Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-12-28
rha Attitnds of the South.


~b, NJ, York Hs,ald dnds ready believers among
g.. r,ss,s when il asserts hat tho southern States
q, ,birtv wears planning the destruction OF the
re, and p,splrirg for war. To the progress made
tia later particular, the H4aa attributes The
remarkable SUCCESSOR gained By cur arms the mrs.
,asond and third years OF the var That J0ufna
vould have the world believe that the UoniedefaoJ
.,,.,g into existence armed q! al points and ready
60, ,onae, while the Guitsd States In their innocent
so,n.oity 60 believe that 50 great crime az the De-
.,,,.,;on Of the Uniou could be- seriously medtatsd
rad made no preparation 20 prevent 10 aud Heretafsn
=, .,,Dri.s and unprspared. II the Hsrdifs readers
.s,s oapsbls Of r,aseIiOD, they would remember
shat vhsu the Government Was formed a. Mont
vansr, IL had not a soldier, sEeepta few companies
bslouginR 10 the States, very lev arms no smmqut.
tim NO mandatory OF arms, no ships no money,
m eomuissariaL no trALsportahon-nothing with
bieh war even upon the most limited scale, could be
"a. Tina Unted States, on the other Land, had
an o,v,p "a. disc.p pinned, armed aud formidable mill
a., force. They had, arma, aHiuuuison, and shops
g. ,As, m.uua,turs IN great abundance. Taey had
=, ax,snsiye navy, ship yards and trained "oIknen
forsuy amount Of ship bull ling They we're prepared 10
sr,e On the Instant, and had means OF bringing their
,,mjs, into the 6sd and ofircussins their strength
ana Efficiency that he Confederate States neither
o,ssssed nor could hopa for AL the advantages, e1-
cant as 20 the eharaCtE Of the people, we're on thsr
.isa. How nsnluly the o 1nfedsrates met and over
CANA sheso sdTsntages viii aeTsr be mentioned In
history s1esp, 10 their hoEOr sns to tbs shsms Of their
adversary.
Mr. Is the Rsral any nearer tas truth in declaring
chat for thir;5 years before the oct Colsuum1-
,sa the Southern States dasirsd sad we're planning
n, destruction Of the Caior Tairty years sgo, tie
,,nonI.ts of the South n gbt have bean coun:sd on
ons,. sagsrs. Ii any were bold or eccentric enough
70 .xO, desire for dUaOn, they got no credit for
.,nesri,y. The doctrine Of ratification had nothing
In 4, that psr.ook Of or looked TO Disruption Of the
Union Never we're people more devoted 10 gov
srnnent than ours we're thsn ald fer years siteT to
tls. of The United States, in spite OF eonscousness
that its legislation in some matters bore uHequslly
upon them, and Of proofs tha; ihess."aa growing
fa.pR Of hostility them on she part Of the North-
srp population They thought eIly Of bearing these
IpsoualiIies and eudgrinE these ernisies until time
a ould r,cify Gel, ssd would 10. permit themselves
20 fac; bs, causes we're at work which would ct
f,ure day compel them, il seif-deteree, to withdraw
from Union their fathers bad taught them to love,
and who're la.use promised uuch Of nAtenai honor
and reaoSn,
In the ierg aud constantly Increasing ooasTC7sTsy
,,st sIsd I'd the space covered ~ the Rsrali5 os-
sarop. the South acted as che has done sEco the
5,fsas;ye SIC deprecated sg a!iOl and asked then,
. asa asks low, only 10 b. lss alone Ba. the North
opd no, hsveIt So She Invaded rights then, and
sopzh, to subj sct Us, BY the ssts OF leglIton, as
al NAT han ifh Il,
vsodys snd ins1lt az she does nov With fire. and
svord. Il was Wes then, Wagei by every eEginery
- iDipry and destruction, eIcep; phy5ca force, ss
nuob "a it is war nov. The weapons have been
.hsnysd but the ombAtsnts are the same, their put
osos the same, their attit ude in the cont Ct the
s.ne. thar spirit the same. ThsJ we're the sggres-
eos. than aud ara 60 still They listened not to res-
am and ignored justice chen as GOV. We we're and
a.. ths party alsasd, EantouiJ, issas5g, brutally
We hssouRht and struggled for posce ihen We have
..opght and struggled for it 3Ic9. So for from
D,snsrinR for war, we bore what now seems aston
I,hfn7 to ourselves 10 the hope OF faally securing
go and being left in the sahOsGtsd enjoyment CT
e., tights under the Constitution. sDaspaTiog OF this
"a aDslly quls the Uaon for peace and We have been
ava, sincs agbtirg for peace. Toe election Of Lin
.op because of bis hostility to Ne, By party boat lie
Al ma and separated from Us By sectional line placed
ma IN the condition of consuming to be governed by
foreign and inimiea people, or of Withdrawing from
.bsir Jurisdiction. The measure vas purely dsfen-
.iys. .nd implied no disposition on our part TO harm
tbose from whom We separated. We were villirg to
ys 20 much or all that teoFgsd to us U1der the old
Goys,1usnt, only to be lot alone il that which ne
prcpossd to build up. Yankee intolerance aud pre-
psgandlsm would nos permit this; Yankee agrees
Iysusss and nalsvolsReo pursued US in our aiemptto
sso.pe from them; NO were compelled to turn end
avbt NorOan We cease 10 Eight so long We ere as
sSisd an hoaVly as the bard,ns Of war preas upon
ps. We well know that they are light n comparison
With the yoke We would have to bear, If We to
vubmit. War brings suffering that We do not glory
IN when We consider the horrors Of such peace as
va woald gain BY sucoumbing; and war it out, will
va TO tbs end, having deliberately made up minds
that determination would be better than surrender.