New Orleans daily crescent., 1861-08-05
ALL FOR 'rIHE BEST.

Instead of being disturbed and annoyed by the
stupendous fabrications and outrageous meiida-
cities OF the Lincoln press touching the late defeat
Of the Federals at Manassas we rather pleased,
than otherwise, to note the proficiency of the said
press in the art and accomplishment of lying.
/ Thus when the New York Herald asserts, as it
does in its issue of the 27th that the Federal loss
in that battle was only one hundred and fifty; and
when the Times as in that paper of the 2ith, de-
olares that the Gonfederates had force of three
to their one, the faisehoed is so patent to every
one that all confidence in the reliability of such
journals must be speedily lost 1t will turn CUT at
last after these repeated experiments upon the
popular creduty, that it is only necessary for any
of the Abolition papers to make positive state
ment for the public to conclude at once that it is
false or for the same public to ascertain the
truth in regard to anything, by simply reversing
the assertions that are made by the Northern
press. Even if that press should by accident tell
an occasional truth it would not be believed, so
great and conspcuous,a reputation has it obtained
for unequalied mendacity.
AT first, the rout at Manassas was admitted and
any amount of iamentation made over it. The
next day, it was represented that the defeat was
not so bad as supposed and the next day after that
it was an exceedingly trifing disaster Lastly, they
were not whipped at all, but actually defeated the
Rebels and cut them all to pieces and the Federals
retired from the field only account OF a mistake.
At this rate it will not be week before they will
have it that they killed ten thousand Rebels, took
twenty thousand prisoners, drove the remainder
into the woods, hung Beauregard and Johnston,
and in a few days will be in Richmond, where they
will proceed to execute Davis and his entire Cab-
net Tile tendency of such romantic stories as
these is to destroy all confidence in the Northern
press and they will not afterwards be believed
even when they tell the truth.
But if we suppose otherwise-that is, that the
Federal accounts of this battle are accented and
believed to be true by the Northern people-still,
we think, it will turn out to be for the best. If
the effect shall be to give confidence to the North
to stimulate enlistment, and to cause them to make
granier preparations for war on larger scale, we
believe that in the long run the South will be the
gamer When this war is over, and peace is made
we want to feel that is made not for five years
nor ten years, bat for a whole century. 1t is the
interest of the South that peace when declared,
shall be secure peace, and that the lesson to the
North be so thorough a one that neither the pres
ent generation, nor the succeeding one will be
likely to forget it. We do not think they will
learn this lesson from one grand defeat nor per-
haps from half a dozen. They must be taught, by
repeated reyerses, after their whole military
strength and resources have been employed, that
the conquest Of the South is an impossible thing
They must be made to feel that after they have
put their last man in the field, aud expended the
last dollar their credit will enable them to raise
the subjugation of the South is farther off than
ever, and never can be accomplished. If we were
to make peace now the North would still believe
they could conquer US, and try it again perhaps in
very few years. 1t is best, therefore, that the
idea be thoroughly whipped out of them, in series
of pitched battles with the same results as those
at Manassas Then, when they let us alone, they
will let US alone for all time.
If the North therefore, chooses to make new
levies of troops and to offer US battle again aad
again, we have no objection. We may deplore
the loss Of some of our brave soldiers, but the
result will only be the more satisfactory, and
The benefits the more permanent, the longer the
war lasts. We make present sacrifice, but we
accomplish lasting good. Every month of war,
to the North, will cost years of recuperation It
is better for US to make clean job and tiual set
tlement of this matter while we are al it.