Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-03-30
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Fight the Devil With Fire.

The attempt to burn Richmond wa
no worse than the attempt which is 20
ing on day after day TO burn Charleston.
One was to have been done with fire
balls, turpentine and torpedocs, the 9TH
e. Is attempted TO be done with bomb
SHELLS and Greek FIRE; one BY manual
application of the torch, the other BY
;he projectile force Of artillery. What
is the difference in point Of morality
The attempt upon Charleston is, indeed,
more purely wanton and deyilish than
that on Richmond, for, in the former
city, there are no prisoners to be re-
leased, no suchimportant public estab-
liebments 10 be destroyed as here, no
such high functiouaries 70 be disposed
Of nor would the destruction Of Charles
ton give the enemy the least military ad-
vantage, for the batteries Of Beauregard
would still interpose their veto to the
advance Of the foe.
We repeat, therefore, that what has
been attempted against Richmond Is no
worse than what, for months past, has
been goiag on against Charleston. The
attempt here was probably induced by
the subaaissioE and humility with which
the enemy saw that we bore it there
The two together, with the additional
light from the blazine roofs Of numerous
villages, and countless barns, mills and
residences, wherever the sayages have
been, make il as clear ~ the sun at
noon day that the enemy have adopted
the torch as a regular instrument Of war.
Now, what We desire 10 direct the at
tention Of the Government authorities
70, Is the fact that Il is not only lawful 10
6gbt the enemy with the weapons he en-
ploys, bit il is idiotic 10 fight him with
any less effective, II that weapon can se
obtained. No law, human or divine, re-
quires a man to defend himself with any
. less force, or by any less efficient means,
than are employed for his injury or de-
strnetion The enemy having introduced
the system Of burning cities, We must
burn cities too. We come out plainly
and say exactly what we mean It Is a
game in which the advantage is oil ours
We can do the enemy an hundred-fold
more damage than they can do us. Their
cities are far larger, far more numerous,
and the centers Of vastly more wealth
than ours
We may NIT, II Is true, be able to send
raidiug party 10 dash into PHILADELPHIA
or New York 10 do the work nor have
we artillery that viii carry Greek ERE far
enough 10 reach them; but we have thai
which win 20 further than horsemen car
ride, and will penetrate what the might
lest artillery would make no impression
on--we have money. A million Of dol
lars would lay in ashes New York, Bos
tad, Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsbnrg
Washington, and all their chief cities
and tho men TO do the business may b,
picked up by the hundred IN the street,
Of those very cities IL it should b'
thought unsafe 10 use them, there arr
daring men in Canada, Of Mofganz ant
other commands, who have escaped
from Yankee dungeons, who would re
joiee at an opportunity Of doing some
thing that would make al Yankeedou
howl with CONSERVATION.
That what we are saying may be givoi
a still mere practical turn, we viii ado
that VIC know mana we'll know
officer Of the army, and every way com
petent and ft--who is ready and anx
iOuh AT once 10 procecu 10 tHnhdA OF
this businesA He knows the risks b.
will encounter, but he is sure tho result
shat will be achieved.
We have addressed ourselves to IN,
authoritss Of the GOVERNMENT becahs
we feel not the shadow Of doubt tina
this mode Of warfare would, under th,
circumstances, be justifiable, Legitimate
and right But should they reject tn,
plan, as we suppose they would, then W.
wish toremind the public that the scheme
can be as we'll executed BIZ private en-
terprise as by the direction or connivancs
Of the authorities. Richmond, for which
such fate was designed-Cbarleston
every day witnessing the disposition o.
the enemy in this regard, and hourly ex
perieneiug the hazard Of having theil
purposes achieved, could easily raise III,
money needed for the accomplishment
Of the design. Money will supply th,
men, and they, properly organized ant
directed, would easily and certainly d,
the work
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