Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-02-07

A CORRESPONDENT Of the New Bedford
Mercury, writing from Hatteras, North
Carolina, describes the people down there
BE says:
"They have often been urged to join our
standard, and take up arms in defence of
their homes. 1t was only the other day
that ship captain asked a lad from the
country which side his father had taken in
the quarrel. The youth artlessly replied
that his father had not made up his mind;
he traHtedlO see If tie ftderaLs tvere styong. m
Some people, mostly secessionists or seces-
sion sympathiEers, affect to doubt the final
success of the Union cause in the South,
even though the Union arms are successful,
on the ground that there are no Union men
left there. Such people, when sincere,
must be ignorant of state of facts that
are constantly revealing themselves as
our arms penetrate the South, and also of
the general fact that success 10 arms soon
creates public opinion around it,
Perhaps some of our readers will re-
member a letter which We published
in the I9tslligeaesr last spring. IL was
received at Richmond by Mr.. G.. D. Hub
bard, one of our delegates, from trierd
in South Western Virginia. The writer
was man of position and education. He
was strong Union man Notwithstanding
the fact that he had voted the whole seces-
sion ticket, aud uotwith5tauding the fact
thstL chimed in with, and was part ofthe
secession sentiment of the town where he
lived. He frankly confessed to Mr.. HUB
bard the circumstances of his situation j;
told him that he had not the moral cour-
age nor the physical courage to combat
what seemed to be the prevailing senti-
meat around him. Still, however, he con-
jured Mr.. Hubbard to stand fast by the
UuiOn-to eveFyote for the ordinance
but to fight it out to the bitter end In
like his friend, Mr.. Hubbard did so.
This man was but type of thousands
in the South. We do not doubt that
he isns good Union man to-day as ever
he was, aud thatlike the people ofths East
ern shore lie would, should our troops come
to his rescue, most heartily welcome them
Why should not this be tho case with hin
aud with all others like him, when it war
so remarkably the case with the people o.
Accomac aud Northampton We admit
that it is humiIiating TO independent man.
| hood that men should be SO timid, or worse
| if you please, SO scrvile, SO coWardly, SC
degraded. But so it is, aud we must nc.
cept the fact. The object of the govern.
mSut is to avail itself of this fact, by hold
ing out every inducement to disloyal peo.
pile to return. In every instance where
our troops have got in among disloyalists
they have recunted. Thousands of them
are iGuorant-thousands of them are mean
and ready TO join, as This man at Hatteras
was, that side which shows itself the
strongest. 1t matters not to the govern.
ment that this is So All it wants is to
put down the rebellion. 1t does not
expect TO meet thousands of Andy John
sons or rarson BrOwnlOws as it progresses
Southwark. 1t does expect, however, to
meet thousands and ten of thousands like
the man at Hatterns-like the man who
wrote to Mr.. Hubbard-likc the people Of
the Eastern Shore. The acquiesence OF
this same kind of peOple-good, bad and
Indifferent as they are-made the public
sentiment that has sustained the rebellion.
Aud tue same acquiesencc, torpid and In
'ipid as it may be, will re-establish the
Union.
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VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE,