The national Republican., 1861-02-20
MILITARY DESPOTISM.

MILL AM DCoF llOm.
Georgia and Louisiana have each ordered
two regiments to be raised, the term of enlist
ment in Georgia being FIVE years and in Louis
lana two years. We noticed lately in the re-
ports from Pensacola, that some Of the Ala
bama troops there, were enlisted for one year.
South Carolina has organized a permanent
force, but we do not know the precise term Of
enlistment.
In his inaugural delivered on Monday, Pres
ident Davis said:
"For the purposes of defence, the Confeder
ate States may, under ordinary circumstan ces,
rely mainly upon their militia but it is deemed
advisable in the present condition Of affairs,
that there should be ,oell.instructed and tcell.
disciplined army, more numerous than ponld
usually be required as a peace establishment"
The measures which politicians recommend
are one thing. The reasons they assign for
those measures, are another thing. And they
are not likely to assign their true reasons when
such reasons embrace scheme of policy which
would be odious to the public.
What Mr.. Davis calls for is numerous"
"well.instructed and Well.disciplined army"
but he affects to say that he wants such an
army, not as a permanent establishment, but
to meet temporary exigency, "in the present
condition Of q6airs." fhe designed perma.
nent establishment, he is too adroit to say 80,
and if the real object of the cabal Of which he
is the head, is to inaugurate a military despot.
ism, he would hardly say that in On inaugural
message.
Mr.. Davis knows very well that his Con.
fedate States" are menaced with no attack
from this Government, which can call for q
standing army of defence. That is an idea
which he throws out, to conceal his real de-
signs. 1t is as groundless as that other idea,
of invading the free States, and waging the
war on the soil of the North, which he threw
out to inAame the pride and passions of the
populace. No man knows better than he does,
the absurdity Of that suggestion, but it answers
his purpose, if it reconciles his victims to that
. ssoellinstructed and well.disciplined army"
which, once in his hands, will make him the
= master Of the situation.
As no invasion of these Confederate States "
10 msditated, by anybody, and as the ruling ca.
bal do not themselves anticipate from Presi.
dent Lincoln even that modified form of coer.
cion, to which, in the end, they will be sub.
jected they are raising standing armies for no
other purpose than to repress political reaction
at home. They have got possession of the forms
of Government without consulting the people
at all, and now thsy mean to rely upon the ap.
pliances of a military dsspotism.
Mr.. Davis contradics and stultfes himself,
even in the single sentence we have cut from
his inaugural If for the yeritable purposes of
defence the militia ought mainly to be relied
upon, it Is for some other purposes than those
Of defence, that he calls for, q standing army,
although he hints at nothing IN connection
with "he present condition Of AFFAIRS" as re-
quiring pre- CAUTIONS, except the danger Of at
taGks from abroad. !, ,,GguGnIq .gCs
. Butit is attacks from home, which he really
fears, and which he means to guard sgainst.
He, aud the men allied with him. intend to
hold with the sword, the power which they have
grasped by terror and violence. 81 a.J.m '.
The farmers and laboring men Of the border
States, who have SO ,nobly sustained, that nsr.
tional Union, which is their best protection
against the tyranny Of factioas leaders at home,
can see, in the present position Of the Gulf
States the horrors Of that licentious despotsm
which they have escaped a;.a ly:uaarar
'virgihians know that among the first meas.
ures proposed by the chiefs Of secession in their
present Legislature, aoas The creation Of a stand.
ing army Of ap,oards Of ten thousand men,
They saw the danger, and they have arrested
it, They saw in it its long train ,'of5 eonse
quenees, oonseHptious, and taxes, in which are
summed up all the substan ce and all the forms,
not oply Of political, but Of personal slavery.
The working men Of the towns apd the sons, Of
farmers foresaw who must 6ll the ranks Of this
standing stts army projected at Richmond, and for
Hs benefit of what classes II waI devised, And
they ~iilchAsist toithe lass' a policy which would
subject them to precisely such dynasty as is
now organizing at Montgomery its numerous,
gelkinstructed, and tcelidisciplined Forces"