Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-02-05
tcorrespondence o. the Muscatins Daily Journal.l
FROM WASHINGTON.
The O0ntsderaey nearly Played OUT Mary
land Politics WAds tie 7osoans hero soy
IF the Gorsynoss' Asssagss- etc., etc.

The Contsderacy nearly Played OUT Nary
land Politics Wat the 7otcans here soy
IF the Gorssnoss Mssseges- etc.
WASHINGTON CRY, Jan. %. 1864.
We have had the rebellion on its last legs
so often that it might seem to be little bit
unwise to breach the subject now, when our
armies are for the most part in winter quar-
ters. If We were SO sadly at fault after
Roanoke, Donelson, Port Royal, New Orleans,
Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, n ali
which illustrious occasions, it will be remem-
bered, we had the Confederacy about played
outfit we were so sadly At fault then, when
the rebels were driven pell nell before our
victorious arms, how can one reasonably see
indications now that the war is nearly over
Let us see: ''s
In the first place, the campaigns of last
summer, taken as whole, were Of prodigious
benefit to the Union cause The Confederacy
was split in two in the middle, by our getting
entire control Of the most magnificent river
Of the world. The rebel armies now west Of
the Mississippi, numbering. probably, not
more than thirty thousand effective men, are
OF no essential benefit to the rebel cause
They are little better than so many guerrllas
Many of them, and these the better class, are
disatfected, tired of the war, anxious to find
opportunities to lay down their arms. With
any body in command but Gen. Steele "a mis-
cradle drunkard, talking parrot half his time)
there would not, to-day, be an armed rebel in
Arkansas. There are few in Louisiana, not
many in Texas. This section of country
Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas-was the pro-
ducing portion Of the Confederacy. For the
most part, it fed the rebel armies These
three States have an area twice as large az the
area Of Pennsylvania, New York. and New
England combined Texas alone would make
five Sta'es as large as New York and have
enough over for one as large as Massachusetts,.
The soil is rich like that Of Iowa, the prairies
feeding great droves of cattle, upon the flesh
OF whose illustrious predecessors lived the
soldiers OF the rebel armies. In other re-
spects, that portion Of the late Confederacy
here referred to, was of immense benefit to
the rebellion. C9teris paribus, it was to the
Confederacy what the Northwest is to the
Union. When we think of the predicament
we would have been in had we lost the North.
west, we will appreciate the loss to the rebels
by the opening up Of the Mississippi river
In respect of supplies, Tennessee was next
in Importance TO the rebels That we have
almost entirely, and will have entirely, long
before another crop can gladden. the hearts OF
the rebel commisariat. The value of Ten
nessee, to either party, is shown by the fact
that on her SOL, or contiguous to it, have been
fought the great battles of the war; Its pos
session by us, by reason of its strategetical
importance, again cuts the Confederacy in
two in the middle, as will be readily seen
when Grant moves in the spring.
All this might seem to be enough, without
mention Of The important fact that we have at
last got the whole rebel coast so effectually
blockaded that it may well enough be said to
De Theoretically sealed, in the way of showing
that the Southern Confederacy is reduced to
| unpleasant straits. Nevertheless, if this were
all, my hopes would not be specially buoyant
| But it is not ALT is not half
| My hopes of speedy collapse Of the rebel
lion are based not so much upon our triumphs
thus far, merely considered in their physical
proportions, so to speak, as upon the spirit
manifested by the Southern people. Where
as, when the war first broke out they were
savage in their denunciations of the Yankees
and the despised "Lincoln government" and,
so far as official acton and newspaper com
ments were concerned, unanimous in desires
for Southern independence, there are now
many in pnblic place, not a few public Jour
mails, and hosts Of the people as earnest in
their denuDciations of the despotism at Rich
mond as they were two years ago in their de.
nunciatIonS of Mr.. Lincoln, The South is
not unit for independence, even among the
whites.
The Richmond Whig has for some time
been hostile TO the government. The Raleigh
On. C.) Sfandard, understood to be the organ
OF Gov. Vance, fearless'y denounces the rebel
government have copy of that paper of
the 18TH INST. before me. Speaking of the
rebel CONSUMPTION act it says:
"lf the rights Of the States are to be ig-
nored and swept away by the mere creature
of the States-the common Governuent-the
people of North Carolina tcill take their oun
affairs into their oaon hands-the people of
North Carolina will rise in their majesty and
assert their sovereignty. There is no poacer
to prevent them from doing this, and zoe to
tho official character aoho shall attempt to
turn the arms of Confederate soldiers against
the people of this State"
! The paper in another place speaks of the
fair promises which were at first held out to
the Southern people by the leaders of the re-
bellon, and says:
"Trust them no longer. Remember their
fair promises! The dwellers in the Garden
Of Eden when they listened to the tempting
promises of Satan were not more deceived
and ruined than were the people of the fair,
happy and blooming South when they listen
ed to the fair prom ses of those arch deceiv-
ers, Yancey, Wise & Co.v'
II other southern journals are less outspo-
ken, there are several animated by the same
spirit-earnest opposition 10 the ollgarchy
which has brought upon the country so much
woe, such terrible desolation to the South
BY the same spirit are thousands of people
moved, not only in North Carolina, but in
northern Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louis,-
ana, Texas, Arkansas-all over the South.
except in pestilent South Carolina, of which
we know about as much as we do the Daimios
Of Japan. Now, then, if this spirit shall be
so general among the people as to prevent
anything like complete enforcement of the
CONSUMPTION act, then the Southern COME der
acy is about played out. If it be not, and
the rebel armies shall be filed by the opera.
ton of that ruthless act, they will give us
more trouble in the spring But let them do
as well as they may, do not see, our govern
ment doing its whole duty, how they can
prevent our campaigns of next season from
being as successful as the campaigns of last
season. In which event, the Confederacy
must 60 clear up the spout, and peace and
prosperity again dwell in all our land. s.
There is no State in the Union, save Mis-
souri,. where so much political interest cen.
tres, as in Maryland. The legislature now in
session has considerable majority of men,
bers who were elected as avowed immediate
emancipationists. Yet the influence of the
slave worshppers is so strong, and the pro
verbal caution of all Maryland politicians is
so great, that not much progress has thus fer
been made. There was a large meeting at
Annapolis on Friday evening last, which was
addressed by Mr.. Postmaster Blair. Senator
Aicks. and Hon ThomasSwann Sinnnlari,