Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1861-10-22
For the Snectdt0r.

to respond to the call made upon me from ssMa-
nassas,' contained in your paper of the 9th in
slant, asking my consent to become candidate
for seat in Congress from this Districts The
call is fattering beyond my merit, ard l am not
insensible to the high hohor it proposes forp1e.
The sentiment OF the lamentel. Lowndes is
more often quoted and applauded by aspiring
politicians than followed by them. That senti-
ment was, that ssoice is neither to be sought af-
ter nor stunned by any good citizen, but should
be the free gift of the people,"
Now, if no other obstacle stood in the way, the
fact that 1 do not, and cannot, suppose myself
looked to by the people of the district to serve
them in this present great emergency, would of
itself suffice to determine my position. Except
ing only this public call from ssManaSsas,' - and
the solicitations of few friends, personally, and
by letter from Rockbridge and Augusta counties,
since that publication, and endorsing the same,
have no evidence that have been thought of
in that connection. Moreover, so long have
been Withdrawn from the public service, and from
all participation in public affairs-except to cast
my vote at the polls-that must be personally,
and even by name, unknown to large majority
of the voters. Add to this the just claims of
my business upon my time and attention, and
am sure shall stand excused and justified, even
by my most partial friend, for preterring to oc-
cupy private post, and in that post doing what
ever can to maintain and further the sacred
cause.
Here might stop but have some things to
say, which, if you have room and disposition to
print them, will offer as my contribution to the
public expression Of popular sentiment about
this war and the manner OF conducting 1T.
That, our part, it is a war waged in defence
of our libertieSS our homes, our affairs, our very
existence people, all Of US must admit and
the impartial world will attest. That, on the
part of our foes, so lately fellow citizens and
brethren, it is now become war OF suJugatlon,
even to determination, all their leading organs
of opinion unblushingly avow and all their acts
unmistakaby show. That in seeking our over
throw and utter destruction they are animated by
spirit the most fiendish, and are daily commit
ting within our borders crimes the most afro
cious, impartial History, the arbiter of nations,
must forever record to their eternal infamy.
This being ssthe situation,'' what is our duty
to ourselves and our children? What does COM
mon sense dictate? Let ssManaSsas" answer in
one brief, pithy, pregnant sentence: eff it takes
eUery man and erery dollar i'm the achoLe South TO
nlaintain our cause the sacrifice must be mGde.''
Have we and the whole South yet begun to
come up to that high standard? {? This beloved
| old Commonwealth did in May and June last offer
herself in thefull measure Of that spirit Of self
| sacrifice. She who had so unanimously played
out to it's last act, the role CT peace and the part
OF peace maker, now as nobly took upon herself
the role of war and rushed to the of the con-
f1ict. She offered fifty thousand more volunteers
than she had already put in the field, AID they
were refused; were told their services were not
wanted. The spirit of the people was repressed
by official proclamation. Assuredly, at that time,
the State authorities had not risen to the ssmark
of their high calllng.'' Have they and the Con-
federate authorities since 1t is the most ear
nest, anxious, unanimous wish of the people to
believe that they have, and to be warranted in
the belief by the energy Of their acts. But what
nave we done :? OUR ARMIES WIN BATTLES, AND
WE LOSE TERRITORY Which is all one to say,
the va,or of our troops vanquishes the foe, but
the supiDeness of our administration reaps no
fruit Of victory.
On the part of the South this is defensive war.
But does that imply or require that shall stand
forever within our own limits and await the az
tack Being begun in defence of our every
right, is it any the less war of defence if we
| strike the enemy in whatever vital part we can
reach? Shall we stand within our lines and
make proclamation to him by our acts? ssCome
| over to US leave all your homes unguarded, all
| your property unprotected. Spare none of your
force in their defence, for shall not assail or
molest them where they are, even aim to in
ljure your persons except you be found within
our territory! !'' And this to people who are
ravaging Us by and land Was ever pro-
| position more prepOsterOus Could any war be
more sentimentally insane than one conducted on
such theory!
| Of course we must not assume the offensive
| till we are prepared. But we can be fully
prepared by The opening of the campaign of
1862, if we will-if Congress wills it and DEGREES
| it. Let camps of instruction be established in
every State Of the Confederacy. Let the quota
of each State be fixed by law, and if the requi-
sition be not forthcoming by volunteers offering
their services, let pro rata draft Of the militia
be made forthwith, say, if you please, 10 per
cent. or Is per cent. 1t will be found in every
State doubt not, as l know to be the case in
| Virginia, that some companies and regiments
| hlyyn oIrno nfVih hrytnd how f,It Il
more than their full quota, whilst others have
done far less than their just proportion. Let
these new levles go into camp early in 1862, and
a single months rigid, vigorous training will turn
| them out soldiers of the very best stamp. They
are already such in every element, with only the
want of little practice in the manual of arms
and skill to move il company and battalion.
l am military man, and have no skill to
plan campaign, but one thing seems obvious to
me as the MONDAY sun, and that is, we shall
| never conquer peace except we are strong
| enough and energetic enough to dictate it either
| in old Independence Hall, Philadelphia or in
New York City, or on Boston Common, at the
base of Webster's statue, according as the back
bone Of the Washington despotism is more or
less strong.
Whilst am glancing at the duties of our first
Confederate Congress under the Constitution, I
take the liberty to say they will be criminally
direlict if they fail to probe to the bottom abuses
in the Commissarat and in the Medical Staff and
the Hospital; possibly, also, in the Quartermas-
ter's Department, though l know less of that
If it be found that nepotism or favoritism in
dispensing Government ssp0tronage" (I think the
very word is lOathsOme) has already crept into
the Executive Offices, and should high officials be
found more concerned about the 1eshpotS than
about the public liberty and safety in this great
crisis, then, wherein are we better off than un-
der the old and broken down government?
will not assume that such is now the fact; but
like causes produce like effects. We are living
under the same Constitution with few slight
amendments) that nominally obtains at Washing
ton. A system Of government more beautiful in
theory and more benefcent in practice, wit and
wisdom and patriotism of man never before de-
viSed and never will again. And so long as it
was administered In the wisdom and purity of
patriotism of its founders, it vindicated their
highest CLAIMS to Immortality. But that enor-
nous sspatronage'' of the Federal head presently
grew too strong for State sovereignty, or even
for popular liberty; and behold the result in the
truncated remnant of the United States Thank
God we are cut loose from them, and trust for
ever.
But, fastening to the conclusion of the whole
matter, for have already trespassed too long upon
your patience, if we would PRESERVE our lber-
ties after securing them, we must cut off this.
fruitful source of corruption by limiting within
far narrower bounds than at present the powers
and functions OF the Confederate Congress and
the Executive head. We must reduce and sim
pllfy its governmental machinery by reducing the
scope and object of its jurisdiction-we must
reserve to the States, severally, and to the peo-
pie far larger resduum of power, delegating
to the Confederate agent few important specific
duties. In fine, we must not aim at a grand