Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-04-08
A WORD To DIR FARMERS =

A WORD TO OUR FARMERS
Are we to succeed in this WARP The answer to
this question depends upon two classes of men, First
it depends upon our brave soldiers in the field
Secondly, it depends upon the generosity and pa.
trotsm ofour farmers. To this respectable and I'M
portant portion of our population, appeal with an
xlous solcitude 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 our
miles, and those armies must be fed 10 you, farm
ers Of North Carolina thousands of eyes turned
expecting bread 1t 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 q nation, depends, under God, upon the
crops now to be planted This war is now being
waged by enemies for the avowed purpose of
freeing our slaves. Hundreds and thousands of the
laborng portion of our white population who do not
own slave in thhe world, have forsakeE families
and home, and left them at the mercy of the worse
than Yankee Spectators of cur own land, and gone
to fight for the protection of our slaves Their fami-
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 at home and
who, if we do not succeed must lose not only their
slaves, but their own freedom, to contribute large
ly towards the support Of our soldiers families for
it is to the strong arms and bravo hearts of those
soldiers that they are looking for the protection Of
their slaves. OF their bravery and selfdenying pa
triotsm the country has had the most convincing
proofs. But if these brave defenders of our homes
and our property. once hear that their families
suffering for bread, neither their love of country
the rigors of military law. will he found suil
cient to retain them IN the ranks of the army,-the
army will become demoralized and weakened, the
country will be overrun and conquered, your crops,
from the sale Of which, you expect to 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 Of your
land IN corn. I pity the narrow minded, shallow
souled individual who is willing even to risk his
country's salvation and freedom upon the merely
probable income of one crop of tobacco. -
With such troops as those who compose our ar
mics, and with such distinguished generals to lead
them to victory, if the South is conquered, twill
be owing not to the bravery of valor, of the Yam
KEGS but the avarice, speculation ana exortiOn of
our own people. Il people seho lous money better
than treedom do not deserve 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, Us q people, are
true to ourselves and to our country, and use the
means and resources that are within our reach,
nothing il more 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 mssters
but We deserve to be come such.
PATRIOT.
Huntsville, n. c., March 81, 1863.