The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-01-27
The Extremity Of the Rebels

The files Of our Richmond papers just
received disclose that the rebellion is
fast approaching the mark of fatal ex-
haustion. The rebel leaders are literally
at their wits end. With more reason
than it ever before exhibited, the Rich
mond Examiner declares at does
sometimes seem that the time has come
when the rulers of the Southern Confed-
eracy are about to take leave of their
senses. The wild projects proposed in
Congress are calculated to shake the
faith of those who never yet doubted the
issue of the war. Those whom the gods
will to destroy, they first deprive of
their reason"
But this distraction is unavoidable.
No human wisdom could devise an escape
from such straits as now beset the Con-
federacy. The predicament is that sew
ersl vital necessities press with the utmost
urgency, and that one cannot be met
without giving fatal effect TO some other
Thus, the remedies are IS fatal as the
evil itself.
First, then, there is a Military diem
ma. It is absolutely necessary to fill
the depleted armies so as to enable them
to meet our recruited forces in the Spring
campaign. Our returning regiments af-
ford US painful evidences how the war
has thinned the ranks Of our own veter-
ans; but yet they but inadequstely in
dictate the havoc which has been made
among the rebel troops. In killed and
wounded their losses have at least been
equal to ours; in prisoners far greater !;
in deserters greater yet; and by disease,
which is always by far the most desiruc.
tive agent in war, their losses, on account
of their great deficiency of suitable food
and clothing, and medicines, and proper
care by physicians and nurses, are at
least two or three times larger. We find
it hard enough to repair the waste the
wear and tear of the war makes in our
armies, though this waste is not half that
suffered by the rebels, and though our
resources in population to draw from are
now four times greater. But with the
rebels this difficulty is q sheer impossi.
bilitY, unless men are drawn from agri-
cultural and mechanical pursuits to an
extent that would make it impossible TO
supply the army with food and other
necessaries. Thus the military dilemma
is this; their armies can make no stand
against our superior numbers, unless
largely recruited; and yet if they are
largely recruited, the means of subsist-
ing them must fail inevitably.
The financial dilemma is equally re-
lentless. Confederate notes have been
emitted in such quantities that they have
become almost worthless. To keep them
in circulation is to smother al the credit
the "COnfederacy" ever had among its
people; and yet to force them out of cir
eulstion by any arbitrary process is TO
extinguish the last spark Of the credit
without which any new issues, in what
ever shape, would be equally worthless.
JEFF. Davis, in his message, seven weeks
ago, declsredthat immediate action upon
the financial question must be taken, or
sueedy ruin must ensue. And yet not
the first step has been taken By the Con-
gress toward meeting that question. De-
bates have taken place in secret session
it having been voted that il was not
subject that could bear public discussion
but they have yielded nothing but the
most hopeless perplsxity and confusion.
In the nature of things, it cannot be 9TH
erwise. The redundancy Of the notes
kills tie credit; and this redun dancy can
be cured only by Reputation, which,
whether direct or indirect, is equally
fatal to credit.
Then there is = political dilemmas
daily growing more serious. a portion
of the people, especially in North Caro-
lima, are fast becoming too restless to be
controlled, except by stronger Govern
ment; and yet there is every reason 70
believe that the very imposition Of .
stronger Government would make them
more restless still. Senator FOote has
submitted a proposition for the establish
ment Of 3 dictatorship; but the news Of |
il no sooner reaches North Carolina than I
il is meet with the solemn AsseYeration /
that North Carolina will submit 10 no
and that the attempt 70
force her will only be the signal for armed 1
resistance. A dictatorship could not .
cure the restlessness, for the simple /
reason that this restlessaess springs from /
natural causes over which no political /
power, whether limited or supreme, can
have any control; bat TO attempt 70 keep |
resllessness down By sheer repression, /
without removing is causes, is the I
surest Of all WAYS TO sggrsVste il.
We might mention other difficulties I
especially that Of the failure Of the /
means Of transportation. The Enquirer
Of the 18th INST. says, that "all Virginis /
railroad iron is nearly worn out and 50
are the men working them" The con-
which hang upon this may be
from an item We find IN another
sheet, that the Virginia Central, during
every twenty-four hours, transports u
the army Of Northern Virginia an
amount OF freight which il would re-
1uire = thousand wagons and drivers,
and four thousand mules OF horses, ten /
DAYS 10 transport the same distance.
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