Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-11-11
From the Progress
Whom the Gods would Destroy, They first
make Mad

lhihOi ldl aHoiOSyp LudL ne was ACCuSIOIhtu W
walking in his garden during the darkest nights
which the year afforded and that during such walks
he was in the habit of holding the following COLO
qny with himself: "What security is there against
the insanity Of individuals? :" "The physicians
Know Of none and as to dirines, we have no data
either from Scripture or reason, to go upon in rela
ton to this affair." "True, my Lord, no man has
n lease of his understanding any more than of his
life they are both in the hands Of the Sovereign
Disposer of all things" "Why, then, might not
whole1eommunities and public bOlieS be seized with
fits Of insanity as well as individuals p my Lord
have never considered the case and can give no
opinion concerning it" "Nothipg but this princ
pe that they liable to insanity equally at least
with private individuals, can account for the major
part of those transactions Of which we read in his
torv."
This was thought to be an odd concet of the great
philosopher and divine in his day. and attracted but
little attention at the time. But imagine that
many thousands of intelligent persons who have
read the history of the French Revolution which
CURED since his time, and many thousands who will
in after years read the history Of the present
luton, will be enabled TO account for them, at
least for many of the transactions " of them, in
other way than that IN which Bishop Butler
accounted for "the major part of those tranSac-
tions Of which he had real in history" Many of
our leading public journalists, and the great body
of our public men and statesmen seem to bave lost
all powers of reaSon--in fact to have become per-
fectly demented. They remind me of the simple
ton who, in the midst of great storm at sea, in
mortal fear lest the ship should go down, lashed
himself fast to the anchor, that he at least might
be safe So, too, they seem to be disposed to tie
themselves fast to the anchor Of some fatal measure
or measures, and it is greatly to be feared if they
do not speedily desSt, that =" the GENTS of gravta
ton will carry them all straig ght and profound
ly to the bottom that not hubble will ever rise to
mark the spot where they went down"
These reflections have been called forth BY the
great favor with which the proposition to arm our
slaves has been received by part of the Press and
many prominent public men in the South. Certain
ly these men have never calculated for moment
the awful consequences likely to flow from such
fatal measure. Let US but consider for moment
the present condition of our country. "COnscrIP-
tiOn has been carried to its last limits" No exemp
tions have been allowed except for State officers and
those who may be adjudged by an examining board
of physicians to be physically incapable of perform
ing military duty. Nearly all details have been
Gently cancelled and even the invalids are being
sent to the army. Add to this the fact that most,
if not ALL the State officers are likely to be absent
in the service Of the State and it will be that
we have no white population at home except the
women and children. the boys under SIXTEEN and
few old men over fifty. The probability is, taking
the Confederacy a whole, that We have more than
ten male slave slaves at home to one white man.
Excite the negroes to phrenzy by passing a law to
cOnscript them, and all the probabilities that
wonld have an immediate inSurrection of them. Is
there man living wise enough to tell US hew such
an insurrectiOn, if general throughout the South,
conld be put down?
But suppose no such nsurrection Shonld occur,
but that they would submit to be collected together
in camps of instruction, and formed into regiments
and brigadeS, and receive arms, the danger would
be increased thousand fold. Just imagine 250 900
negroes we'll armed with all their malignant pas
Sims arOuSpd and the and phildran loft dp.
fenSeesS. In that event we should undoubtedly have
re enacted among us all the horrid scenes of the
massacre of St Domingo, where, in the graphic
language of Burke, "every demon Of destruction
seemed to be let loose and hell itself appeared to
yawn." Or if this should perchdnce, not occur,
they would most likely go to the enemy in
body, as the Yankees would hold out greater in
ducements to them of liberty to themselves and
their families than we do And besides the events
of war, the vast numbers Of them that have vOlun-
tarily gone over to the enemy whenever a favorable
opportunity presented itself 10 them and in many
instances, joined their army Of their free choice,
proves beyond question that they would place much
more reliance in their promises than they would in
ours.
But it may be said that they wonld not be formed
into separate regiments and brigades, but would be
sent to fill up depleted regiments. So it is not
TO be supposed for moment that our brave and
high minded soldiers, who have been 4 Thousand
lltneS aSSuTcu lnaL lney were HSutlng against an
attempt the part Of the Yankees to place
them on the same level with the negro, would
thus submit to be placed that same level by the
action of the Confederate government | know but
little of them if they would. The consequence
then would be, that our army would become thor,
oughly demoralized A conflict between white
and black soldiers might, at any moment, be ex-
pected. These reasons would seem to be sufficient
to cause statesmen to recoil from the PROPOSE
tim with horror. But there are still other very
powerful reasons why it should be rejected. Even
if none of the consequences mentioned above should
be realized, there can be doubt that thousands Of
them, headed by some desperate white characters,
which will always be found in armies as large
ours, especially when such armies created by
compulsory cOnscriptiOn as ours are, will desert,
I and every where infest our country as armed BAN
ditli Then neither life, property nor female
honor would be safe. Such scenes as we may
ticipate in that event beggars all description.
Vice President ephens, who is, without doubt,
one of the abeSt statesman and pureSt patriots in the
Confederacy assured US in his great speech before
the Legislature Of Georgia, that no nation could
place permanently in the army more than onc-thrd
of its arTnsbearing population without eventually
being subjugated and In this opinion he is sustain
ed by all great writers on political economy. On
that occasion he also assured that if the cOnscrpt
law Of the last Congress was executed, then in his
opinion the country would be ruined That law
has been vigorously executed, and most Of the State
troops are in the field. In fact the white labor
ers have been taken permanently, and now it Is
gravey proposed to take at least half if not two
thirds of the slave population capable of bearing
arms If this insane proposition should be carried
into effect, it must be apparent to every thinking
man, that if we should even be so fortunate to
escape horrors of servile war, the Yankees could
sutjugate US by starvation within the next year
without any further aggressive movements, but by
simply acting on the defensive themselves. Just
imagine the ending in that way. Such scenes
IF suffering, distress and anarchy as have seldom
cursed any country, would transpire among u.s.
The civil authorities already greatly weakened,
would be completely overawed, and mob law would