The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1863-09-08
TWELFTH vOLUME---NUMBEa SIS.

people, the ready answer ever among them was
= "H is impossible; look to the number Of her
troops in tho field, and how fercely they fght.'
That there is IN Union feeling proper. among
her people We cannot believe; on the contrary,
.thero is, We believe, very unanimous sen.
4 tlment Of hostility TO any settlements Of. our
difficulties, except upon terms that shall secure "a
us our Independence and peace upon lasting
basis But while this is our belief we cannot shut
eyes to the conviction that there are parties in
1our State, who are endeavoFing 70 combine certain
clements Of discomfort aud party feeling into. n
! faction, TO make war for an unholy purpose upon
the authorities, to bring the righteous cause in
which We are engaged into disrepute among our
people, and to thwart the designs Of patuotic men
in their labors for the public good. The senti-
ments of the parties referred to find utteTance
principally through the columns Of the Raleigh
Standard
movements For peace" have been proposed in
North Carolina, taking the shape generally of a
proposition to hold . convention of tho people Of
the South, inviting similar conventions OF the
people Of the North, to meet them for IN adjust
ment of our difficulties. In none of these propo-
sitions are the terms upon which their authors
propose to agree upon q peace even cimly
shadowed forth In some il is true the term "hon-
orane peace is employed, but their views upon
other points are SO plainly the promptings Of dis
contcnted and desponding spirit, if not of actual
treason and dsloyalty, that we cannot withhold
our nds from the conviction, that If their ideas
of an honorable peace were made known, they
would fall far short of the dictates of a manly
spirit, and of the wishes aud expectations Of
patriotism. ..
In furthennce of their common design, these
parties take hold Of every apparent cause to excite
a feeling of discomfort among our people and sol
diers towards the authorities of the Confederate
States. They represent that the defence Of our :.
State has been wilfully neglected, and our coast
and portion of our territory wilfuly abandoned
to the enemy. They say soldiers do not pro-
cure fair share OF military hOnOr in the shape
OF promotions, and even that newspaper correspon-
dents Of administrative organs fail to award to
North Carolina valor and merit the just need Of
praise. .
We are painfully conscious of making an undie.
nifed descent in noticing this last topic o. com.
plant, and the only reply we shall make is, that
the soldiers of North Carolina do not feel 30 poor
in fame as to find it necessary TO rely upon ephe-
Ineral pulls of Ignorant newspaper correspondents
for the maintenance Of their claims to Just share
ofreratation. They ore content to abide the crti-
csm of the Generals who command them and the
impartial judgment Of history. The complaint Of
injustice to North Carolina officers we are not in
cned to discuss, lest render ourselves obnoxi-
Gus to the censure of claiming more for them than
is awarded by the impartial Judgment Of others.
The complaint that the defence of North Caro-
lima has been neglected is in our judgment wholly
without foundation That all has not been accom-
plished upon the soil Of our State which was APP
parenty within the power Of the forces left there,
may be questionable but even upon this point wo
do not profess to have sufficient knowledge Of
the situation of things" to discuss H. even il we
arrogated 10 ourselves the military skill to make
just criticism. But there canpot be the least
doubt that in concentrating the troops from North
Carolina upon the soil of Virginia for our own de-
for fho frt nniiifaru i'll he Il
ed, and it is to be hoped that when the fact is
once pointed out that twice in'the history Of this
war this plan of operations has compelled the enc.
my to withdraw his forces from pur coast for tho
safety Of his main invading army, this scnseless
cayiling will be forever hushed. Burnside was
withdrawn in consequence Of McClcan's defcat
before Richmond, and Foster was Withdrawn in
consequence Of Hookers defeat at Chancellorsvillo
and the operations which followed. And that our
people have experienced few of the horrors Of war
compared with the people of large districts Of Vir
gina, is attributable TO tho adoption Of this pr-
ciplc in our defence, and God forbid that Il should
be abandoned except upon tho most imperative
necessity. s-'--
If it Shall be said that the cnemy Ought never "a
have been allowed to gain foothold upon our soil,
it may be answered, we had not the time and
means % enable us to place Hatteras in proper
state Of defence before il was attacked After this
disaster the fall Of Sewbern became Inevitable un.
less more troops could have been spared from
points Of more Importance And il may we'll be
doubted whether the means at the command Of the
General of the Department OF Norfolk were suf6-
cient to have saved Roanoke Island Certain IL IN,
that he was then regarded rs a General Of skill,
and all the available means at the disposal OF the
Government were placed at bis disposal. With
the lights which experience has afforded, and With
even the scsnt means then at command, these
places might, possibly, have all been held, bat IL Is
human to err, and We have rcasof TO suppose
n. Carolinians Certainly not the parties whose
Sentiments VIC conbati1g) exempt from
the common frailty. A large and productive re-
eion a State by those disasters has fallen into
the hands ofthe enemy, aud been occupied By
him, but to- show oORelusiyely how factious and
unworthy Of North Caronans Is this complaint,
We have only TO point 20 the fact that the largest
and most opulent city Of the Sonih has fallen into
the hands Of the enemy, and tho fortified towns OF
the Mississippi had TO be yielded to him, opening
the whole Of that State to his rayalea Is there
any faction iu bouisia9a or Mississippi that com
plains that New Orleans or Vcksbarg or Port
Hudson were willfully neglected or sursendereds E
And can II be supposed that the President Of the
CoDfcderacy has deliberately chosen to in6ict by
his neglect, greater injuries upon hisown State
and people, than upon eyen Me Pj0r cast of people
Of North Carolina? Nol Our countrymcn, wa III
arc persuaded, will yield 10 thevoice Of charity
aud reason, and say With MS, "The President is
not iufalible; he may, in some instances, have