Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-08-06

our wolf out to get his mutton where he
could, so for eighteen months past we have
been trying to catch him by the ears.
''Well, Messrs. Editors, what has been the
result? We have in this effort sacrificed the
lives of one hundred thousand of our fellow
men, and spent five hundred millions OF mon
ey, and the wolf is not even conered, but has
rather cornered our biggest army and highest
general, and we are likely to spend five hun
dred millions more money, and sacrifice one
hundred thousand more lives before we get
hold of him, and then what? This is the
very question that Henry Clay asked the boys
on Pennsylvania avenue when, at their sug-
gestion, he took the goat by the horns. Why,
said they, let go and run for your life. just
what we must do eventually if we do not kill
the wolf. The north, after it has beaten every
southern army and captured every southern
city, will have to keep two hundred and fifty
thousand men in the slave states to be wasted
away by camp fevers and murdered whereso-
ever they can be set upon by five to one, I'M
til we shall be exhausted wearied out, and
have to-run for our lives. Would it not be
better to kill the wolf now? Our president
claims the right to do it, and all concede it.
He tells the bOrder-State men that if they had
accepted emancipation the war had been end
ed ere this. Are we not all ready, waiting to
see it die now?"
POPE ON REsIGNING OFFICERS.
Gen. Pope has written a very pithy letter,
in reply to the denial of Capt. Harrison of the
95th New York regiment that he had deserted
his post He shows that Harrison left the
army without his resignation being properly
rendered. received, or even heard of at head
quarters, and that he is therefore a deserter
from the service Of the United States. And
the general further says:
''In time of active operations in the face of
the enemy, it is possible to try an officer for
such offences, especially is it not so when he
is beyond the immediate reach of the military
authorities of this army, and his company
about to march upon the enemy without
captain. 1t is, therefore, my deliberate inten-
ton to adopt the course which seems most
effective to prevent such deserters. Every
officer OF this army absent without authority,
will be advertised in the public papers, and
disgraced before his people if it be possible to
do so.
.''No resignation of any officer whatever
will be accepted except upon medical certi-
ticate of the most conclusive character, or
proof of worthleSsness. 1t is therefore to be
distinctly understood that any officer of this
army, whose resignation has been accepted
without medical certificate, has proved him
self worthless and incompetent. Neither with
credit to himself, nor with any sort of fair
dealing toward the private soldier, can any
volunteer officer tender his resignation. The
soldier has agreed to so into the service Of the
United States, with the understanding that
certain persons who persuaded him to enlist
shall continue to command him. If he had
thought otherwise, there is no doubt that in
many cases he would have declined to volun-
teer. When he has been sworn III he is bound
for the whole term of service, and there should
be no one exempt, nor, so far as l can control
this army, shall he be exempt from the same
restriction in that respect, which has been
imposed on the private soldier.
GA large part of the dissatisfaction justly
felt by the private soldiers of the volunteer
regiments has arisen from this very practice.
As soon as a commissioned officer grows tired
of the fatigue and hardship of service he ten
ders his resignation, and in very many cases
has found means to have it accepted. A pri-
vate soldier has no such means of freeing
himself from an obligation which he imposed
on himself with the full understanding that
the officer who persuaded him to volunteer
was equally bound with himself, and would
remain with him. The practice of abandon
ing the private soldiers who have volunteered
at their instance, reflects little credit upon
officers, and will only be tolerated in this ar
my when | can no longer control it,