Delaware State journal and statesman., 1864-01-15
THE GLooMlEsr YEAR OF REBELLION

From the Richmond Examiner OF Defenders 81.
To-day closes the gllomicst year Of our strug-
gle No snnguine hope Of intervention buoys
up the spirit OF the Confederate pubic as at the
end of 1861. No brilliant victory like that of
Fredericksburg encourages us to look forward to
speedy aud successful Termination of the war
"a in the last week of 1862. Meade has been
fUiled, aud Longstreet has had u partial success
Ia Tennessee; but Meade's advances was hardly
meant IN earnest, und Beane's Station Is a moor
set oh To lac loss Of the gallant men who iel in
the murdgtouy assault on Knoxville Another
dariug Yankee raid has been carried out with
comparative impuuiiy to the invaders, and tim
orOus capitalists may well pause before they
nbbls at eligible Investments IN real estate SIT.
uatedtar in the interior. That interior las been
feartully narrowed by the Federal march through
Tennessee; and, owing to the deficiencies in our
cavalry service, LinoOlu's sQuadrons of horse
threaten to be as universal a terror, as perya-
ave nuisance, as his squadrOns of gunbonts
were some months since. The Conlelerasy I'M,
been cut in twain along the line of the Alissis-
sippi, aud our enemies are steadily pushing for.
ward their plans for bseeting the eastern moity
No wonder, then, that the annual advent of the
reign of mud is hailed by all classes with sense
Of relief.
Meanwhile the fnaucal chaos is becoming
wilder and wilder. Hoarders keep more rtso-
lutte grasp than ever on necessaTies of hfe Non
producers, who are ut the same timo nOn-specu-
lnlors, are suffering more aud more. What was
once competence has become poverty, poyerty
has become penury, and peuury is lapsing inio
pauperism. Any mechanical occupation is more
profitable than the most intellectual profession.
The most accomplished tcholars in tho Uouiede-
rdcy would be glad TO barter their services for
food aud ralment, and in the complete upturning
no ani,,
those who have black hearts or black skins. Tho
cry of scarcity resouuds through the and. raised
by the producers in their greed for gain, re-
echoed by the consumers in their premature
dreed OF starvation and nRkedness. We are nil
IA the dark, and men aIe more less towards in
the dark. We do not know VIVA, our resources
are-and no one con tell US whether we shall
have pound Of beef to eat at the end of 1861
or square inch otleather to patch the last shoe
In the COnfederOcy. Unreasoning confidence Inns
been succeeded By depression ~ uureasoniup.
and the Yankees are cOngratulating themselves
en- the result, which they hawk about as the "be.
ginning Of the end
The incompetence and unfaithfulness of Gov.
eminent officials have had much to do with
the present sad state Of affairs, but the ,e,
possibility does not end there-ihe guilt does
not rest there alone. Every man who has snf-
Tered himself to be tainted with speculation bna
aone something to injure the credit Of CoDfede.
rate securities; every man who has withheld
any necessary Of life has done his worst 10 min
the country every one, man or woman, who b.s
yielded TO the solicitations Of vanity or apntti,a
and refused to submit to any privatons. bowever |
slight, which an expenditure, however grea,
mas contributed to the general Decentralization =
II may be said that, with the present plethora NJ |
paper money such virtue as We demand is mot