Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-11-10
RUTLAND HERALD.
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 8. 1864.
Rebel Exhaustion.

the blacks, has h too strong 10 resist
4. zee 1t is WIN s.d.'tude that am |
able 70 state officially that arrangements !
are now icing made TO arm, Tor the 4
Spring camrngu lhrce hundred thou |
sand slaves Nir~' 'n9Sters are 10 De
compensated by Tie Moderate Govern |
meat The slaves thus armed are 20
have their freedom and fifty acres OF
land each, which insures them perma- |
nent homes In the South"
It was known at the. North, not so
much from the stories of deserters and
refugees, not so much from the confes-
sions contained in the Southern papers
and in Jeis. Davis speeches, not SO much
from the sweeping conscriptions of old
men and boys which have been made in
the Southern States, not so much from
the present inability Of the rebels to
meet US in fair and open field battle, not
so much from the numerous other evil
dences all tending to the same conclu-
sion, as from the wadeniabis figures Of the
census, that the rebel fighting population
m st necessarily be on the verge of COM
pIvte exhaustion. Taking the million
and u quarter of white men between the
ages of 16 and so, contained in all the
states which originally seeded, deduct
ing from this the ordinary proportion
as physically incapable for service de-
Quoting again the tremendous losses
since the outbreak of the rebellion by
battle, disease and desertlon, as well as
by the conquest of more than half the
territory originally under rebel control,
and the most liberal calculation can but
show the certain and absolute impossi-
bility of the traitor chiefs long sustain
ing the gigantic conflict now waged in
this country.
Notwithstanding this, we were hard
ly prepared for such an admission of the
desperate straits to which they are re-
duced as is implied in the proposition to
arm their slaves. Whether the state
ment above quoted is strictly true or
not, we know that u recent convention
of Southern governors strongly urged
upon the rebel government the necessity
of resorting to the slaves to fill up their
reduced armies, and we know that moth
irg short of desperation could have
wruug from them such a proposition
Look at it. The slaves know that the
moment they escape to our lines they
are free. With how much heart or spirit
would they fight for their lifelong OPP
pressors-hght for the perpetual bond
age Of their race? To be captured on
the first opportunity would evidently be
the chief end OF their battling, and when
armed in such numbers the opportunity
would be found without much delay or
difficulty. Again, with the able bodied
whites already exhausted aud this large
proportion of the able bodied slaves
now left under rebel control, in arms, who
are TO till the Southern fields, feed the
women and children and supply the
rebel 7egro armies? The proposition is
so d, Uitute OF promise and so bristles
al er with danger to the rebels that
nothing, we repeat, short Of the grip of
dea on their bogus confederacy could
induce them to entertain it moment
Add to this the humiliation to the boast
full, lighting "chivalry" of depending on
their despised negro slaves to achieve
their independence for them, and also
the fact that if successful. it would even
tually remove the very corner stone"
on which their "confederacy'' was to
rest would be the death of that new
civilization" based on slavery, which
they were to spread over benighted
world, take all these things, we say,
into consideration, and we may get
faint idea Of the terrible desperation that
drives slaveocratic rebels to the consi-
Iteration of a scheme which Is last re-
sort and on its very face is speedily
fatal one.
What ineffable poltroonery, then,
would it be for the loyal people, whose
strength and resources are almost
boundless, to follow the programme laid
down for them in the rebel interest, at
Chicago; to surrender all that has been
gained ut so great cost and sacrifice; to
give up the Union to. be torn to pieces
by traitors; to admit the grand expert
ment of free government, the govern
ment of the people, to be wretched
failure; and to do all this at the very
moment when the traitor crew are max
ing unmistakable admissions of utter
exhaustion and we are ON the edge of
fina md assured success. If the loyal
Ar can people consent to do this they
ar e sorriest towards that ever trod
this footstool. We know that no Drawer
people exists, and we therefore believe
that next Tuesday will give such YER
dirt for the pro- ---''-. = ',ie war and |
the maintenance oI the Union at all |
hazards, as will, by its very moral force,
crumble to pieces the remains of foul |
treason, and assure us restored peace
and permanent Union.