Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-04-29

interesting letter from Thomas p Devereux, ESQ.,,
IN relation to supplies for the peope,and army, &c.
Mr.. Devereux's great experience and his practical
sense entite what he says 10 particular attention
and respect Our readers will find in his letter
many sensible and valuable suggestious:-
$ RALEleH, April Is, 1868.
SlR Being past active service, but anxious to
90 all tor the common cause within my power
feeling also, that am now becoming patriarch in
the country, and especially in farming, venture to
ADDRESS You upon the food question in this conf
monty reported crisis Of our history. say "conl-
monty reported crisis" because sm satisfied that
II the food panic can be removed there is no cause
OF alarm. The wheat and oat harvest is rapidly
approaching; the last corn crop, 1 know, was2a
heavy one in all parts Of our corn producing coun-
ties, excepting only the river low g, ounds. There
It was clearly failure, and system Of concealment
Is not the proper way to deal with people under
panic. have seen much harder times in North
Carolina than the present In the spring of 1917,
oeing very young man, yet green to the cares Of
family, with only one hundred dollars at my conf
mand, went into the market with that money, the
issue OF as sound bank as ever was chartered,
bought eleven barrels Of corn and one Of -four, and
all had left was ten dollars. Any one who will
make the calculation will that prices were higher
then than at present. Again, in the summer of
1885, hundreds Of families who felt that the receipt
Of public charity would have degraded them, lived
IM weeks nnt the Irish potato crop was available,
upon peas boiled ia salt and water. Instead, at
that period, of being buyer, was seller, and
through an agent delivered corn to q man much
above the pauper Glass; who would have scorned to
ask charity, who applied for it between midnight
and daybreak, and assigned as an excuse for the
unreasonable hour, that his children would have
nothing for breakfast until he had sheled that corn,
had it ground, and carried it home. Yet, in both
1917 and ls43 the country survived and prospered.
In truth, while it is difficult to concentrate the pro-
ducts of an agricultural country where, as with us,
the inhabit ants live their farms, starvation is
almost impossible. All that is required is conf
dence, kindly feeling towards our fellows and an
abiding trust that seed time and harvest will not
FAIL There is nowhere always is-an excess of
caution, when fear IS once excited. Let every man
having the control of provisions of all kinds reflect
that army cannot live family can, upon gar
den vegetables; but must have meat and bread,
more portable and less perishable that without
this they cannot maintain their position in the ield
that if obliged to retire enemy worse than
famine will be upon lis domicil; that with every
mile of retreat the means of support to US are d.
minished and of offence to our enemies increased.
Let him bear in mind that it is better for his loved
ones to bear a scanty allowance, than endure the
evils Of what is now known as refu yeesm Let
him remember that a merciful God has the wheat
harvest in store for u.s. that proptous seasons will
very soon give us abundant supply oRvegetablcs;
that whole nations, less proud than we are, live,
from year to year, upon cabbages and potatoes and
perform mountains OF work and surely, most sure
ly he will be forced to the conclusion that we can
With the inducements before us, bear six weeks of
economical administration, and SURVIVE and he not
only happy, but prosperous. But there is no scar
city, much less faniGe before u.s. Our fears, and
the hopes of our enemies, have mistaken high prices
for deficient supplies. lNo one has properly esti-
mated the evil effects Of redundancy in the crcua-
tion.) With proper, judicous economy, after an
experience of near thirty years of the feelings and
the habits of producers, am satisfied that there is
an abundant supply of food in the country, for the
soldier at his post the negro and his mule at the
pillow, aud the infant at his play. Only let us be-
ware of selfish boarding Of the means of life.
And here, Sir, have high duty incumbent to
and while ak e Dc gae9 y
specially. What / say may be unpleasant to some
l seek not to inhict pain, all ask is to state the
truth. Any one who knows the southern farmer
must realize that of necessity he is .selfreliant
man he brings home at once to his bosom that he
must take care of himself aid his DEFENDANTS that
if they require aid, it is only from the kindness of
neIghbors he is to expect it. The instinct of a
kindly nature prompts him to be willing to give as
well ms receive of course he makes large provis-
ion for domestic wants, and in times of need the
number of SURPRISES thus scattered If accumulated
will grsvitate largely. If his timdity is excited,
these SURPRISES will oe the greater-naturally he
feels that in the long run he is relied upon at the
! extremity. Is a tort to be built he knows he is
to be called upon. Is an army to he Fed his grain
is to do it. But who is to feed him and his Deepen
I dentsg He knows, and every body will admit that
he Is to do it himself Of course his caution is apt
TO be carried to the extremity of prudence, and
hence he is subject to food pan;cs than other
classes Onmy way to this place passed gang
obi
engaged in building brcastwork which is put up
as measure of extreme caution, and which
every body hopes will never be used. Put at farm
! work within few miles Of where they were, with
good management and fair seasons, those negroes
would support themselves, their families and pillow
animals, and spare surplus Of from twenty five to
| thirty thousand bushels Of corn-onc months sup
port of the army of the Rappahannock put a
Strong case, but one which know to have happen
ed on the score of production. Can such country
be starved? But that consideration do not intend
to press. Why should such means of entire immu.
nifty from want be sported with The Roman soldier
conquered the world by the spade and mattock as
much as by the sword The legionar;es Of Caesar
marched and fought and fortified the same day
Are the men of the Confelsraey less able or less
wiling2 Or are we like Eastern satraps, to march
nine attendants to the field for every combatant p
| If the Notifications necessary of course they
must be built but tax not the sinews and muscles
of the negro beyond his ability. Do not depend
upon, say two miAiens Of mail operatives to pro.
duuce sustenance for the fighting mbn, and also to
erect their field works prudence forbids'it ! say
to others no more than am willing to submit to
far mysaif; having entered the service I shall be
| unwilling to see any Of mine return who are not
submissive to every thing necessary to SUCCESS
But Sir there is another considerations il the forts
are necessary, aad'if negroes are-must De employ.
ed to erect them, let it be done at suiable time.
have already pressed upon you the natursl-the
almost necessary timidity of the farmers II in the
planting season his labor is Withdrawn from the
work Of the farm, be will be stimulated to closer
boarding of what he now has He will feel that if
his hands are taken now, SO will they be at any
future period and why should he the win say plant
when the receipt Of an officer may prevent his cul.
tivating. Why not save and hoard and secrete
what he has, and put his hands to improvements
valuable in the future but not available to ilnme.