Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1863-04-14

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very great. They are by this taught
that their turrretted Monitors cannot
stand the fire of our land batteries, and
the Confederates are taught the impor-
tant fact that they need not dread in the
future, as they have in the past, these
boasted Leyiathans of the deep.
Human Nature Consistently Frail.
Human nature is the same in all ages,
and under similar circumstances exhib-
its the same frailties. In times of great
trial and temptation, the weakness and
wickedness of men are more palpably
displayed At this time when the coun-
try is suffering the throes Of a mighty
revolution, the black seams of specula
ton and extortion '.crop out" above the
surface Of society, visible signs of the
depravity Of human nature. This does
not prove that we are more evil or less
patriotic than those who have preceded
rs in the march of time, for the history
of the past shows that we are but re
peating the evil deeds of our ancestors.
During the revolutionary war, there
were many besides the old Scotchman,
Johnny Hook, who thought more OF
making money than of securing the
freedom and independence of their coun
Try. Even at that time when the true
patriots of the land were severing the
chains that bound them to throne, and
when they were giving freedom to their
country and winning chaplets Of never
dying fame, there were, as now, many
who seemed.to care but little for the fate
OF their bleeding country, if they could
succeed in quitting money into their
pockets" If money would pour into
their pockets, they cared not how much
precious blood poured out of the veins
Of their more deserving countrymen.-
If they could hear the jingle of dimes
or the rustic OF continental notes, they
cared not for the shouts of victory or
| the peans of triumph As it was then,
so it is now, except that we have the
same character exhibited to greater
degree. Whilst prices were then in
creased TO fifty per cent, they have now
increased one thousand per cent.
| In speaking of this class of people of
the present day, we stated, last week,
that, 'they forget patriotism, and, in
stead of supporting, engage III discred-
ting the currency of the country, and
then imperil their souls in their efforts
to clutch handful Of the very money
they have deprecated" In the revolu-
ton which, in more ways than one,
s'tried the souls O men," there was an
exact counterpart to the class described
in the preceding sentence. Then, too,
there was class who made and extort-
ed money in every way they could dc
wise, and, at the same time decried its
value. These men received the scath-
! ing denunciation of the ssFather of his
country" and he marked them as Cain
was marked, that they might be known
and stunned by all good men.
Towards the close Of the year 177S,
Washington wrote thus to one of his
friends; "Want of virtue is infinitely
more to be dreaded than the whole force
of Great Britain, assisted, as they are,
by Hessian, Indian and Negro allies
for certain [ am, that unless extortion,
forestalling, and other practices which
have crept in and become exceeding
prevalent to the common cause, can
meet with the proper checks, we mast
saaevstably sink under such load of ac-
cumnlated oppression To make and
extort money in every shape that can be
devised, and at the same time to decry
| its value, seems to have become mere
business and an epadeaaica1 disease call
ing for the amtez,positiora Of ouery good
naam and body Of men," And thus to
another: sit is most devoutly to be
wished that some happy expedient could
be hit upon to restore to our paper ennis
sions, and punish the infamous practice
Of forestalling and engrossing such arti-
cles as are essentially necessary to the
very existence of the army, and which,
by this means, come to it through the
hands Of these people at fifty per cent.
advance, to the great injury and depre-
citation of our money, by accommodating
the quantum necessary for ordinary pur-
poses to an amazing sum, which must
end in total stagnation of all purchases
unless some remedy can be soon and eff
fectnally applied"
Military and Civil Officers