The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-12-23


an army better than feeding and clothing |
one. | would to the Lord the leaders
had to take the place Of The soldiers.
A friend, writing from MeckIenburg, /
says:a d0.ian lar 4y n
/ fear o the manufacturers are disre-
garding the exemption clause ofuthe
conscription law, by selling their cloth,
yarn, leather, shoes and the like, at fabu-
lous prices. Cloth that we used to pay
81 20 S1.25 for,sis now selling at 81 10
SO per yard. Yarn is selling at S7per
bale, and shoes at from Sl2 10 S15 per
pair. / firmly believe there is
enough material in this county, in the
hands of speculators and extortioners, 10
furnish at least one good pair of shoes
for every soldier in one or more regiments,
if it could be SO applied. A great many
Of our farmers make their own leather
and shoes for their families. This does
not get into the hands of the speoulators,
and il is, therefore, not included in the
calculations. If any one ought to go
half clad and half shod, those who stay
at homo ought to do it, The soldier
ought to have our first care. Gov.
Vance, have no doubt, will do his duty.
OF this have no fear. He has many
friends in this county who rejoice that
he is doing so well, and his enemies are
astonished and vexed to see that con-
servative man is making so patriotic a
Governor. ai 93
A friend, writing from Caldwell coun-
ty, says:
"The manufacturers of every kind, TO
avoid odium from their neighbors and
old customers, prefer to say they have
Government contracts to fill, rather than
ask theirneighbors the prices these specu-
lators will pay for them. The thing
works thus These Spectators, by this
process of deception, monopolize The
raw material with the knowledge and
consent of the manufacturers. They
then n AXE up the goods and charge their
own prices. In the came way they 60
through the country and buy up the grain
honey, brandy, whisky, and even pota-
toes at low rates, as they say, for the SOL
diers, but really for themselves to specu-
late upon.p
Another friend, writing from Stoke:
county, says: g
} 'Unless you had visited our western
; counties, you can form no conception OF
! the untold deprivation which would b,
: entaied on our WOMEN and children by
1 taking off the men from thirty five t
e forty five This county has enrolled
a about 1900 men, and of these about /,
. $50 are in the service. Our corn crop i
Y short one third less than last year anG
almost an entire failure in the wheat
d rye and oat crops so that our peOpl
: have to depend upon corn alone TO
n bread and to feed their stock. | don
Q know half a dozen men in the count,
: who are Offering bushel of corn TO
: sale, and they are asking SO barre
o from the heap. Already are our poo
It women seen trudging from place TO plac
Y b&refooted, begging for corn, and none {
Q be had and these, too, the wives, q
s. our brave men now perilling their live
4; on the field of battle, or widows VIII
IS have lost their husbands in defence q
3 the country Now and then you vii
% find man who will devide, even to th
g apparent impoverishment of his ow
70 family but the great difficulty is wha
n few men are left behind are in constar
q state of uneasiness not knowing at whs
y moment they may be called off into ser
e. vice, and hence they hold on to wins
9, they have for their own families in cas-
+ of emergency. If all the conscrip
8. from my county are taken of, it will {
&c impossible for those left behind TO max
to q support for another year
m Our rulers should understand Il
'e wants and necessities of our poor so
T. diers, and their wants, above all other
a should be supplied. To do this reqnir'
to judgment, experience and energy. As
er the propriety of increasing our army,
lt think this involves considerations of mo
1t gravity than most persons at first a
IS, aware Of IL is but natural, when v
be hear of new ieyies being raised an
IN placed in the field against us, that co
he responding idea of increasing our arm
es should arise; but we know we cann
is7 compete with our enemies in numeric
Of strength. When and where TO stop is
st question of no ordinary moment. o.
" sharp scythe will cut more graiR tht
20 half dozen dull ones; 30 will one so
OF dier, we'll clothed and we'll fed, do mo
ht execution than half dozen indifferent
T. armed, half clad and half famished. I
We keep our gallant army in good fightir
III trim, our resources at home must be a
+ tended TO, and this cannot be done wi
er all our conscripts in She field.