Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-02-12
Desperate Condition of the south.


The full files of southern newspapers which
have been received afford abundant evidence
that the rebel authorities are alarmed by the
magnitude of the preparations that have been
made by our government for a simultaneous
attack upon all their principal lines OF defence
and consider that the real crisis of the war is
at hand. 10 meet the impending tempest
they are making extraordinary eXertions, and
the appeals that have been put forth by
the governors of their several states afford
convincing proof that if our arms are now
successful the offensive resources of the south
will be well nigh + entirely exhausted.
The governor of Alabama, in an appeal
which is almost mournful, laments that the
CONSUMPTION in that state has been failure :;
that large numbers of persons subject to it
are shrinking from the tolls and perils of the
war; that a considerable number both of Off
GERS and privates, who belong to the army and
are fit for duty, are lingering at home on va
rious pretexts; and he implores the people of
the state to aid the government by driving the
classes mentioned to their duty under the PEN
atty Of the whitening punishment of public
scOrn. He declares the ''evils to be great
and ruinous" and necessary to be at once
abated. In addition to this he calls, in feryid
terms, upon the men and youths of the state,
who are exempt from service by reason of
their age or other causes, and who are capa-
bic OF bearing arms, to speedily organize as a
reserved force subject to the call of the exec
utive. To lend force to his adiurations, he
says "the state is now threatened from sever
al quarters; our INSCRIPTIONS foe has col
lected all his resources for one stupendous eff
fort to subjugate and enslave u.s." and he
paints the condition of the south in his de-
scrlption OF the character of the exertions put
forth by our authorities, by declaring that
'the foe can never repeat the effort he makes
1t the crisis of his cause; if foied in this last
desperate struggle, exhausted and dispirited
he must yield the contest" He then goes on
in a vein of Boosting, that is strongly in con-
trast with the rest of his melancholy appeal,
to congratulate the people of Alabama upon
"the opportunity to hasten the era of peace
and Independence by an exhibition of the for
titude and courage necessary to defeat the
enemy in this last, great, and CONCLUSIVE eff
fort"
Even more lugubrious than the appeal of
the governor of Alabama lis that of the gov.
ernor of North Carolina, who laments sim.
liar skulking from duty among the troops of
that state, sin this hour of our greatest peril
as he characterizes it. Endeavoring to find
some other excuse for them than cowardly
spirit or lack of patriotism, or want Of CON
fdence in the success of the cause, governor
Vance suggests that this evasion of duty has
been the result of natural and almost ire
sistible desire to see their homes and friends
but he is not on that account restrained from
announcing in sufficiently severe terms that if
they fail to return to duty by the 10th of Feb
ruary ''they will be apprehended, tried for
desertion, and upon conviction be made to
suffer DEATH" He then appeals to them to
avoid this alternative, ''to stand by their coun-
try get q little longer, not to suffer their own
state to be desolated by a brutal, half savage
foe, and not to sully its bright and glorious
reputation by deserton and cowardice."
Nor are these the only signs that the con-
federacy has fallen upon evil times. General
Lee, commanding the military department
comprising northern Georgia and southwest
ern South Carolina, has issued a general or
der in which he says that he has been inform
ed ''there are number of deserters, tories,
and conscripts resisting the law in those sec
tionS and that he "has dispatched force to
suppress any insurrectionary movements, to
capture deserters, and generally to restore
tranquility to that part of the country" And
he adds, ''ths | desire to do peaceably if |
can, forcibly if must" He then warns all
malcontents to report and be organized into
military commands, and promises a free par
don to all complying with his warning who
have not rendered themselves obnoxious to
the charge of having perpetrated violent in
fractions Of the laws of the state or confeder-
acy but declares if they persist in ''open trea-
son" he will ''pursue them into their Businesses
and use all the power and means at his con-
troll to arrest and bring them to condign pun
ishmcnt." ellis men" he says, ''wil be or
dered to fire upon them, and at all hazards to
capture the last man, until this reasonable
movement is completely suppressed" This
is revelation for which we are scarcely pre-
pared, and proves the existence of spirit of
INSTRUMENTATION and instruction in the states
otGeorgia and South Carolina that has hitherto
been sedulously concealed.
Evidently the rebels have enough on their
hands, when in addition to fighting our
armies, 1t is found necessary to employ their
troops In suppressing dangerous and threaten
ing combinations at home. And the lesson
that Is plainly to be derived by us from
me admissions SO unwillingly extorted from
them Is that we should continue the prosecu-
ton OF the war with such unfaeging zeal and
energy as will convert the Unreasonable mani
festanons" which are complained of into rail-
lying points for the restoration of the Union
and the supremacy of the laws.-Neacayk 4d-
gertiSer.
From the Philadelphia North American
How THE PICKPoCKEr's RING Cu,xcvn
81, l.