Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-11-16

cy. The world knows the results, ana we !
must acquiesce. But the mistortunes toll
lowing the misguided Judgment of our ru-
lers must not have the effect of relaxing our
zeal or chilling our love for the cause
We may, as we have right to do, dit
fer among ourselves as to the wisdom OF
certain line of policy, and of certain acts
of the Confederate administration and
some of us may deplore its errors and mis-
management, while others may attempt to
Justify all its mistakes and defend all It's
errors, and may be ready in advance to
approve everything it may do, and still we
may all, as one man, remain true to our
sacred cause, and be prepared, if necessa-
ry, to expend our last dollar and shed our
last drop of blood in its defence.
While I am satisfied large majority OF
the people OF this State disapproSe many
of the acts and much of the policy of the
Confederate administration, | am Of opn-
ion there are bnt very small number OF
the peopIe.of Georgia WHO are disloyal 10
the. cause, or who would consent to close
the war without the achievement OF the
great ends for which we took mp arms
the independence of the Confederate States
and the vindication and establishment OF
the sovereignty of the severa! States.
Confederate independence, with central
ICED power, without sST;lte sovereignty and
constitutional and religious liberty, would
be very little better than suhjngation, as
it matters little who our master is, If we
are to have one. We should, therefore,
keep constantly in view the great princi'
plies upon which we entered into this I'M.
aoaal contest, anil should rebuke every
cMuroachment made upon them hy our
own government, while we resist, with
arms IN orr hands, like assaults made upon
them by our enemies. While our gallant
troops in the field are sacrificing the com
forts of home, property, health and even
life itself. and are enduring all the prlva-
tons, hard,hips, perils and dangers of the
service, they should never once lose sight
of the great principles of equality, liber-
ty. and constitutional republicanism, for
which they unfnrled freedoms banners in
the face OF the enemy. Nor should they
ever consent to lay down their arms till
these principles arc recognized by Our foe,
and faithfully carried out in practice by
our own government. In other words,
we should never be content till we have
established upon firm basis the good Old
republican institutions of our fathers in all
their purity, and shonld never, under any
circumstances, consent to accept in their
place strnn. centralized government with
military dc>potism. [ do not see how it
can be denied by Gpy candid man, that
We have, in practice, made fearful strides,
since the war began, towards a centralized
government with unlimited powers
The constant tendencies of the war
seem to have been to the suborlination of
the civil authorities and laws to the mill
tary, and the concentration of the supreme
power in the hands Of the Commander in
Chief IF the armies The longer the war
lasts, tie greater the tendency to this
result, and the less probability at its ter
animation OF & return to the constitutional
forms and republican simplicity which ex-
listed at its commencement.
struggle to terminate? No human fore,
caste can so far penetrate the future as to
give satisfactory reply to this question.
+ The Northern States have resources and
men enough to enable them.to continue
tie war for years 70 come, and we have
sufficient power Of resistance and endur
ance to enable lis to continue to battle al
their schemes Of subjugation. The sworc
can never make peace between the tw,
contenaing parties. When this is done
it will be by negotintiom. The prospec
seems to Indicate that the war may pro
badly last till both sections gre exhausted
before the passions Of the people vii
subside, and reason so far resume he
sway as to prepare the people of bot
countries for negotiation, as the only mean
OF adjustment, which can terminate tn
bloody strife. This may not take plac
till we have accumulated debt on bot
sides, greater than we or our posteritv ca
ever pay-till hundreds of thousands NOR
men have been slain and millions of VIC
men and children have been reduced t
! w;dowhood, orphanage and poverty-ti
our taxes have become so bur,ensunt
that endurance is no longer possihle-ti
the civil laws cease to be respected. an
| highway robbery and murder are the dali
business Of predatory bands, and till tn
Fedora! anil Confederate government
have uSurped and exercised all the powe,
claimed by the most absolute despot
each pleading in cXtenuation of its usu
paticns the necessity growing out of tn
like usurpations by The other.
There is reason to fear that Presider
Lincoln, if reelected and President Dav
whose passions are inHamed AGAINST eac
other, may never be able to agree upo
terms for the commencement of negoti:
tons, and that the war must continue +
rage in all its fury, till there is change
administration, unless the people of bot
countries, in their aggregate capacity q
sovereign States, bring their powerful ir
fluence to bear, requiring both govern
ments to stop the war, and leave the que
ton to be settled upon the principles {
| 1716 as laid dawn In the Gnornia rasnlr