Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-11-05
Spectators and Demagogues.

Spectators and Demag0gues. i
Ihere are but two classes of persons in the North
or South who are anxious for the continuance OF
this wicked unnecessary and destructive war. 1t
is stated, among the thousand rumors, that Gen.
Mcclellan recently remarked, that were it not for
the demagogues, Gen. Lee and himself could end the
war at once. We place but little confidence in the
rumor yet of the correctness of the remark attrbu
ted to him, we have no doubt
The war was naugurated and has been persevered
in mainly through the bad counses of trading DEM
agogues and merciless speculators and exortioners
whose sole aim has been selfish purpose to secure
place and profit The peculaton and speculation
which have been carried on at the North have sad
died that government with debt which it will nev
er pay and the official thefts and exravagant spec
ulation upon the government and the people in the
South, have risen to such pitch to threaten our
army and people with starvation and consequent
subjugation.
We have said repeatedly, that the extortion and
speculation now practised in the South are doing
more to hasten our subjugation than every thing
else beside. Every thoughtful person in the coun-
try not involved in the high crime of beggaring the
people and the government must see it. Look at
the deadenng, chilling effect of this srecuating
mania upon the large masses of the people whose
sons and brothers are in the army Every one is
melancholy and detected not at the i'll success of
our arms but at the certain disaster which is being
brought upon the country by the spectators. No
one is cheerful but them. They shave never seen
better times" they say, they :" have never made so
much money before"
Many of these landsharks enjoy shade offices un-
der the Confederate government, and many others
were among the most noisy advocates for secession
They nor their sons have gone into the war, and do
not intend to. A days or weeks speculation can
pay for substitutes, whose blood may be spilled as
water, and what do they care? Verify, Yankee bay
onets and ball not so effectually conquering us
as they are. The worst enemies of the Confederacy
are those who speculate upon salt four bacon corn,
leather, cotton and woolen goods Many have sud
denly become rich, both Jews and Gentiles, and
they have no concern except to keep the war raging
that they may make money And what is to be
the result if they continue it? Is not the overthrow
, of the South the inevitable consequence? What
earthly power can prevent our being overrun by the
Yankee hordes, if this state of things continues p?
And yet they cry, "All's we'll" Our victories and
!
them, and when our reverses become glaring, they
talk of speedy foreign intervention"
Let them be put down. Patriotism, humanity
and the salvation of the country demand it. and let
it be done speedily. There is no good reason under
heaven why salt and -four, and bacon, and corn
and leather, and cotton, and woolen goods should
| demand present prices. Avaricc-avarice among
our merchants, farmers, manufacturers and specu.
lators, at the bottom Of it, and It is viper gnaw-
| ing at the vitais Of the country.
| For the Standard.
| The Eastern Counties.
MR. EDITOR Having seen in several of your
late issues advice the people in the Eastern Coun-
ties, threatened by the Yankees, to break up their
farms and move their negroes West to safer loca-
tion, | write to know how it is to be done? From
all the information we can get from those who have
been West of the Weldon and Wilmington Rail-
road, there is scarcity Of corn meat end flour
in fact of all the necessares of life, and what there
| is. is in the hands of SPECTATORS, and held at an
enormous prlce-far beyond the abilities of our
wealthiest farmers to pay for any length Of time.
| Now, farmers with us have suiiciency of all OF
these except -four, and we cannot the difference
between abandoning our homes of plenty to spend
our all in the West, and remaining at home and
losing all. We are broken in either case. You
might tell that We can hire out our own negroes.
True, our men, boys and girls we might but what
is to become of our women and children? They
would be at great expense to U.s. more than the
value of the hire of the others. No, we had just
as well let the Yankees take what we have, as to
give it to those who are worse-our own flesh and
blood-those who would take our last dollar, or ne
gro, even the bread out of our childrens mouths
speculators-men of our own State, and from WHOM,
we should expect better things
Our State, our government has left US to our.
selves We are like ship at without anchor
or rudder, exposed to all the dangers that can ap
pal the stoutest heart our called to battle for
some more favored portion of the Confcderacy, and
our homes and all left to the tender mercies Of
those whose mercy is to destroy.
AN EASTERN MAN.
The above contains much sober truth. We have
seen the difficulties which envroned our Eastern
brethren in any event, and we have desired to point
out and suggest what we conceived to be the Least
of the evils. The duty of the government to pro
tect them, if possible is plain; but judging the fu
ture from the past, We have seen little prospect o
entire immunity for them from the dangers and ca
lamties of war. What our correspondent says
about the cornorant extortioners and spectators
our own State, is alas! too true; yet it might no
be quite so bad to fall into their hands after all,
into the hands of the Yankees.
Our correspondent however, does not seem t,
understand our suggestions Soon after Hattera
fell, we urged our Eastern people to remove thei
negroes at once upon the advance of the Yankees
believing their first aim would be to corrupt decoy
and carry the slaves off. Last winter, as soon Al
the crops were housed, we suggested to them to re
move the surplus crop up into the country and dis
pose of it, and then to remove their slaves, male
especially to the upper Counties, where lands wer
idle and vacant, to make the next crop, and thu
supply the deficit of labor created by the larg
number Of la5oripg white men who had gone int
the army.
Recently we have urged, not the removal of tn
negroes only, but all the movable property, will
NO r,ncb of the corn &c as nossihle We hav