The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-01-23

to Grenada he there learned that nothing
could be seen Of them but their backs.
They were going back, perhaps with the
intention of reinforcing the heavy column
that was now being thrown down the
Mississippi river. The real points of at
tack were at Vicksburg and Port Hudson;
and to all who desired to lend helping
hand to the country in her present ext
gency he would say, $50 to Port Hudson
and Vicksburg without delay
NECESSITY OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS MILL
TARY SYSTEM.
He spoke of the salutary effects Of har-
monious action between the several States
and the Government at Richmond, and
urged upon legislators, both State and
Confederate, the necessity of establishing
a permanent military system for even
after the present war was ended we might
expect trouble from our enemies unless our
military establishment was of such char
acter as to give them a wholesome fear of
precipitating war upon us. The true the
DRY was to adopt a military system which
would be permanent and operative in
| times of peace.
THE QUESTION AT ISSUE.
The issue involved in this war was no
ordinary one. The question is, will you
be free, or will you be the slaves Of the
most depraved Ind intOlerant and tyran-
eical and hated people on earth? This
was the real question to be decided. Eve
rything else was as dust in the balance. A
people who had demonstrated their utter
incapacity for selt-government, who have
| destroyed their own liberties in the vain
effort to deprive us of ours, seek to be our
masters, and intiict upon US such CALLING
chains as have no parallel in the annals of
tyranny. Mississippi is the object OF their
peculiar hatred; upon her is to be visited
their refined vengeance But our cause is
just and vengeance belongs to the Lord.
We will resist the power of the enemy
Discard all other considerations but the
public defence, and victory will again be
ours.
AsPERsIONS OF THE ADMINISTRATION.
The President alluded very briefly to the
falsehoOds which had been circulated rela-
tive to the administration, which lie could
not disprove, because such disproval would
give the enemy 2 knowledge of things
which the good of the cause required to be
concealed from him. That he had COM
mitted some errors he did not doubt,
though they were never the result of i'm
proper motives. For vindicatiOn of him
self from the aspersions of some of his fell
low-citizens, he confidently awaited the
time when the cause would hot suffer from
such vindication. He, however, explained
the great necessity of public confidence in
nff ffn tod
to that great and good man, General A :
bert Sydney Johnston, asa shinig example
Of the i'll effects of Withdrawing that de-
served confidence which the public welfare
requires.
DURATION OF TIE WAR.
Though the war had somewhat exceed
ed his expectations, yet he never doubted
our final success, and he considered it now
as absolutely certain. The duration of the
war was q question of time. He thought,
however. it was not possible for war
waged upon such tremendous scale to be
protracted. Be it long Or short, however,
we would not be the first to crv "hold
enough"
YICKSBUEG.
The President paid deserving tribute
to Vicksburg. That noble little city had
withstood the shock OF the combined fleets
of the enemy after the great cities of New
Orleans and Memphis had succumbed to
their supposed invincibility. The heroic
women Of Vicksburg had cried out, give
the enemy the soil if it cannot be defend
ed, but let him have nothing else The
Governor left his chair and repaired to the
scene of danger, and refused to listen to
any advice except of defence to the con-
centrated power of the enemy. We are
better prepared at Vicksburg now than
then. Our defences are greatly improved
| and strengthened; our ornaments are
much improved; we have better armies,
and that gallant soldier, Gen. Johnson, is
pouring in achievements He comes to
Mississippi to protect and defend her. Im-
mense applause.l
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS NATIONS.
To the question of recognition and in
tervention, the President devoted only a
few words. We had a right to expect
recognition long since, but it had not come,
and his advice was 6 Put not your faith
i'll princes, nor rest your hopes upon for
eign nations - It seemed that England
still refused to take any steps towards
recognition or mediation. France had
made move that looked friendly to us,
and when she extended the hand OF friend
ship we should be ready to grasp it.
NO REORGANIZATION.
The President took a brief Retrospective
view of the movements of our armies since
the fall of New Orleans-an event as I'M
expected to him as it was to us-and
showed that we had not retrogaded, but
had gathered largely in strength. Armies
are not made up in numbers only. We
have now an army that we can safely rely
on. We have stripped gunboats of their
terrors. We have improved in all those
things which go to make us invncible.
Our prospects are much better than they
were twelve months ago.
TWO OBJECTS OF TIE ENEMY.
There are two grand objects Of the en-
envy list, to get possession Of the river,
and thus cut our country in two, and sec
ondly to seize the Confederate capital, and
| hold 1t up to foreign nations as an evidence
that the confederacy does not exist. The
President dwelt at some length upon the
vast importance of thvort;nr the enemv,s