Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-01-06

Adam Smith thinks that country purely sgrl-
cultural may at certain seasons furnish for war,
one fifth even in case of necessity one fourth of
its entire population. But commercial or manu.
featuring nation would be unable to furnish any
thing like as numerous military force In these
relative characteristics our country enjoys vast
advantage over the enemy. But is the case of ne
cessity strongly now before US as to call for our
utmost efforts, and to be kept up for an indefinite
period, perhaps for yesrsa Why are there now
100000 stragglers from our armiese Why has it
occurred that over sixty per cent of the men on
the muster roll have in one instance at least been
absent in emergencies? Whose fault is it Why
conscrbing classes that before were called
into war; depopulating slaveholding people, with
slaves already pretty thoroughly demoralized p
Why extend the age so as to take in those unequal
to the hardships Of war? At the beginning Of the
French Revolution the citizen soldiery were called
out for the national defence. "But these three
millions o. national guards" says Jomini "were
BILE of defending their own fresides." Washington,
in his letters to Congress- opposed sweeping requsi
tons of men for service, sunless in cases of extra
ordinary emergency, such as could not be expected
IN the common course Of events That the saving
in the articles Of clothing provisions and thou
sand other things would amply support large
army, which, we'll differed, would be daily improv-
and dsorderly mob" Frederick the Great Of Prus-
STA, with population of five millions, successfully
opposed league OF one hundred millions. Yetbut
one twentieth Of his population was on the muster
rolls during the terrible Seven Years. War. At its
close Prussia was weather. than when the war COM
menced and from that period dates its owth and
prosperity which has long placed it among the frst
nations of the earth. go
Besides the incalcnlablc injuries that would in
every way result from wholesale CONSUMPTION, the
agricultural interests ofthe country would be wholly
neglected. Negroes left to themselves will not
makeeven their own support. The mex: year would
be one truly of famine Already we are experience
ing the trials of scanty provisions. The greatest
suffering felt in our army is from this cause. The
want of food with their families at home is the
cause Of over half the assertions. 1t would be
o7erseer from the ranks and put them to raising pro-
visions Yet why not in this general conscrlpton
70 the full extent and take slaves entrench and
fortify our camps? Do our soldiers now do To-
The Yankees take Chattanooga, and in five days
make it impregnable. We take Lookout Mountain
and Missionary Ridge, hold them for weeks, and
although stronger than those ofthe
enemy, there being no negroes there to handle
spades, our Generals surrender them a: the first
sault. Can people be military people, or have
any solid claim to the name, whose armies require
slaves negroes from the corn6eds, to entrench for
them? Roman armies went over the world and
conqnerea it; throwing MP i.npregnable aud com
plete camp at the end of every days march. The
muster rolls Of their consular armies were less than
twenty thousand men, less than half Of whom were
Romans. each man carrying from fifty to eighty
pounds on his back and marching twenty and thirty
and often many more miles day.
Congress cannot act with too much deliberation
on these measures. refined sense of honor and
fervent spirit Of liberty are the characteristics of
our Southern people In our dealings abroad we
have endeavored to preserve unquestoned cur claim
to these sentiments Shall they be disregardsd in
our dealings at home? Snail we fill our Treasury
BY force, and the first step towards adding to the
Army,be by fraud? Shall We commence by, repu-
dating the debt of the one, and denying contracts
with exempts from the other? Where will sach
policy carry us? We may yet realize, from such
false steps now, the vision Of our country "strug-
Cling in the slough of Dsbt, with Laoor resting on
her stedimplements, Commerce furllng her wings,
detected Trade in prison garments, and the Genius
. of Liberty weeping over hsr people, PROSTATE,
bankrupt AID dsgraced "-Riehmond Wig.