Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-01-08
FHRCOSsFITUTIOS-sTATR .-IGATs.
RICHMOND WING.
,D.v MORNING. IAN IseA.
A Hell nm Earth.


Tie ar oCs touching hc fate OF Poland, lrellnd, ann
other pressed raloDslties which have appeared in
recent ssues of our contemporary the ErGminsr can
not fail to arrest The attention of people who have
been forced at last to contemplate not without serious
ness contingency, which, at the beginning of the war;
vas never mentioned, or mentioned, excited only de
rson Whether weakness or our Encouragement has
Sought US to this con temptation, it boots lot to u-
quire Whether the late legislation in Congress aud
uch speecbes as that Of Senator Brown, the lugu
orious vaccinations of he newspapers have occasoned
he greater depression among tbs people aud the moIe
Joyous exutaton Of tho enemy need not here be con-
sdertd. Whether the desperate measures advocated
on the one side the imperative motives for caution
and discretion advanced on the other, be tie wiser
spclcy in war" We shall not stop TO discuss. 1t is
enough for US 10 know that after three years of terri
BILE warfare, the enemy openly his purpose
70 subugate u.s. is making gigantic Preparations to that
end and ha fixed upon the present year for the con
summation of his design The time has come, there
lore, for US to examine in is whole lergh and BREADTH
the meaning of this word "subugatOn," SO gibly used
oy the Yankees.
In prtvous article, based upon portion Of General
Lso's last bltS order, attempted to pace before
our adj rs an outline OF the horrors which would at
tend the overrunning of this county by the enemy
re cited the debsaie opinion Of General Lee, that
the "crue foe seeks 20 reduce fathers and mothers
our wives ard children, TO G6set slavery and urges
he Importance OF such opnion, coming from the
mos truthful and unexaggerltipg man in the Confedera
oy Must tee danger of this "abec th5ery" be kept be-
re the psoplsg Then the daily acts reIpetrat,d by
hs enemy will serve The purpose, without eminent
rom the newspapers We need not. 60 to POlsnd or
Ireland to learn what subiusaiOn means. TIE fact
IS before Us wherever we tura the eye. Baltimore,
ST. Louis, Nashville, Memphis, New o.laans, We sec
he first fruits OF that uaspsskable suffering and sham.
which must come when The holy cause is abandoned,
and nothing nteryenes between the brutality Of The foe,
iruLk with excess and his helpless victims. Nay We
need not @ so far as the cities named find evidence
Of the enc my purposes Lack at Fredericksburg, Sdf
K, Williamsburg, YorktoIn tho Northern n, OK and
hat grea. desert Of ruined iarEs TIA. wide extent OF
yropess treeless leless land which extends N6m the
Rapdan to the Potomac. But yesterday the cizsns CT
Norfolk unwilling to give Up their homes to the Yam
<es and afraid 10 cucumber the threatened Coniede
cy with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of women, cb
lren and old men, wio could render no aid in battle
cd only consume the faster our limited subsistence,
decided wisely TO remain, even at the price of oath
II allegiance to nation abhorTed, but which, in the
eve of God, was not, and could not be made binding
oy any cunning of ths Yankee. And now arms are
forced into their hands and they must either 6gh; their
own flesh and blood or be shot d6s rters. If any
young men, who might with propriety have come into
1ue lines have taken the oath, theirs Isl righteous ret
rbulion But If men beyond the proper arms-besfing
&c are driven into the enem ranks then they deserve
he pity of God and man But their fate should teach
all lesson.
Quite as recently, we have proof of the enemys dil
oosm in the outTages committed upon the ladies' at
Elizabeth City, in North Carolina Later still, we have
he sndish of Butler crying for the feTcest
re aliaioa because we refused TO treat with him,
declared outlaw and Denounced by the civilized world
a. an enemy Of mankind. Nor have we forgotten that
few weeks ago, within cannon sound of this city In
DID man was murdered in cold blood buried head fore
most in the common road, and horrible pacard left
affixed 20 bis prOruding feet, warning to all whs
d1-e deleud the honor of their household All
kese things are fresh in the public recollection. Other
horrors Il como Irooping day after day. There is no
ear that the enemy will leave any excuse for be-
revinz, hoping, or even dreaming of honorable sd
luStment on any terms. we must w. or we mus f0o-
t absolutely and Internationally to "a6set slarery"
There il help tos it even if the Yankee WISHED it
dis war deb. mus. BE- paid. All the property in the
South will not than pay it. Professions Of Union
lsm viii not save il. This has been tried recently by
the tories OF East Tennessee, and everything they owned
~as swept away. When all the property of people
is gone, they are beggSrs, aud beggars cannot be
choose e. But why argue the nltterS It is as plain
noon day. We mus. eoaqusr our independence, or We
nusi becOms the servants Of servantshe slaves, liter
ly Of our slaves and of Yankee fanatics, who will de-
light to compel Is to perform the most mena! and dis
raceul drudgsry. And if this be not he'll on earth,
chat Is what can be?