Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1864-06-22
From the South Carollnlan.
Federal Ethics.

To meet truth in Northern journal pro.
duces an effect much like that which would
ensue if we could hear monkey speak. It
is 80 unnatural and out of character as to be
really moDstrous. We pause and turn it
over, andread it again and again, and can
hardly believe our eyes. Weare even in
clined to resent its appearance in such a
place, and can't help thiukiDgit very great
presumption on the part of tho writer to
pretend that be has anything whatever to do
with it. What business has Yankee to
utter truth in any shape? lis so desecra.
ted by coming from such amouth or flowing
from such pen as to become an actual sin.
Thus it happens that Northern man is
really q worse criminal when he dares to be
yerac;ous than when, obey ting the laws, Of
his nature, he crowds falsenood upon false.
hood. Mendacity is.a. Yankee virtue, and
good Yankee, Yankee conscieutiously
sensible of this fact, will take care never on
any account to be guilty Of truth. This
is peculiar code of morality, but it is, SO
we'll established at the North that we won.
der that the people Of that section-wbo
care as little for our mother English as they
do for anything but their interest--have not
altered The idioms of the language to suit
it. Henceforth, let them talk Of transgres.
sing falsehood, and let the first command.
ment of their infantile catechisms be "Thou
shalt not commit truth" ~. ... ..--
As popular, however, as this code is at
the North, it a0iU occasionally be violated
As an instance, we present our readers with
passage from the New York Spirit Of the
Times, edited by man who has heretofore
been strong advocate of the war, in which.
the most shameless truths. are .perpetrated,
without fear aud without remorse. Wheth-
er Lincoln will permit this crime to- 60 IN:
whipped of present justice, depends upon
how far that despot may be disposed to over
look it for the sake of previous falsehoods
of which the paper may boast; butif there
be in the other worlaa place whore Yankee
crimes are punished by Yankee fends, the
editor of the Spirit Of the Times will go
to it, beyond doubt. With this preface,
we leave the paragraph to our readers:
"Never before have We felt depression
equal to that which assails US at this mo-
ment. Three years have now elapsed since;
the commencement of the war. A debt of
81, 1,6OO,00O,OOO stares us in the face, and
nearly 100000 of our soldiers have been
utterly used up. The elastic hope which
buoyed the earlier stages Of the struggle
has largely faded OUT while so far as the
Confederates are concerned, they are, better
off to- day to sustain three years more. con;
test than at any previous period Of the war
The manufactures they at first required are
now constructed agriculture and the science
of subsistence have taken settled shape;
and all the sufferings and sacrifices which
are necessary to season people to exploit
have been endured. Moreover, they feel
that the period of probation which foreign.
powers limit for struggling populations to
earn the stamp of nationality is very nearly
up. Is it not, therefore, painful, uay ALARM
g-.that, at such a crisis, mediocrity and
doubtful purpose should WELD the entire
sway? Yet, such is the case; and as We
dwell upoa it we are almost led to believe
that God is actonlyDot with US, but against
US. He has coufcundcd our Judgment,
divided our councils, and delivered us Into
the hands of. the feeble, the faiut- hearted
aud, the blind And why should He be
with us--base, groVelling and corrupted as
we are? We.are not with Him We are
a goddess, conscieuceless, religionless people.
There is no honor, no virtue, no devotion,
except among the masses, while ninety per
cent. of all who range above thousand dollar
incomes are lynx eyed sharpers, who are
watching every peighbor. with suspicion,
aud who subordinate every sentiment to self.
Debauched by an extravagant prosperity,
and spared mercifully from all sacrifices, we
have uugratefully forgotten due reliance
upon Heaven, and the,result is, that except
in the case of the simple, virtuous laboring
people, we have practically become acom
munity of atheists. There is no conscience
attached to the intelligence and wealth of
the community; and laymen as we are, and
of the world, we say unto you, fellow. coun-
trymen, that there can be no lasting Gov
ernment without public virtue, nc enduring
nationality without universalseuse Of God.
Handled as our country has been, in the
field, and .stupe6ed as it is by the tricksters
of the Cabinet, it would seem that we are
only to arrive at the stage when we may be
permitted to rebuild by suferings and sacri'
fees, and perhaps through preliminary
chaos which it is dreadful to anticipate"
Declaration for Peace.