The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-07-26
= pr.rans u. . solid Men. .


Tbs op,n.on was formerly expressed by many N
sh> Ssa,h that We had nos yet eneountsred the
uaost formidable fighting men Of the Rorn' our
that when they had exhausted their "riu IA"
s..sr Dutch, Irish. and city rowdiea-shey w'u'a
,.n,,. down upcu N with their "solid men ana
srr,h us to the consistency of Jelly. 4.
-. u~,s..a "A, ws always entertained doubts 81
A.. .,,,h ~ th,s proposition. Wsrensmberedt that
..n,,..ou had sri,vous time In ssrring up these
...,,a ...s. In the days of the Revolution. They
xx.r, 40 .scld" tia, no moral or physical lever
ss.med capable Of moving them We have seen
the original Of an old revolutionary document In
which the writer. = recruiting officer, complains
most bitterly that, neither for love money could
he induce any ono In Massachusetts TO enlist In the
war. The truth IL, there Is great deal of CANNON
and hurcbpg about the solid men," at the best.
what u meant BY the term 10, we suppose men OF
property, men who are solid In worldly goods ana
chstae,s, and We often associate physical sohai'y
with the same terms that rotund corporation AND
sheeks swelling with fairness, and those customary
,nx,ruIs of soidity, gold hsnded cane gold watch
saafn and seals, and substantial air. SIS OF one to
whom par. of the globe belongs, and who looks
upon AL mcu uOt oWmA6 PA"fN''S
,hs demsxuss Of the Creator and who considers
plague, pes:uence. or war, by which they may De
taken of. the minister Of Divine Police, arresting
loasssv and Migrants and consieniug them to Place
hsrs they can repent their leisure Of their pow
er,y and wortn.sssness
A. to .soid men" meaning anything solid IN
morals, virtue. valor. patriotism, of eonrse 1t
does not, Everett, Dickinson, Gushing Co-sou!d
ANYTHING be more ''solid'' in outward aspeetf And
vet each Of them has proved mere she'll, and
shell full of corruption and death. And no better
.n.c;mens can anywhere be found Of the ''solid
men, Of the North. They are Just as corrupt and
deprayed AZ the unsolid men, and thousand times
more hypocriticaL The only difference between
them and the riff rs1 ia, that the latter wear
their hearts upon their sleeves, and, contrary 10
the general impression. they are more reliable
for fighting purposes. The philosophy OF this ID
plain enough The 'riffrs," as they are called are
accustomed to hard work and hard knocks from
their cradles they feel that this world Is no world
for them and that, in giving 1t up, they have mol
much to lose But fne houses, productive farms
beautiful gardsns-as Dr. johnson said to darrick'
.'these are the things that make deashbed terri
bic :" these the things that enervste men, make
them cling life the greatest Of advantages FEN
Ger the solid men" the least formidable OF ali
ecmbatsnts who can be called into the field, and
cause them to skedaddle to Canada and Europe
for fear of being drafted into the militia
The only manner in which the solid men Of
the North are now formidable is In their capital
They have spent SO much money in carrying on
this war that they will make another desperate
throw to save that which has already gone. They
will not come themselves under any circumstance
bat, either by draft or enormous bountes they will
raise the 800 600 additional troops required by Lin
coin There will be universal sitting OF the whole
North and of all mankind for more "riff-raff' to
make up the three hundred thousand AS for
themselvss, 300, 900: "solid men" Of the North
would vanish like the most unsubstantal shad
ows before "6tonewau Jackson" and thirty thousand
Cenfederates But now is the time for the South to
strike. Let her not wait anothe. hour for the ac'
cumulation of more "riif.rRf" LIE; no. the enemy
be permitted to adv ance another foot. An instant
movement upon the Yankees, and the solid men OF
the North and their solid country will vanish ike
the baseless fabric Of a vision.