The New York herald., 1864-02-19

rHE SnsDss CAxPAIcx- Jefferson xpsvis in q
recent psociamatiouj assured the Southern
soldiers that the spring campaign woulds'open
under auspices well calculated to sustaintheir
hopes" and that they might welcome the in-
vader with confidence, founded upon the me-
mory of past victories" This ahusion TO the
manner in which they may "welcome the in
vader' seems to assume that the Southern
armies are to 6ght In the coming campaign on
their own territory, and looks like relin-
quishment Of the cherished plan of the ultra
southern leaders to conquer peace on North
ern SOIL But we must not suppose that Davis
tells bis plans to the soldiers by proclamation;
and appearances, especially In Eastern Ten
nessee and Western Virginia, indicate that the
Southern leaders still cherish the fond deluslon
that led them on to the fields Of Antietam and
Gettysburg, and contemplate an advance into
a Northern State early in the season.
Lo0gstreet's force in East Tennessee will
be part Of this advance, even il Longstreet's
present position does not indicate the direction
ttat it will take; for there will be no more
advances by way Of Eastern Virginia, since the
enemy have learned how easy it is for us to
concentrate an immense resistance In that
quarter; and since also 1t is necessary
that the Southern armies, almost with
out supplies, should march in a country
that has not been so ravaged by war
as nearly every foot Of Eastern Virginia has
Neither is il probable that the advance will be
by way Of West Virginia. though the present
movements Of rebel forces in that quarter
have definite relation to such an advance.
But it is probable that, il made at all. II will
be made by East Tennessee and Kentucky TO
the Ohio river. Preparations for such move
ment have been in progress n the Southern
armies since December. and are in progress
with especial activity at the present time; and
if this movement is made early, aud made with
the energy that has characterized rebel move
ments in other quarters, it will be dangerous
one to us. II will be made early. as the
Southern leaders are alive to the necessity Of
anticipating tue great operations that we have
in preparation. Lees force, added to that Of
Longstreet, may be in Kentucky before it is
possible for our great Southwestern expedi
tions 10 make much impression, or before the
Washington Directory and General Meade
have awakened to the f,ct that the winter is
nearly gone. There is at present no positive
certainty that the greater part of Lees force is
not already in Tennessee. Longstreet. it seems
certain, has been reinforced within thirty days
past; aud apparently not from Johnsion's
Alabama army. Some active movement it is
known.is now in progress on the Virginia and
East Tennessee Railroad, and it is not known
how large or how small is the rebel force that
now nosnnally covers Richmond.
be harder to deal with than Lee in Mary.
land OF Ia Pennsylvania. He will be out OF
reach for q time OF General Grant, and
out Of reach Of the Army Of the Potomac
For. With The advance into Kentucky. the rebel
force in Western Virginia will begin to burn
bridges on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
and 80 cripple us in the movement Of large
force to tho West from the neighborhood of
Washington. Ii the rebel armies are about to
evacuate Virginia, q has been for 80 many
months hinted, we may depend upon 1t that
they are about to evacuate it only for some
such purpose as this.
THE WooDs on STATE SOvERETGyrY.-The
Wood Brothers-the Hon. Fernando and tho
Hon. Ben Wood-have too many irons in the
fire. As the head chiefs of Mozart Hall, in
q distribution Of Offices aud spoils
with Tammany, they are hard to beat; but as
representatives OF this great city in Congress
they do not amount to much, while as the con-
ductors Of a political journal they are CON-
pletely out of their element.
For example. they undertake to instruct the
HERALD on State sovereignty; aud they begin
by telling us that on the 4th OF July, l776, the
representatives of the United States. in Congress
assembled, declared that the United States
"are, and Of right ought to be, free and inde-
pendent States" But what else could they do
when they had no general government. Their
only course was to combine as 80 many inde-
pendent States. But after achieving their inde-
pendence the several States concerned pro-
ceeded to the work Of organizing permanent
general government, and this work was estab-
lished in our federal constitution. What is this
general government confederation OF sove-
reign States, or "more perfect Union." The
first clause Of the first sentence OF the constitu-
ton will explain:-"We, the people Of the
United States, in order to form Q more per-
feet Union" &c. Here the parties defined as
forming this constitution are not the several
States, nor the agents Of the several
States, but "the people Of the United States
All the States are thus swallowed up in the
United States as one great body Of peoples:
This is the constitution-the supreme law Of
the land.
But the Wood Brothers, with all their clap
trap and balderdash about the constitution Of
the United States on other occasions, dodge ii
in this matter completely, and Hy for shell
ter to the State constitution Of Massa.-
chusetts, which, they tell u.s. declares Mas
sachusetts to be "a sovereign and in
Statev Mart in aunuort of