Arkansas true Democrat., 1862-03-27
Calling cut the Militia.

The Richmond Examiner scores Coy. Letch CT of Virginia fer calling out the militia of that State in the manner below. Perhaps, with some modification, it may suit another longitude than Virginia:
 Yesterday the supendous proclamation of John fletcher startled the people of this State as if the earth had opened under their feet. De claring that the presdelr had called on the commonwealth for forty thousand "adltional troops" be orders not forty thousand, but the entire male population of Virginia, between the ages of eighteen and forty,Gye, to get up aimmediately." and march out into the fields, without food, without arms, without tents, not to be subjected to draft but t0 do service in body during the
 This monstrouS command is apparently pre- dicated on call from the President The read CT of 1t will suppose, the supreme struggle ofthe country being imminent, that officer has sum mon d. through this Governor, the militia Of of lireinia to the field. Despite the patent incongruity of forty thousand men and the en- tire population, this is the natural suppostion; and it would seem equally certain that the call was made the moment before the issue oi this sudden proclamation. It is scarcely possible to believe the truth, that the President has done no 
 one for Nirginia's quota to the Confederate army: and that this was dated SC long ago as inc 2d of February. This is the "call'' of which fletcher speaks The Legislature passed d law for q draft at the present time to meet this call; Lptchnr neglected to execute the law; the Leg iylatire called him 10 accOuEt fer II; and he vreaks lis vengeance on the whole population The State by ordering them, without lke warn inc of q day, without preparation or provision, to go and lie down together in the old fields.
 TasI madness or much whskey may have tbeir narts in ths sndden overtnrn Of a whole society; but above and throaga them both ths ,,urpose IS clearly evident: to produce aS much cn,, .4Sion and embarrassment as possible, 10 render the puhhc defence an odIous service, to distress the people in tue utmost aEtent' 10 har- rass and annoy all classes, til the war fof our independence becomes an unendurable curse.
 The calm judgment of the coantry must de- nIore the call of the militia. It Is not the mere inconvenience to which the community VIII De naedlesslv subjected that constitutes me ground of regret but the imbechty and pane "hlcn It hairays in'our rulers The most absurd and in- ,,,'cr,.,,os orders are issued from these function ar.e3. In one month all the arms, public and niivate. belonging to the people are called for and collected together in the metropolis oi the S,ate. completely disarming the community, and rendering ii impos .ibe for the bravest mliltla in the world to effect anything for the pubic de fence: the next m onth this same dsarmed nlir in are called into the field. and required to per form with cornstalk and tobacco sticks the du' ties of a campaign. ,,
 Never was a cause so cruelty butchered as tbat of the South by ignorance, caprice, imbe- clty and trepidation in is rulers. We fiatter- ed ourselves that we enjoyed the best govern ment in the world, distinguished by courage, capacity and enterprise; and we awake in the midst of d crisis to find everything at sixes and seyens, and the public service disorgan'zed and confused by the very functionarles who should have given il order and efficiency Asleep for