The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1864-10-20
Sequel to j. DIS Confessions.

General Cooper, Inspector General of
rebel army, has supplied very appropri-
ate supplement to jeff. DaviSe Macon
speech. It is in the shape of an order to
the effect that every one liable to the reoel
conscriptiou heretofore exempted, must
report at once for duty in the field. Only
those mechanics employed in government
workshops are excepted from the general
draft. Sick and physically disabled per-
sons must, in all cases, report themselves
at the camp of instruction, and if, after
undergoing a certain amount of drill, they
prove unfit for military duty, may get off.
General Cooper's order, however, must be
obeyed. We commend its study as a
practical commentary on jeff Davis confess
sion that two-thirds of his army have
deserted him, aud as confirmation Of
General Grants averment that the con-
spirators are bound to rob ''the cradle and
the grave"
The Richmond Enquirer, in publishing
this ORDER, takes occasion to commend Its
wisdom, evidently contemplating satisfac-
tory results from having the physically
disabled sent to the front The arrange
ment is doubtless made with view to
desertions. A battalion or two of cripples
can probably be depended on-not to run
away, at least. jeff. Davis throws himself
on the -natrons, widows and maidens of
Georgia. Gen. Cooper, who is the ranking
officer in the Confederate army, rushes
with his Provost Marshals to the hospitals,
to see if his quotas cannot be made up
from that source. But the Richmond
10 nf hot hot
these officials have done, expresses the
opinion that something more may now be
needed to prevent collapse of the Con,
federacy. The Enquirer, in short, calls
Justify for general arming of negro slares.
''The President" it says, "has announ-
ced the startling fact, that two-thirds Of
the army are absent without leave. At
present all are needed, and all must come
forward. Those that delay shirh ,oM
be hunted doaon and permanently sent to tse
army. We should be glad to see the
Confederate Congress provide for the
purchase of two hundred and fifty thou
sand negroes, present them with their
freedom and the privilege of remaining
in the States, and arm, equip, drill and
fight them" Slavery, the Enquirer
concludes, must "not be permitted to
stand in the way of the success of our
cause" "Other States may decide for
but Virginia, after exhausting
her whites, viii fight her blacks through to
the last man"
These be brave words, no doubt; but
there are one or two reflections which
they suggest, not altogether of consola-
tory kind-looking from the. Enguirer's
stand point. If two-thirds Of the Confed-
crate armies-all white men-have already
run away from Davis and his man Cooper,
and are now hiding in the mountain re-
gions of Georgia and elsewhere, what pro-
portion of the black levies can be expected
to stand to their colors Has the chiv-
airy thus degenerated that two-thirds of
them absolutely refuse to fight for their
own independence Davis assured Col.
Jacques, few weeks ago, that two mil
lions of his black slaves had beer eman-
cipated by the advance of the United
States armies. At that rate OF emancipa-
ton, is it net likely that the negroes may
prefer to win their freedom at cheaper
rate than the Enquirer proposes? These
are points which-we presume-Davis
and Cooper have reflected on with some
care, before they began this ordering
aph hysically disordered" men to the front,
Or of screeching for help of the women
and children.