Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-09-23
MONDAY. SEPT. ss, 1851.
TELLING TALES OUT OF SCHOOL,


the high boasting Of the rebel oraces, thai any
thing different from it attracts attention and
exctes suspicion. Richmond, since the con
federate government was established there
has been the Gascony of the rebellious states,
and in sheer, blind Boosting, its journalists and
generals have ouidone the Gascons. Now and
then, however, an impairment archer sends a
sure arrow home, and let's in the light. The
Charleston Mercury, discussing the action Of
the late congress at Richmond, makes the fol
lowing frank confessions =:
"In the first place, congress has voted an
army OF near a haitmiiOn Of men, and a fab
uous amount of money to support them. Our
only objection to this legislation is that II Is IN
imitation ni the bullying on the other side of
the Potomac. The c0npr' s. OF the United
States voted Jour hundred thousand men. We
5rag oref them. We get 10 near a hdJ million;
and ,rtea ne come 10 money, they are not crcnm
Stunce to as. This is a sounding patriotism not
in the very hest taste. We should have lcgs-
lated thout regard 10 the pr,trntious bully
ing of Mr. LincOln's congress, and have sim
ply voted in the field the force we thought adj
equate to the military eNigencles OF the con
federate states We hare no idea that The hay,
million Of men the congress has authorized s0W euer
be raised, Or the means for lheir support ecer be re
CURED We find it difficult 10 put an army Of
eiqhty thousand men in Virginia, and eighty thou.
sand men is enough, and we fear more than
enough, for any military use we can put them
to. Theirs says there was but one man in Eu-
rope who could WELD one hundred thousand
men in the field, and that man was Napoleon.
We may have a crop CT NapoleonS coming ON
to maturity, but al present they have not ap-
peared No general On either side in our war
with the United States has yet appeared who
has proved himself able efficiently TO handle
thirty thousand men in the field. Troops that
you cannot fight are elements of weakness.
They consume and complicate and embarraS-
help to DISCRIMINATION, and may 'pread pan
les. So we are of opinion that II We had been
little more moderate in our army and tinan
cial demonstrations, we would have been lit.
tie more esteemed We admire unpretentious
governments as we do unpretenli0uS meas
ures."
Then it is all "brag" after all; and when
Mr.. Walker was asked to walk out of the war
department, and Braxton Bragg was persuaded
10 come in, it was simply an ingenious and
poetica adaptation of names TO things,-a
playful illustration Of placing the right name
in the right place. The Mercury being at the
confessional, 'makes Il clean breast of it, as
regards the confederate navy.
Let the northern armies have no occupation
in defending the northern states, aud they
must find employment ON our seaboard. But,
by a strange Inconsistency, aohile our army has
been slolciy organized and is kept inactige, on,
coasts are left unprotected. Congress, although
we fear, too late, seems to be now somewha
alive to this result, and has appropriated twC
millions OF dollars Tor the coast defence Gu
need is gunboals But what can we do now
in applying this money The nary ya,d a
Pensacola stands 6eieag1ned and useless to as
The Macy gard at Norfolk is fully employed IN re
pairing and preparing tOr sea the ships ~e cap
ttTed from The enemy lohen zoe cantured the nay,
yard. Are the, isstTumentaties at hand a
Charleston, or Savannah, or Mobile, TO bnld
the iron clad gunboats, or iron clad noaung
batteries, which our defence lmpelatlveiy re
qllires We fear they are not Where, then,
can they be obtained? In Europe-where
they ought to have been obtained long ago.
But will the energy of the administration be
equal to the emergency The question will
be answered according 10 the confidence III
the efficiency of the government The very
appropriation of but two millions oil mercy
instead of six, which the eXigencies OF our de
fence would fully require, does not seem to
argue much confidence in the efficiency OF lle
administration in the navy department.. The
states, ne tear ,UM haze TO defend themselves by
their own devices, and wihom gunJoats or naoal
assistance.
The power OF those states to defend them
selves by their own devices will undoubtedly
be tested during the autumn months and il
our government shows one half the energy
and skill which the people expect from it, the
cotton states will find these melancholy days
the saddest Of the year in peculiar sense
With their long line of unguarded coast ex-
posed to our fleets armed in the name of an
outraged country which is inspired at las
with an unyelding and indignant purpose tC
reclaim its own, and with resources upon
which it is just beginning to draw, what can
they look for but humiliation and defeat
What can we be patient under short of abso
Lutte victory and control!