The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Fayetteville, N.C.) 1864-186?, 1864-04-12
EE CH
HON. \. II. STEPHENS.
: DELIVERED pEFoRE
THE GEORGIA LEGISLATURE.
ON WEDNESDAY, s1oar. MARCH 16. 1864.

! THE GEORGIA LEGISLATURE.
! on "WEDNESDAY EIoar, MARCH 16, 1864.
Exported for Atlanta IntilH ssncsr, and 2ssi .sd
By dimsey.
t At the hour of u O'clock P m. the Hall
had bsen filled to its utmost capacity By
| members Of the Legislature ard citizens gem
orally, and as the vast Assem- blaa within sa W
the beloved f)rua Of Georgias proud and no.
BILE son, every eve grew bright with joy, and
"a hearty and unanimous applause bid him
welcome.
Mr.. Stephens assembled the Speakers stand
! and spoke follows
! Gentlemen oj- The Senate and
| Hcasc Of Representatives,:
In compliance with your request Or at
least With that Of large portion of y'ssr re-
spective bodies, appear before You tonight
| to s{~ak Of tie state Of public affairs. New
er, perhaps. before, have risen to address, 4
/ public audience under circumstances oil 80
much responsibility, and never did l feel
deeply in pressed with the weight of it.
| Questions Of the most mo,nentous Importance
are pressing upon you for consideration and
action Upon these | AN to address you-
WOULD that my ability, physically. and in all
other respects. were commensurate with the
magnitude Of the occasion. We are III the
midst .! dangers and pcr:ls. Dangers With
out and dangers within. Scvlla on the one
side ana Charvbtils on tbs other. War is
(eing sa,,cc against us by = strong, unscru-
ps,lnus and vrdictiye foe for oar sub
jng,tion degradation anI exicrnlinstion -
From .l,is quarter threaten the pefila with
ont Those within arise from questions Of
policy as to tho bes. means the wisest and
: safest. te repel the enemy, achieve our indie
p~lti:uce, to nlail.an and keep securc oar
rights and liberties. Upon the decision II
these questions. looking to she proper de'el-
op1nent of our limited resources. wisely antl
periodically, So that their er.tiro efilcienc:
may be exerted in our deliverance, with al
the same time watchful vigilance to tle
safety Of the citadel itself, rs much depends
as upon the skill! of our commanders and the
valor of our citizen soldiers in the tcld.-
Every thing dear to us az freemen is at stake.
An error in judgment, though springing from
the most patriotic motives. whether In coun-
ellis Of war or councils Of State may be fatal
He. therefore, who rises under such clrcun-
stances to offer words Of advice, not only as
sumes position Of great responsibility, but
, stands on dangerous ground. Impressed
profoundly with such feelinngs and convic-
tons. should shrink from the undertaking
you have called me to, but for the strong
consciousness that where duty lends no one
should fear to tread. Great as are the dan
gers that threaten us, perilous as is stu
ation-and l do not intend to overstate or
understate, neither to awaken undue appre-
hcnsion, to excite hopes and expectatic rs
never to be neutrality-suspicious., therefore, as
our situation is, it is far, far from being des-
perate or hopeless, and feel no hesitation in
saying to you, in all frankness and candor,
that if we are true to ourselves, and true to
our cause, all will yet be we'll.
In the progress of the war thus far, it is
true there is much to be seen Of suffering, of
sacrifice and desolation much to sicken the
heart anf cause blush for civi! zation and
christianity Cities have been taken. towns
have been sacked, vast amounts of property
hnve heen burned, fields have been laid
waste, records have been destroyed chu ches
have been desecrated, women and children
have been driven from their homes, unarmed
men have been put to death, States have been
overrun and whole populations made to
groan under the heel Of despotism all these
things are seen and felt, but in them nothing
is to be seen to cause dismay, much less de-
spair these deeds Of ruin and savage harbar-
ity have been perpetrated only on the outer
borders, on the coast. and on the line OF The
rivers where by the aid of their ships Of war
! and guu,ooats the enemy has had the a1van-
tage; the great breadth of the interior the
heart Of our country--has never y.t beer
reached by them; they have as yet, af>er a
struggle Of near three years, with unlimited
Ina ms ut a cost of not less than four tn us
and millions of dollars Chow much more is
unknown) aud hundreds Of thousands of lives
been able only TO break the outer shells OF
the Confcd racy. Tho only signal advan
tagex they have as yet gained have been on
the water, or where their land and naval
forces were combined. That they should
have gained advantages under such crc,ltA.
stances Is not a matter Of much surprise .-
Nations in war. like in,.iv,duai men OF
animals, show their real power in comba,
when they stand upon tire advantages tha,
nature has given them, and fight on their own
ground and in their own element. The lion
though king Of the forest, cannot contend
successfully With the shark in the water. Tr
no conflict of arms away from gunboats
during the whole war, since the fEst battle
Of Manassas to that of Ocean Pond, have on,
gallant soldiers failed Of victory when the
numbers on each side we're at all equal
The farthest advances into the interior from
the base aud protection Of their zunboais,