Newbern weekly progress., 1861-02-05
THE PRICE LIBERTY

The money motive has been most earnestly
appealed to during the present conflict by
those who, with all their rancorous hatred for
the Southerner continue to love his gold with
an increasing ardor We have had our pock-
cts turned wrong side out and shaken in our fa-
ces We have had every item of loss and ex-
pense paraded in large figures and summed up
with many a jubilant exclamation. We know
by this time what the struggle will cost to the
smallest fraction of cent. If our legislators
and leaders designed to keep us in the dark
concerning this important matter, their inton-
ton would have been frustrated by the clever
arthmeticians on the other side of the line
They have done their duty, in this particular
faithfully and thoroughly. If we suffer, We
have no one but ourselves to blame. If we
were too lazy, or too much excited, by ma
ture too prOdigal to count the cost of the move
ment in which are now engaged, those W no
have our dearest interest at heart and who are
frugal, industrious and cool, have done it for
US and, if we are pinched at any time by the
want Of some delicacy or luxury five stagger
beneath the burden we have placed upon our
shoulders with our own hands and with our
eyes wide open, it will be mean and stupid in
US to utter u word Of complaint.
We arc under large obligations to our
calculating brethren. It is true they are adap
ted admirably to this kind of work
They all have natural genius for figures
The pccunlary aspect OF j subject is the first
to strike their eyes What thing is worth is
the question that must be discnsS4ad and set
tied before everything else. But this does not
at all lessen our Indebtedness. They have
done u> a great service, a'si We stlouli be
thankful We acknowledge and appreciate
this substantial kindness.
We must not narrowly ScrutiniZa the motive
and object Were We to indulge this mpel-
tmcnt curiosity the feeling of gratitude that
now warns oar hearts, might DC SOmeW hat
1narrcd and weakened And vet we may al
venture to make this inquiry if we are only
careful to keep within the limits traced out by
,lclicacv and generosity. What was the end
of all that nice and laborouS c9lcuatila =
why did these SKilIiul aritillneticians take the
trouble to work out all these hard sums and
run up many long Columns? Was it sim
ply to CRAFTY an inborn taste ioT figures. and
to show their knowledge Of arithmetic? These
feelings may have had to do with the copIous
and toilsome reckoning, but the admission that
those were the only, or even the strongest mo-
tives that inpelled them to this work, were to
charge these apt Computers with folly. 1t
was not merely the promptlngs Of vanity, or
the delight yielded by the useful employment
of natural gift. These generous friends of
ours meant these figures to serve as dissau-
SiyeS and warnings.
They were conscious Of the value of our mo-
y
which we regarded this most indespensa-
bic and potent thing they desired and de
signed to induce us to look at it through their
eyes and with their feelings They had tried
logic and eloquence, abuse and threat; but ar
guments had failed to convince, their oratory
to move, their traductiOn had only eXaSperated
and their meuaces were laughed at We
paid no regard to words or cannon and, NOR
titled at the miserable failure Of these potent
instrumentalities, they at last resorted to fig
ures. They pointed out the nature of the evil
we were perpetrating in form about which
there could be no doubt and no question:
Numbers were made to tell the tale of our ru-
inous folly. Secession was computed. Stern
and cold there stood the terrible warning In
their eyes it was a living form Of frightful as
pect and gigantic stature, whose voice was
like the roar of the thunder-whOSe tread shook
the earth Afrighted and dismayed they
hid themselves from the terrible being they
had called into life
They were sure that this would bring US to
our senses; that when we saw this horrible
creature would in haste retrace our steps.
and repent of the great wickedness we had re-
solved to commit. But, strange to say, we
never saw the huge monster. We read the
items, and found the total correct, but we
were not in the least terrified on the contra
ry, we were rather surprised at the smallness
of the cost.
Thus has this exhibit of the expense ofliving
outside the Union failed most signally ofaccom-
plishing the object for which the computation
was made And so deaf are some to this i'm
portant consideration, that they have given
their hundreds and thousands to promote the
cause.
Yes, thank God liberty is beyond price, and
we would gladly suffer the loss of our all if
by so doing we may obtain the priceless bless
ing.-Ch. Courier.