The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-01-17

calculated upon. He had predicted
war, not because our rights 20 secede was
not an undoubted one, aud clearly de-
fined in the spirit Of that declaration
which vests the right TO govern upon the
consent Of the governed, but the wick
edness of the North would entail war
upon the country.
The present war, waged against the
rights of a free people, was unjust, and
the fruit of the evil passions of the
North. In the course Of the war these
evil passions have been brought out and
developed and so far from reuniting
with such a people--a people whose de-
scendants Cromwell had gathered from
the bogs and fens of Scotland and Ire
land--a people whose intolerance pro-
duced diseord 81 & trouble wherever they
went--who prosecuted Catholics, Epis-
copalians, and every other sect that did
not subscribe to their bigoted and con-
tracted notions--who hung witches and
did thousand other things calculated
TO make them forever Infamous. The
President was emphatic in his declaration
that under no circumstances '0o,1M he consent
10 reunion.
He drew gloring picture of the hor.
rors of war and the rayages OF the enc
my; and while his tears flowed for
those who suffered, yet all these would
be endured, cheerfully, before our man
hood and our liberties would be surren-
dered.
He alluded briefly to his desire TO
transfer the war upon Northern soil, but
the failure to do this proceeded not from
want of inclination, but of power. We
were not an old established nation, with
armies and navies at our command
These had TO be improvised from the
scanty materials to be found within the
limits Of our own Confederacy. We
were blockaded and cut off from other
nations, and every body knows that we
had been an agricultural people, and
that our facilities for manufacturing ma
terials of war were extremely limited
Notwithstanding this fact, patentto the
most casual observer, we had now an ar
my larger than ever beiOre-our arms
and munitions of war were increased in
number and improved in quality, and we
are in better condition to-day than we
were twelve months ago.
CONSUMPTION AND EXEMPTION LAWS.
He allnded to She CONSUMPTION and ex-
emption laws of Congress, explaining
the necessity of the one and the intention
of the other Was sorry to perceive that
there had been false construction put
upon the first of these laws There was
no dishOnor in being conscripted. The
Government had as much right to make
laws requiring the services of its citi-
zens in the army as TO compel them TO
work public roads or to pay taxes. The
object of that portion of the exemption
law which exempted the owner, agent,
or overseer of twenty negroes, lOas not in
tended to draw any distinction whatever
between classes. No benefit was intend
ed to the rich from it. 1t was simply
to provide police force, which Congress
thought necessary, and to facilitate the
agricultural productions of the country
to supply the wants of both the poor
people and the army.
Any law intended to bear unfairly
upon the poor, even to feathers weight,
would never have received his signature.
"The poor have fought our battles" says
the President, "and so have the rich,"-
The poor in all revolutions are the main
stay and props of the country. But
while the poor have nobly done their
duty, we have no cause to complain of
the rich. All have done well, and many
of the wealthiest and most distinguished
families in the South have sons in the
ranks. He instanced the Hon. Israel
Welsh and others, whs had fought as
Privates in the bloodiest engagements of
the war. He thought there might be
very properly revision of the exemp-
ton law, and trusted there would be no
conflict between the Confederate and
State laws upon the subject Of the mill
tary. That there should be no war with
States, and if any State chose to inilict
blow upon the common cause by enacting
conflicting military laws, be hoped that
Mississippi would be the last to adept
such a suicidal policy.
The President expressed his gratiiica-
ton at the message of Governor Petis,
and cordially Endorsed his views in ref
erence to making provisions for INDECENT
families, aud the enrolment Of con-
scripts who could be ready upon an
emergency, TO go forth and occupy the
trenches, while the disciplined troops
and active soldiery could take the field.
The calls for such service could be for
thirty, sixty, or ninety days, and when
the emergency had passed they could re-
turn TO their pursuits. Raw soldiers, the
President commended, could do efficient
service in the trenches, and the adoption
of such policy would strengthen our
means of defense quite materially.
In his hllusion TO the vast numbers
of the North, the President said that up
on any fair field we were willing TO Fight
them two 10 one; we have often whipped
them three 10 one at Antietam we whip
ped them four to one; but this might not be-
the case always. As the enemy progress
ed in discipline they approach nearer
to ourOsOwn troops in efficiency Hence