The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1863-03-20

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and Cities, who could support themselves and |
add something to the common stock, if they
had land to cultivate. Would it not, there
Fore, be subscribing the cause. to considera-
bic extent, if large land holders, or those hav-
ing more land than they can cultivate, would
oaer its use the present year to such persons?
If offers to this effect were made through the
papers, while they could do no harm, might
induce hundreds to raise their own bread I.
pE There are some things we can under
stand, and some things that we cannot under
stand. We can understand how man in
comfortable circumstances, surrounded by q
promising family, and all those domestic joys
that lend to life its endearments, can tear
| himself from his home and sacrifice his ease
fand happiness when hisservices are needed
to defend his country and the institutions that
be chsrishss; but we cannot understand how
another man in ike circumstances, can sacr.
fee all these, as well as his character and the
characters Of his children and his children's
children, to serve those who would dispoii
him and make hima slave. It is unaccounta-
ible to as, and the more we think Of it the
stranger it seems, how a man born and rear
ed in the South, or if even having adopted.it
from choice as his home, can, with bis eyes
open, and all the means of intelligence within
his reach, cling to the obsolete and forever ex-
ploded idea of an American National Union,
and give his sympathies to the brutal and
cruel syrants who would if they could plant
their feet upon the nefks Of those who never
wrenged them. We say we cannot understand
this terrible inflammation, and yet it is Ia
mentally, true. Even Andy johnson, il seems.
to Us, and Brownlew, and Segar, and Carlisle,
and Pierpont, and Stanly, and all that host Of
bad men who have played the traitor to the
land Of their nativity, and still revel in their
treason, must, long ere this, have seen their
folly and delusion.. But there are men among
US who have not been surrounded by the In
Anences that have surrounded the persons
above named, and who have seen and felt the
wrong and injuries that the enemy infict upon
us, still signing for a restoration of the Union
or secretly afording the enemy aid and COM
fort. The mountains Of Northwestern Viz.
giuia, Western North Carolina and East Ten
nessee are full Of. them, and yet their wives
and children, friends, relatives and neighbors,
are suffering ali the pripations they can en-
| dure from the wickedness and deep deprayity
Of the foe who would enslaye us.
We scarcely open paper from the locali-
! ties named, that the caption .stories,' "stana-
peders" or "deserters," does not meet the eve.
Whatever might have been at the beginning,
there is no excuse for toryism or stampeding
now. The war is no longer waged for the
Union, nor would Lincoln restore it if he
could. It is waged for the emancipation Of
the negroes. and arms have been pat into the
hands Of the negroes themselves to massacre
and exterminate, if possible, the women and
Echildrsn Of the South. Lincoln has not only
assumed to abolish slavery, but he has armed
and equipped negro regiments, asked for $780,
600 black men to murder their masters and
their families-and yet there are free and in
tellisent white men in the South, reared M
under the shadow Of the, institution, and
knowing its incaiculable benefits to the ne.
groes themselves, who would aid Lincoln in
this nefarlous and diabolieal scheme, and In
fiict all the injury>they dare inlict upon their
friends. neighbors and fellow-countrymen.
We repeat, We cannot. understand this
thing. We cannot see how q man with a
heart inside Of him, or the germ Of solitary
right principle, can be SO far debased or de-
lnded. What in the name Of common sense
they can seein Abolitionism to hope for or to
confer the rsnotest benefit to either North or
South or Christendum or the world, is more
than we comprehend, and ne have tried
TO look at the issue in all its phases, lights
and bearings. We Of the South are strug- |
Cling for freedom and the rights Of man. The
men Of the North invade us for conquest.
plumber and spoils. They devastate our fields,
burn down our dwellings. violate our women
murder our old men, imprison our private ci.
tizsns, and do US every wrong their devilish
inasipatiens can invent, for no other reason
npon earth, than that we claim the right Of |
ownership Of our own property, and are un-
wiling to aervsss '.herers Of wood and draw;
ers Of water Ter the Yankee Nation. Tories
snd stsmpedsrs in ell coming time will not !
only Be exserassd By those whom they have
betrayed, but detested 5y those whom they
have served.