Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1862-05-01
Confederate Faeeti9.

One would suppose that the "circumstan'
ccs which surround" aud govern the situa'
| ton" of the Southern Confederation at the
present moment were not Of a nature to sug-
gest the indulgence in cquivokes or facetiae,
especially in the legislative acts and execu-
tive proceedings of the confederate Gov
eminent" And yet in what sense can the
following resolution, recently passed by the
Confederate Congress be regarded as a seri-
ous declaration
/ "ReSolred, That the ports of the Southern
Confederacy are open to the free entry Of
goods from every nation in the world ercept
tie United iStates."
| As wo understand the facts in the case,
these ports can at present be hardly said to
be "open TO the free entry of goods from
every nation in the world" There are very
papable distractions in the way, which no
resolution of the Richmond Congress can
remove; and, unless we are laboring under
strong delusion, it is only the nation which
is excepted from the scope OF this declaration
that has the privilege of freely entering
many of these same Southern ports-a priv
ilegc which it holds under another authority
than that granted by the resolution in ques-
ton.
And President Davis, it seems, is also an
adept in this species of solemn joking. A
notable instance of it appears in his late
message recommending military con-
scription of all males in the Confederacy be-
tween the ages Of eighteen and thrty-fve
years. The principal reason which he as
signs for this step is contained in the follow
ing extract:
"The vast preparations made by the enc.
my for a combined assault at numerous
points on our frontier and scaboard have
produced results that might have been cx-
pected. They have animated the people
with spirit of resistance so general, so re-
so.ute, and so self-sacrifcing, that IL requires
rather to be regulated than to be stimulated"
The point of this untimely waggery is so
well explained by the New York CONNER
cial Advertiser that we cite its commentary
on the foregoing passage: ..., J."
'There is an argument for you'll So gen.
eral, so resoute, SO self-sacrifcing is this
spirit of resistance at the South, that law
OF CONSUMPTION is necessary But then init
mates Mr.. Davis, this is not to force the I'M
willing into the service, but to keep the
over-eager youth and aged out Of it. AS,
therefore, every law pre-supposes the impos-
ing of penalties for breaches of it, we infer
that this act must contain clauses providing
for the exemplary punishment Of all below
the age Of eighteen or above that of thirty
FIVE who may presume to offer themselves as
defenders of Secessia. Alas to them the
! door is shut for the present The juveniles
must grow older or the senles must grow
younger before they can be legally clothed
with the panoply Of instruction. They
must soldier at homo in time of war, and
leave their firesides only when these are in
vadcd. But is it not droll that conscrip-
ton act had to be passed to regulate and
restrain not to call forth, the Southern peo-
pie to defend their country from invasion !?
We would ike to publish the clauses which
prohibit so imperatively the enlistment of
all except the favored few between eighteen
and thirty-fve"