The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-12-14
The southern Press.

= The extravaganza and righteousness of
most of the paragraphs from Southern
papers which are telegraphed over the coun-
try, are apt to excite a smile of contempt on
the part of those who read them. Yet, to
those who look below the surface and search
for the philosophy of such extravaganza,
much encouragement can be found in their
perusal. Indeed, we know of no single
agency which has so strong an influence in
stimulating the citizens of the loyal States
to put forth every effort to crush the insur-
rection, as these very statements in South
erns newspapers which are read with curl
ing of the lip and eyes flashing derision.
While the wonderful stories Ct Southern
pluck, Southern endurance, Southern skill,
and above all Southern success, are in no
wise believed, still they prick the sides of
our endeavor, and urge us TO prevent the
very catastrophes which we are told have
already befallen our armies. We can't
well go to sleep with our enemy Kissing
scorn, taunts and boasts in our ears. Pos
sessing, as we think, a fair share of the ma
tion's reputation for pluck, we can't avoid
"going in on our muscle" when our South
ern friends attempt to appropriate it all,
and insist that we lack courage, skill, and
all the qualities for which as a nation we
have become SO justly celebrated.
But, to our mind, much encouragement
is derived in reading these dispatches, from
the fact that they reveal--though it may be
dimly-the weakness of the rebel States,
aud the still more important fact, that they
realize their weakness. AS the boasts of a
braggadocio doubly inspire an opponent by
infaming his pride, while showing personal
apprehensions, SO the illimitable Boosting of
our Southern opponents operate on the
loyal citizens of the North. For many
long years the "chivalrous" sons of the
South have labored to convince the world
that in them was embodied all that was
noble and praiseWorthy in the American
character; that the people of the North
ern States were fit only for hewers of wood
and drawers of water; with no thought
above the FIVE cent piece, without refine
ment and hardly fit to associate with q
gentleman's colored body servant. In Con-
gress, in London and Paris, these claims
of pre-eminence have been insolently faunt-
ed in the faces of gentlemen who, by birth
and education greatly ranked those urging
them.
This claim of superior qualifications is
to be decided by the present war, as are
many other old scores. Hitherto the North
ern people have submitted to the preten-
sions of their Southern associates, to avoid
difficulty, while they realized the absUrdity
Of their pretensions, and inwardly laughed
at their ignorance. Now that the confict
between the sections has been forced upon
US, this old idea of superiority must be set.
tied as we'll as the doctrine of secession
For this reason, we say peace brought
about without our armies proving yictori
Gus in the field, would prove unsatisfactory
and of short duration. Our navy, by it
rigid blockade, is demonstrating the absurd
ity of the dogma that the South was sup
porting the government, and without then
it would cease to exist. Our armies should
convince the rebels of their inferority OF
the battle field, as WELL. Until this i
done, any peace will be transient, ant
will do no permanent good.
As we have stated before, we are pleased
to read the boastings of our Southern CO
temporaries, because to our minds they IN
mistakably indicate that the Southern Con
federacy is growing weaker, and the stimu
lants necessary to prevent dissolution mus
increase in quantity and strength in pro
portion as the patient sinks, and approache
his final doom. When the confederate gov
eminent and the press feel the great .neces
sity of making the people believe s. lie tina
they may be damned, our people should no
only read their statements without otfenEe
but even With the greatest satisfaction, for n
government can exist which grew out o.
and is sustained by, deception.