Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1863-02-25


not been uttered during the war. . The bless
ings Of heaven will rest upon them.
Severe but just.
Referring TO the rerhsrks of Dir. Ooarad, of
Louisiana, who spoke in the lower house OF
the .Confedera Congress the other .day,, In
relation to the exemption Of newspaper men,
the Mobile. Tribune is only justly severe. Ar
EC.declared that the newspapers he thought
it probable, p,rr are doing. more harm than good
ahd-as. .sar. the ministers, he declared that he
believed they could be better employed "a
the army than in preaching to empty meet
ing houses, or to old maids and grannies."
In reply to the attack npon the press, the
Tribune says:
If the exemption Of fprfnters gives no equiv
alent for their services in the army, let them
be- placed there without delay. But that-msn
is fool, or has some especial personal eriey-
'ancc against the craft, who cannot see that
hey are Of almost indispensable userthat
is, when they are honestly performing the
duties of their vocation; and we are glad to !,
say that we knoB of few exceptions to this
high virtue within the Confederate States,
We venture also to assert nat even the
least of them may be considered + as much
value to the general cause as any one Of bait
) the members Of the Confederate Congress.
Their enemies are those who lack the ability
to achieve the Importance which their smbi-
ton Graves those who are envious OF the
merit which has rs due applause through
their. eoumas those whose lnercenary pur-
poses are exposed and thus shocked. The
officer who has crawed to o place by servili-
ty or fraud and whose value is tested in bst-a
tie, tees,s newspaper. and would also, il
his power were equal to bis desires, back
or hang all those who have mastered the re-
cond;.e arts of reading and writing The
hanoers on ct fytiess ofticers-ihe pcke.s up
Of the crumbs which fall from official tables,
land there are many of them everywhere, they
are indignant when their masters ere men
lioned.in print, unless it be in disgusting, by
perbole. Politicians who have girded on their
! sword ND are usi.g it as an instrument to
exhume and recreate their dead regulations; !.
these nnd scores of others believe that 8 free
press is. great evil, and ought 10 be snhjec-
ted TO military surveillance The psiciot on
rue sees N ths neFspap instru-
ment wEicE U:ftcs the the
country in brotherhood Of ayu,Iathy.; sees
in it means Of appealing to, and arousing
and encouraging the general patriotism sees
how it keeps the charitable feelings of our
peor!e alive; sees now it gives heart to de-
sert sees how. it pricks reputation which,
without it, might be blown up to so great pro.
portions as to bring ruin on the country sees
how it is constantly on hand to intercede for
the wrongei apd TO sustain the right; sees
how welcome it is to the thousands Of house
holds that wcalld he,in the suspense cf igno-
rance wi,houlit Its good uses are msnifoldand
could only be properly appreciated ifis were
! stricken ont of existence. But these char.
acteri,tics are obvious and need no display.
They who deny them may very justly he sns-
pec'ed OF holding positions which they are
not fit tor--The sooner such men find their
leyel-are reduced to the ranks of military
or civil liie-the better it will be for all of as
who are working in dead earnest to achieve
the emancipati IN Of our country from the
sordil tolls of Yankee despotism.