Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-02-19


The Chattanooga Rebel speaks thus rebeIlopslv .,
man named CONRAD, from Louisiana, who has receD,
y been exposing himself in connection with the prao.
and Il exemption bill The Rebel discourseth TIM,
In recent discussion of the Exemption Bill in Cou
gress it appears that the Hon. Mr. Conrad of Ionisi
ana INDUCED in a wholesale and venomous onslangb
upon the Press of Tire South. Abiding to the iHn
mails of the Conederacy, be boldly pronounced it a. G
opinion that they had done more harm than good rs
the common cause of our independence and be tbaa
fore insisted that all editors should be harnessed bv b
Conscript officers and placed in positions whe e bo
could be of some use to the country In the fear thai
some would doubt the sincerity of his utteranra
he said this would be the opinion he would give a
if he were put upon bis OATH Personally we have w.
objection to offer to Mr.. Conrad's proposition Az
while he is for general " harnessing Up of tho
august brethren OF. the quill we would suggest the
present. the fttest opportunity, while the repres
tatives of the Press are in Convention at Augusta
The " Harvesting officer will be able to catch them
"a" all in hudde." You are perfectly right HoDorabI
Mr. Conrad. 1t is full time the editors were barna,,
ed aud the press OF the free South m z2ed AMI
the busy quill of the Southern journalist should cease 70
puff into celebrity the bunconfbe nonsense of sncS
blatant h1mbugs as yourself. The educators of the
people should be kept from them-they are b2copin,
too intelligent already.
Why, will venture to assert that even now tbera
a lew of your fellow oun,rymen, the newspapcr
readers, cute enough to clear through your robe At
seeming truth and trust" at this smart effort to curt
the favor of the dear people" 1t is nothing TO you
that the journalistic profession has had more distinguish
ed representation in the tented field" than almost any
other it is nothing to you that than hreeourtbs
of the editors OF tbs South have served through one or
more campaigns in this revolution with a shoulders
musket, while you were roasting your Congressione
sides before q comfortable CRATE in Richmond and
reading your harangue, frcm the printed columns Of
OF these Embarrassed editors it is nothing 10
you Honorable Mr.. Conrad, that the press is ib
safeguard of the peoples liberty is nothing to you that
! tL~o 81 l.
is the first step to its downfall and the first inclination
of the neck to the yoke of desposm it is nothing 10
you that the people should be kept informed OF the pro
coed pgs OF such public servants yourself aud should
desire to know in what conducted the govern
ment they daily shedding their best blood to esab
ish. All this, of course, is nothing to you But it is
something to the people whom you would cut of from
all sources of intelligence II your object is to cour,
favor with Your tellow-countrymen, the advocacy of
such q measure is the last in the world to facilitate
those signs. Congress may hold secret sessions in
Vulnerable, and may adopt any other of keeping
information from the peope-but it would hardly 90 So
far to abolish newspapers and thus shut Rp the coun
try in state of profound ignorance, seems to be the
design of Mr.. Conrad. We have not quite come IL
that, yet.
There ia no telling what we might come to 10 thes,
revolutionary times with such indscreet rulers az the
member from Louisiana-but Heaven be praised We
have still left as the freedom OF speech. Why, such
proceeding in the despotic North has just plug
ed the inhabitants of that already distracted country ia
ferment of excitement aDd alarm 1t is not our pug
pose to the editorial brethren. Many OF them
deserve to be eternally conscrped for creating Just
such public characters Mr.. Conrad. The Press has
made him what he is and the Press deserves be pun
shed for it.
We have only this amendmendment to offer however
to the Honorable members propositon-and that is
that the conscrpt officer go to Harvesting up Congress
men at Ri, hmond, forthwith. If they havn't "done
harm than good to the comon cause Of our indie
pendenCe" it hasn't been their fault. MANY of them
land Mr.. Conrad among the number) could render lar
greater service to the country in the field thirteen
dollars month, than they will by advocating openly
the suppression of the public press cost to the gov
eminent of four dollars per diem.
In the discussion, Mr.. Conrad said, furthermore thai
the country had need of preachers at home, and tina
they should be compelled to shoulder the musktt and
fall into ranks, "the talest the right" SO tar as
tie preachers concerned We have nothing to say
We will venture this prediction, however that the
who breaches the Honorable members funeral will not
have to cay that he was hurt to any alarming extent
upon the battle fields of his beloved country.