Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-11-05
Five days after the proclamation had been issued,
when the Tribune was still trembling under the
eesfaey of insnirati,n n ar1uad os folInws

Five days after the proclamation had been issued,
when the Tribune was still trembling under the
ecstacy Of inspiration, it argued as follows:
Though we have been chary of predictions hitherto,
the broad light thrown upon BY The Immediate enables
to read ch considerable certainty page Of the future
We are enabled therefore to make rih confidence the fol-
a. We predict that the lst of Japuary 1863 will prove
most important and ausicous era in the history OF our
country.
90 We predict that jeff Davis will think twice before
ne gives effect to his we'll known purpose Of denudng the
Cotton States of their abeboded whites, up to the age
even OF hftyfve years. n order TO h them the Union
armies along its frontier.
49, We predict that it will be found much easier to induce
the slaves the great plantations to stop work next
Christmas for their annual saturnaia than to back to
their unpaid tasks on The morning after Nsw Years.
a We predict that the sympathxers in the Free States
with the Shareholders rebellion will have hard work to
Keep up the courage Of their Southern brethrsn through the
merit three months and that efforts rOA BE- made by
tSs c0mpart0fs TO bring about accommodation before
the day 81 emancipation"
The time has passed when each of these pro-
phecies enables US to test the inspiration of the
seer. The lst Of January, instead of being most
important and auspicous era in the history of our
country" was remarkable only for the utterance of
another paper proclamation. Instead of i" thinking
twice" before denuding the Cotton States of their
able-bodied Whites" the Confederate authorities
propose to make their CONSUMPTION law still more
stringent and comprehensive. The negroes in the
lnsurgent States, SO far as we are informed, went
back to "their unpaid tasks on the morning after
New Years" with as much generality and alacrity
as ever. And, lastly, the only persons who have
done hard work :" to keep up the courage of their
Southern brethren" and 10 put forth efforts to bring
about an " accommodation" are the authors and
abettors of propositions looking to the mediation Of
Switzerland, and avowipg their readiness to " bow
to our destiny and make the best attainable peace"
off three months more of earnest Citing shall not
serve to make a serious impression on the rebels"
And yet these discredited prophets continue to
vex loyal citizens with their croakings, as though
any body could stand in awe Of their denuncations
They assure the President that he will live to re-
greet the decision he has made in regard to Missouri
Assuming to be guides Of mankind when their
every pretension to leadership has been exploded
by "the things that have not come to pass" they
should at least learn to speak with some reserve
and not provoke any further inquiry into their
credentials. We cheerfully concede to them the
liberty Of prophesying," but, in view of the long
line of their unfulflled predictions, we hope it is
no impiety to disbelieve them.