The national Republican., 1861-05-04
A DASH UPON WASHINGTOy.

The Louisville (Ky.) JOuna. of last Tuesday,
says:
"On Saturday, a gentleman called on US, who,
on account OF i'll enlih, was recently 81 jNurncr
in Florida, and who has just come through Gcor-
ga, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi.
He says that the people of the rest Of the cOun-
try have no conception of the rush which the
people of all those States have, for Some days
past, been making, and are now making, for
Richmond, the headquarters of the Southern
army, destined for the conquest Of Washington
city and the District OF Columbia He says that,
in all his journey, he did not see a solitary rail-
road t'an going in the direction of Richmond,
that was not loaded with troops and munitions.
From Charleston alone, during the two days he
was there, 1000 armed men started for the Vir-
ginia rendezvous. He states that these general
and rapid movements are not reported in the pa
pers OF the Confederate States, but he has no
doubt that the army at Richmond will prove tre-
mendous in its strength Of numbers. He tells
US that all the men he met WITH military officers
and OF. ers, spoke Of the conquest Of Washing
ton as a settled hing"
This corresponds with all the information re.
ceived from the South, Of the date given, and
indeed to the present date.
The plan of an attack upon Washington may
be given up, under the change in its condition
of defence, but to give it up, will be such
crushing disappointment of hopes which have
been excited, that th bubble Of Southern Con-
federacy will collapse under it.
Desperate as the enterprise Of such an attack
may be, it offers the only chance which the con-
spirators have. They have not the means of
sustaining a protracted war scare .ly the means
for campaign. They may have the means fer
such neck. or. nothing dash, as an attack upon
this city.
To them, it does not wear by any means the
esperate look, it does to others. To say MOTH
ing of the utter ignorance and infatuston of the
masses who ore their dupes, the leaders them
selves are deceived by their arrogant belief that
the South has superiority to the North in mill
t.ry prowess, which compensates for all defeien-
cies innumbers.
To remain as they a e, blocked up and idly
consuming what scanty resources they had to
start with, is certain destruction. They must
break through the tolls somewhere, and if Wash
ing,on is not GOOD point to strike at, where is
the better one?
| A CHASGR OF AsPEcr.-As illustrative of the
change which has been wrought in the feelings
of the Northern Democracy by recent eventp, we
make the following extract from late speech
of Hon Daniel S. Dickinson, of New York:
"He !aid that his hearers would bear him
witness, that he mad lo2g cndeayored to stay
the storm that has now arisen, and TO bring
about some peaceful settlement of affairs Bat
now the South, first by seeding, and second hy
firing on the old flag, bad closed the do uf
reconciliation. lie was for meeting them cu
their own ground He would have no half way
measures, no compromises. Let US settle the
thing speedily and surelr. II may ruin this gen.
eration, but pe oWe ii 10 tie next hat they shoUhi
hav, no snch troubles re hare lat. lie woult
strike nol, in might, and, i necessary, wipe he
South from the Jaee Of the earth. He kew they
would have civil war; and he would make the
prophecy that, by the time this matter was se:-
tied, the peculiar institution Of the South would
be swept away. LIE. US finish things while we
are about it, and leave nothing behind u.s."