The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-05-07
Southern Rula.


rate Government is, to-day, the most
CALLING despotism on the face Of the
earth, and is rapidly becoming worse
and worse. The whole male population
of military age is at the disposal Of the
Government, which can use It for civil
or military purposes, IS the Richmond
iunta think proper The question IS
not "who shall serve IN the armies
but, who shall be detailed to work on
the farms, or attend TO other private
occupations 2"
The one-nlan power is al-perFading
It reaches every man between the ages
Of 10 and GO, and still the despots are
not satisfied The Richmond Enquirer
has an article, purporting to be address
ed 70 JEFF. Davis, but IS IN reality J ct
Davis address TO the people, advising
and urging that he should take charge
of the whole surplus crop Of the coun-
try, Just he has taken charge OF the
male population. The article in the
Enquirer, as viii be seen, refers to this
exercise Of absolute authority over the
people by way Of illustration and .justi-
hcation Of the high-handed policy re-
EOAUulEUAtAls
would humbly suggest to your Ex-
cellency the necessity of exterminating
speculation in food and raiment. let
the Government take the entire sur
plus of these indispensable articles into
its own keeping, as it has taken the en-
tire population of certain ages. Then
make everything give way 70 Govern
ment freight, and accumulate IN Nir-
ginia not only enough forthe army, but
for the families Of the soldiers, dc.
Nothing could be easier or more simple.
Let the surplus products be paid for at
schedule prices, and sold at the same,
the army being provided for, and there
will be no more speculation. Your Bx-
cellency knows how salt has been sup
piled in Virginia; everything needful
can be supplied in the same way, and
we could maintain the war for fifty
years.
There is but little doubt that the ar
ticle which Is labored and long, from
which this extract is taken, IS "ieeler,
put forth in order to prepare the public
mind for the enunciation of a policy
which has been agreed upon in cabi-
net council A government which pre-
scribes to each subject what he must
do, which assumes that all are actually
under military rule, and assigns to each
his appropriate business-whether it be
TO fight, to plant, to manufacture, or to
sell merchandise-Would be inconsist-
ent with itself if it failed also TO claim
the fruits Of each mans labor
fTbar1 - ,,ofIfrn b11so--, vO0I
ern times equal to the absolu.eu OF
this tyranny; and the only parallel to
which we can recall IS found in the
Bible account of the government Of the
Pharaohs in Egypt:
"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I
am Pharaoh and without thee shall no
man lift up his hand or foot in all the
land of Egypt. Gen. xii, A.
"And Joseph went out from the pres
ence of Pharaoh, and went throughout
ell the land Of Egypt And in the sew
forth by handfUls And he gathered
up all the food Of the seven years
which were in the land OF Egypt, and
laid up the food ia the cities the food
Of the field which was round about
every city laid he up in the same. And
Joseph gathered corn as the sand Of the
sea, very much, until he left number
ing; for it was without number -
Gen. xii, 1919
This is the policy which therebels are
about to initiate. They viii first gath
er all the corn and other produce of
the people into cities; and what they
viii do with it. we may, perhaps, infer
from the sequel Of the history Of
Phayaoh's policy when the famine
came:
And there was no bread IN all the
land; for the famine was very sore, 50
that the land Of Egypt and all the land
Of Canaan, tainted by reason Of famine.
And Joseph gathered up all the money
that was found in the land of Egypt,
and in the land Of Canaan, for the corn
which they bought; and Joseph brought
the money into Pharaoh's house. And
when money failed in the land of Egypt,
and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyp-
tians came unto Joseph and said, Give
us bread for why should we die in thy
presence ? for the money faileth And
Joseph said, Give your cattle; and l will
give YOU for your cattle, II money fai.9
And they brought their cattle unto Jo-
seph and joseph gave them bread in
exchange for horses, and for the Aocks,
and for the cattle of the herds, and for
the asses; and he fed them with bread,
for all their cattle for that year When
that year was ended, they came unto
him the second year, and said unto
him, We Will not hide it from my lord.
how that our money is spent my lord
also hath our herds Of cattle: tn re is
not aught left in the sight of my lord
but our bodies and our lands: Where
fore shall we die before thine eyes, both
we and cur land? buy u and our land
for bread, and we and our land viii be
servants unto Pharaoh: and give US
seed, that we may live and not die, that
the land be not desolate And joseph
bought all the land Of Egypt for Pha-
raoh; for the Egyptians sold every man
his field, because the famine prevailed
over them; so the land became Pha-
raoh's." "Then Joseph said
unto the people, Behold, have bought
you this day and your land for Pha-
raoh To- here is seed for you, and We
shall SOW the land Gen. XVII, l3-22. |
The rebels are now in the Pharaonic |
period of their history and civilization. !
Not content with the enslayement Of a |
foreign race, they have reduced their
own people to the same wretched con
dition, and are attempting to wade |
through q Red Sea Of blood in order o |
prevent tier escape but, like Pharaoh |
and his hosts, they viii be overwhelmed |
by its waves, while the oppressed sha !
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