
served to keep the State in utter ignorance
of the truth; the enemy knows it all long be-
fore; and the press of Virginia has made
nothing public about this war that it might
not have copied from The Northern journals.
How could il be otherwise? These papers
publish the minute particulars OF their special
correspondents travels Ia all our Border
States. 1t appears that nobody molests them.
What, too, prevents all the facts of the war
f.Om being, as they are, the subj cts of daily
conversation in our own street? Can any
one be sufficiently imbecile To believe that
they are then secrets because our own press
does not print them2 DO they suppose thai
there is no more travel, or that traveller cease
to carry news. and spies to write and tele-
graph them? Can any mortal be sufficien ly
Obiuse to suppose that Gen. Scout does not
know every assailable point of his native
STATE? Or that map OF Virgiuia,-ior that
is enough to tell any soldier the whole tale
Is no longer 10 be had in Washington. Or
that he has never read that the British army
sailed up York River when it took Ricn-
mOnd? The enemy's steamer is at this mo
ment in The waters of the York and the
James; men at work on the Notifications of
the State ia those reg ions see boats with off
GERS come up within six hundred yards OF
them to take the sOundings; aud the whole
result is sent to the enemy's generals, while
the State of Virginia alone must know moth
ing of the tact itself.
1t Is. however, the unquestionable duty of
patriotic press TO conceal all fIcts in time
Of war, relative to military affIirs, which is
not already necessarily known TO the enemy.
But in these days we have heard of a new
pretension, new alike in politics an strategy,
and fresh from the mint of folly. Ii is The
tOnl~hIng principle, that the press must not
tell Its own country any news from the hos
tile fuTce-must not expose the designs OF the
enemy, and must keep the secrets of the foe
from the of the friend When invasion
Is almost commenced, the press of the coun-
try is TO refrain from announcing the dangeri
1t is to keep the people in ignOrance-to pre-
vent all alarm-tO abstain from rOusing the
spirit Ut resistance aud the sense of self-pre-
servation, till the enemy is upon the sleeping
SAmpsOn-tiil the knife is not only at, but
in. tGe throat of the assas-in's victim.
I'll pres of Virginia, the pulpit, the res
trum. AID all the organs Ot pubic opinion
that The State contains, should use every
cent of eICq fence TO arouse the patriotism of
the people aud draw the attention of their
leaders TO the true perilS of the country. To
deny the danger and counsel continued aps-
thy is to do more for our ruin Than all The
hOrdes of the North and all the talent of
Scott can effect. Those who do that do Lin
coins wOTk;-sOme because they are stupid,
Others because they belong to him. If no
invasion OF the State takes place. it will only
be because the front it shows the enemy is
too threatening and determined to be DIS
pised. LII Invasion comes and Is crushed, it
will be done 10y an uprising of whole armed
p pulatiOI, and this Is what We would pre-