Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1863-04-07
"a FOr Tue oIahHaIu'
A WORD To OLE FARMERS.

A WORD TO OUR FARMERS
Are We to succeed in this WARP The answer 10
this question depends upon Two classes ofmen. ft-t
it depends upon our brave soldiers in the ssld-+s-
Secondly, it depends uporr the generosity and pa
tT1otism Of our farmers To this respectable and I'M
portant portion Of our population, appeal with an
Xous socitude for the future, to do what they can
TO supply the country with bread. We must have
large armies to meet the numerous hosts OF Uu enc
mics, and those armies must be fed To you farm
ers of North Carolina, thousands ofeyes turned
expecting bread II is true that tobacco and cotton
bear high price, and may swell your pockets, but
they can never feed our brave soldiers and their
families, nor free our country. Our very indepen-
dence as nation, depends, under Cod upon the
crops now to be planted. This is now Icing
waged by our enemies for the avowed purpose Of
freeing our slaves Hundreds and thousands ofthe
sborihg portion of our white population who do not
own a slave in thhe world, have forsakeE families
and home, and left them at the mercy of the worse
than Yankee spectators OF our own land, and gone
to fight for the protection of our slaves Their fam
lies must be fed and it ought to be done gratis by
the large shareholders. No one who has spark OF
patriotism, ought to think of raising anything but
grain this year. 1t is the duty of every large slave
holder, the large majority of whom are at home and
who if we do not succeed must lose not only their
slaves, but their own freedom, to contribute hrge-
y towards the suplQHA of 0ur soldiers EnaiisA, f&
e is to the strong arms and brave hearts Of those
soldiers that they looking for the protection of
their slaves OF their bravery and self denying pa
trIotism, the country has had the most convincing
proofs But these brave defenders of our homes
and our property, once hear that their families are
suffering Tor bread, neither their love of country,
nor the rigors of military law, will he found suf
cient to retain them IN the ranks Of the aTmy,-the
army will become demoralized and weakened, the
country will be oYcrrun and conquered your crops,
from the sale of which, you expect ito realize so
much, will be destroyed, and your slaves will be
taken from you. BY all means then, if you love
your country, or if you hope to retain your proper
ty, plant, not tobacco, but plant every acre of your
land IN corn. pity the narrow-minded shallow.
souled individual, who is willing even to risk his
country'S salvation snd freedom upon the merely
probable income Of one crop Of tobacco.
With such troops as those who compose our
them to victory, if the South is conquered it will
keo6 but the aVarice, speculation and extorton of
han frcedom do not deserre to be free. The specu-
lator, who, for his own gain, is doing all he can
against the soldiers families, deserves to be subec
ted to Yankee rule and despotism till Satan releases
him from such bondage. If we, as a people, are
true to ourselves and to our country and use the
means and resources that are within our reach
nothing is certain than the ultimate establish
ment Of our independence On the contrary, ifevery
one leaves the country to take care of ITSELF and
works solely to his own individual interest We must
not only become slaves TO our Yankee task-masters
but We deserve to be come SUCH
PATRIOT.
Huntsville, n. c., March 81, 1858.