The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-04-02
THE STATES AND THE WAR.
The PrOmptneSS OF the West COmDli-
mented by the East.
From the New York Times. }

In n very sensible article on the rela-
tive promptness of the different States
to furnish their quotas of soldiers, the
New York Times remarks that "thc
States which are delinquent may shut
their eyes, if they please, but posteritv
will not The record made will stand
as long as tho Republic stands and
will ever be a traditional glory or re-
proach. 1t will be taken as q sure in
dex of the different qualities of the pa
triotism of the different States, in the
time that tried mems souls
We don't believe it possible to find
any solution in special causes for the
very marked difference between the
States in the prOmptitude of their re-
sponse to the calls of the general Gov
erument These causes, weigh them "a
literally as we may, fall far short of
supplying a satisfactory explanation.
Coming generations, we may be sure,
will make very small accounts of them,
if they note them at all They Will
come precisely To the same conclusion
that we ourselves do when surveying
the old revolutionary records of the
supplies of troops by the different colo
nies We make these respective sup
plies a criterion of the earnestncss Of
the respective colonies in the revOlu-
tiOnary cause. There is no perfect pa
triotism but that which cOnstrains q
man to fight, if need be, as well as
talk and vote for his country. If q
man who is able, will not fight when
called upon, we say that his patriotism
is of a poor quality How can We
avoid saying the same thing Of q State
that is able, and yet does not furnish
its supply Of fighters when called upon ?
The loyal States are divided into four
great divisiOns-the Eastern States or
New England the Middle States. ihe
West and Border States. In examin-
ing the table, we find that previous TO
the call of last week, the number Of
soldiers due on former calls from the
six New England States was s, ,5O4-from
the four Middle States, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, IOO.-
49g-and from the five Border States.
Delaware, Maryland, Western Virginia.
Kentucky, and Missouri, 3S.S67-while
in the seven Western States there was
an aggregate credit Of torf-Oue thousand
aJ hundred and ninety Regard being
had to the ratio Of the population, the
deficiency i'm the Border States is about
twelve and half out Of a thousand
in the Middle States about ten out Of
thousand; in New England about two
and a half out Of a thousand while
in the Western States there is a posi-
tive overplus Of nearly one in a thou
sand
This exhibit is most extraordinary.
But extraordinary as it is it cannot Do
coHtradicted The data are official
the results are As certain as arithmetic
What do they mean Is itindsed true
that there is this gradation in the guam
tity Of the patriotism of the different
divisions of the so-callcd loyal part Of
the country? Must we admit that the
West is first in the earnestness Of her
devotion 10 the old flag, New England
next, the Middle States next, land next,
too, with a long interval) and the BOr-
der States last2 II will 90 hard, but
that history will write the same thing
of US There is no possible way for
New York and her sister Central States
to avoid it, but in making amends for
their comparative backwardness in the
past, by redoubled exertions in the
future