Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-01-10
HOW THE REBELS FEEL.

Ihe newspapers al hicnnoHu, NiiatlSstOi,
New Orleans, and in Tennessee, have lately
spoken with considerable freedom, asd some
of their expressions OF feeling are quite signi'
ficant. The Richmond Examiner finds among
the rebels a disposition TO return to allegiance
to the federal government. There is conclus.
i've evidence of the existence and constant
growth of Union sentiment even with the con
federate reign OF terror at Richmond The
Examiner sees it plainly, as the following par
agraphs from articles in that paper Indicate.
The Union feeling at Richmond came out re-
Gently in attentions paid to the family of DR..
King of Newport, r. l., who were permitted
to go there to see his son, who was sick and
prisoner, whereupon the Examiner spoke as
follows -
eve are surprised 10 learn that a certain
Yankee, DIR. King, from Newport Rhode Isl
and, has been permitted to Gene here to see
sick son, a prisoner. We are surprised to
learn that the doctor, his lady, and son, are
occupying very select rooms at the Arlington
House, We surprised TO learn that these
persons are called upon by the would be elite
Ia very feeble would be- though, we suppose)
of Richmond, and that women of Virginia,
making such social pretence, have been flock,
ing to see The Yankee family circle. On New
Years day DR.. King was making calls in as
high gice as the Union men he has been con-
ferring with. There is 4 sOmber aspect on
many faces; and the belief prevails that if the
war is not waged in earnest we are doomed,
and that Virginia and all the border states
must inevitably be reOccupied by the federal
authorities. Bat we differ with the faint heart
ed one respect CT opinion. We think the army
will not submit, whatever may be the stipula-
tions OF others"
In another article the Richmond Examiner
complains that the cause OF Southern indie
pondeuce" is inperiled by ''the Macfarlands
and Baldwins" who oppose confiscating "the
100000, 600 OF northern capital in the south"
the income from which might be used to aid
the fugitive rebels from the border states
Here is one of its statements -
ALREADY, we understand, fugitive parents
who have fled from their estates are beginning
to discuss tile duty one owes to his family, AS
well as 10 his country; and some have even
returned to their homes in Mary land and Vir-
ginia, rather than see their little ones perish
from hunger under the uspices Of the Mont
gomery government. This has been done, it
is said, under assurances from Washington
their property will be respected"
This is not all. Some of the public func.
tionaries" are accused, and their patriotism"
is attacked by doubt and suspicion. as FOL.
lows =
"Other equivocal indications are calculated
to produce the impression that they hare noi
sufficient confidence in the final success of our
cause; and that they may be even meditating the
means Of escaping the penalties of rebellion, by
producing, in ddOance, pleas for marcy"
The same newspaper has some noteworthy
references to Divine providence Here is one
of them -
"Ihe south ,cere grievousy disappointed, and
Someechdt inclined to quarrel ,0ih Providence that
the great storm Of November did not destroy a
larger number Of the yeSseLS Of their grand fleet.
The south were also very much veXed that
the garrlsons i'll forts Beauregard and Walker
did not make a better resistance unuer the
naval attack to which they surrendered but
the sequel has shown that Providence after
all, did not mean US any great harm."
The Examiner gets into Il similar trouble
with Providence on discussing the situation on
the Potomac. 1t says the rebels expected an
advance of McClellan's army, and it appears
that they prayed earnestly for mud and bad
weather to prevent such an advance. But
their prayers were unleard. The travelling
was good and 'the weather challenged the
enemy to advance" much to their dsmay
Says the Examiner
"No contingency was admitted as possible
to prevent the onset but bad weather and bad
roads. The state of both eUer since has been in
terpreted by the south as unpr0piiouS Of the favor
of Providence in their behalf But Providence
seems to have understood The enemy better
than we did ourselves The aTeather has de-
fed him to the combat, and lie has refused the
challenge"
Let us see how they take the onset when it
does come. Should it break upon them at one
point while they are watching another, we
shall probably hear more such reflections on
Providence. We notice in the Examiner and
some other southern papers that the blockade
is felt by the rebels as very heavy affection,
1t is evidently one OF the most complete block
AIDES ever effected, notwithstanding some rep.
reservations 10 the contrary. No blockade
ever Theoretically sealed" any port against
which it was directed, so as to make running
the blockade" quite impossible, and scarcely
any blockade on record has been SO nearly
complete as that now maintained on our south
ern coast What the rebels actually think of
it is expressed by the Richmond Examiner as
follows =
"The only effective weapon of assault which
the public enemy have yet welded against us
is the weapon OF blockade; and, so far, neither
southern ingenuity, craftsmanship, nor pride.
has provided a single measure for its counter
action. + The blockade Injuries us in
more ways than one, and no measures should
be omitted to break it down"
So JEFF. Davis thinks, and therefore he talks
of using against it that unparalleled spirit of
lying, which, from the beginning, has been
the chief reliance Of his traitorous conspiracy
He has announced that he is preparing a
statement to show that the blockade is nothing
but sham blockade, and that France and
England should break it up as soon as posi-.
BILE. If 1t ,cere "sham" blockade, if it were
not precisely what the Richmond paper calls
it, he would have no motive for such proceed.
ings against it. Great and desperate exertions
are not required when one "kicks at nothing"
jeff Davis's quarrel with the blockade shows
how keenly he feels it.
We close this account OF expressions Of
feeling among the rebels by citing a Christ.
mas incident among the rebels at Leesburg
which seems TO US TO be quite as significant as
anything else we have quoted 1t is told in
letter from Leesburg -
fWhile on the subject of festivals nar,,,;.