Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-04-03
From, the N. o. Bulletin.


We are IN struggle requiring large variety Of labor
effectively to prosecute it and bring 1t to successful ter
mination 1t may last and in all probability will last
for years. We cannot afford to be conquered, and the
war continue, therefore, until we are
however long it may last We people all told say
Of eight or ten millions Az present. we have no for
egn commerce worth speaking Of and we cannot depend
upon foreign nations Tor any assistance IN restoring our
commerce to US. We must consequently both clothe
ourselves and feed ourselves and carry the lighting
part of the at the time. In order to eestab-
iish commercial relations with Europe and thus be able
to import foreign goods to any considerable extent we
must first eectuay break the blockade OF our ports
This requires gunboats, iron ships, etc. These we
must either build or buy Perhaps we may obtain some
in both ways In the meantime, however, we must
manufacture for ourselves and must iaise own
provisions We must 90 it-there is absolutely no
choice left We must clothe ourselves or go Naked
raise our own provisions or starve Hence 1t necessa-
ry results that the civil patos OF society must go
on paT1 paSSu with the to great extent and as an
indispensable basis and support of the war. Without
this basis the struggle must come to sudden and IN
elorious end To say that only business is fighting,
therefore, is sheer DOnsens since we cannot fight with
out food arms and ammunition and clothing, and since
these cannot be bad without being made great
rety of labor must he performed. System is required,
order is necessary Speciality should characterize our
efforts. Every man should be in his place That place
is not necessarily in the army He may do ten times as
much good out OF the army as ID it. We require va
IrE6ty OF WORK. IL SHOULD nave
of design the Iresel walton and Intimate triumph of
independence
We doubt whether our government CT our people are
sufc emily alive to the Importance of these truths,
the o heir application to the actual war. There
be enough left in every parish and county to
direct effectively the labor OF the plantation hands This
every will admit 1t is too evident to require ar
gnmcnt. But the princ pie does not end here There
must be mechanics enough left to carry on the manu-
facture of cloths. This Indispensable like the other.
Slave labor may be made available to great extent,
| but it will not the whole work Skiul men are
necessary to carry on, ard extensively the manufacture
Of arms and ammunition, Every skilled 10 such
business should be in the shop not in the army He
can do more much more for the cause ia the former
than in the latter The same remarks apply 10 harness
makers, sadder guncariage makers, shoe makers etc
and they apply orciby to ship carpenters and oun
dry q any of the preceding classes. Il strikes
US that it would be decidedly good policy for the gov
ernDent make search through the entire army fol
ship carpenters, gun-makeIs, etc, snd at once to take
measures have them transferred from the camp the
workshop snip yard and foundry, the ground that
they be useful mechanics than soldiers
Let systematic and classify mears, our talents
like far-seeiug men We shall thus supply ourselves
with firm foundation that will not give way under
feet when most need it.