The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-10-03


Tur NECESSITY or pRopUCTioN.--Ih he
high prices Of every article Of food ana
clothing, with constant tendency up
ward. indicates to us the greatest danger
Of The Confedcracy at the present mo
ment There are many sacrifices which
men can make, and which a great ma
jority Of the people Of This country have
made, for the defence OF their liberties.
They can dispense with the luAufIes and
superfiuitics Of life they can give llse
itself for the cause of indeoendence-but
while life remains there are certain es-
sentials which ii can only surrender at
the cost Of determination. In the first
place the army itself must be supplied
with bread and clothing, and if there
were no other mouths in the country to
feed, none others to be kept from naked
ness, the supply of this portion o! the
population alone would require that the
producing power of the country be care
fully husbanded, and its industrial ca
pacities developed, instead Of diminished.
But, besides the army, there are millions
Of women and children whose wants
must be provided for and who are in Sc
rious danger of suffering if the regular
operations of the fields and workshops
are interrupted by calling off old mcf
and youths--incapable at best Of eli
Gent military service-irom duties which
they are capable Of performing, and
which are as essential to the welfare o
the country and the success of military
operations as the use Of the muSket and
the cannon by those in the field.
Already we are beginning to feel the
want of labor in those mechanical and
manufacturing employinents which are
indispensable not only to comfort, bat to
existence Every day lost by the with
drawal Of operatives from factories in
wolves deficiency Of a vast amount OF
fabrics necessary to The use and comior,
of man, and for the supply Of which We
can no longer look to foreign countries.
What are the people to do this winter
for clothing, food, fuel, and other articles
Of prime necessity, if in addition to the
sufferings resulting from extorton, The
few producers who are left be turned into
consumers, thereby diminishing the
scanty means Of supply and Increasing
demand which already taxes to the ut
most our labor and industrial skill , We
have already in the field an army large
enough and brave enough TO encounter
and defeat our foes, and, if the present
laws Of Congress be faithfully executed,
we do not require another man. The
Nncf harm ,lroft - ol,,,,ft.l 10 J., =,
failure, and our most pressing danger Is,
the immense privatiOn ana suffering
which our own people must endure If
the producing power Of the country be
any further diminished.
This subject deserves the serious con-
sderation OF cur public men. Or@aniza-
lions for home defence are one thing. and
IN important thing, but 8 levy. En-. Dso&&c
OF the population is at this time about as
suicidal piece Of policy rs the Yankees
themselves could desire Us to perpetrate.
In noting down an amendment 10 tie mi
htia bill which proposed TO require the.
same service from legislators that tLny
demand from boys OF sixteen and old
men Of fifty-iive, legislators here express
cd the opinion that there ought to be
some exemptions from the service they
require, and they will pardon a suffering
community for believing that there are
other Observation-Disclosures, manutictu-
rers, and artisans-whose producing ca
pacity is quite as important to the gene
raj welfare as the exemption from draft
Of the members of the General Assem-
bly,.