Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1865-02-08

crushed in the end. OAUIlON.
Correspondence of the Standard
suILNAN's ISLAND, s. G.,
Jan. 16, 1866. {
It is sufficiently amusing to philosophical mind
to notice the rabid earnestness with which the hue
and cry goes FORTH that Charleston must be defend
ed to the last extremity, the honor Of the South
upheld, at the expense Of human blood, of course;
ed, provided we will only hold out manfully, until
next summer Just so. We were informed in 1861,
that foreign intervention would positively be ten.
dered armed mediation was to have swept away
and overcome the last vestige of opposition to our
system Of self government lurking in the hearts of
our now belligereut friends-the dreaded yankee,
What is generally understood by those hackneyed
wa:chwords, Liberty" "Freedom," Equality"
and sSelf Government p Will any man dispute
with wisdom, free man previous to the inaugura.
ton Of this demoniac WARP A soldier was then a
rora aeis, the passport system an ugly excres-
cence of the effste despotisms of monarchical
Europe. The Press was free, so long as it did not
descend to libellous attacks on private character
each man, woman and child, under his or her own
vine and fig tree, spoke and acted as they saw fit;
aone to check; no sword of Dasnocles hanging
over their heads; no fear of Interior consequences,
A"A INV uSuOu VI CVA III IuCIA uIAouAASASN
minds. Were We not as citizens of the once
happy, prosperous and powerful United States,
supremely happy and blest even beyond our
merits This country was then garden OF
EdeA blooming. luxuriant, free, happy and
content. 1t has been said, however, and with
considerable show of truth, that it is exceedingly
hard to rule prosperous people. Led on by blind,
fanatical philanthropy, the North made war upon
our institutions; we revenge the insult by nursing
fha rahi1 Droi,,dico Aos,nf han.
ners aloft inscribed, "Cotton is King!" and patri-
otically declare that it is quite easy matter for
one Southerner to annihilate with his chivalrous
fire, at the Lowest estimate, five plebeian Yankees
Is it not evident that all this has it origin in gno
rance, in wilful PRIDE in the most contemplate Of
human emotions, an overweening egotism, fas;
cious self conceitf We have paid the inevitable
forfeit Of our insensate folly in rivers of blood heca
tombs of slain, in tears and sackcloth and ashes.
Is it not quite time after such an internal carnival
of woe, devastation and inefable misery to dsabuse
our minds Of all those horribly fendish passions,
and consent in the future to be ruled more humane
ly by the superior promptings ofinteligence Chris
tanity, and mutual forbeararcel We cannot exist
as free people with the va ke,s, our determined,
aVowed and eternal enemy, u less by the most
skilful diplomacy, such as has not illuminated our
past annals: There must always exist an undyng.
deathless, irrepressible antagonism between slave
and free institutions. Grant reality, the indie
pendence of the South. Will we have Tennessee,
Kentucky, Maryland, or those twenty five counties
in Northwestern Virginia within our limits? Will
we hug the confident assurance to our hearts that
New Orleans is once more the emporium of the
South The North will and must, for her own
selfexistence, possess the free navigation of the
I" father of waters" Shall we recapture New
Orleans and deny them this privilegee When?
We are long ways yet from the grand ultima.
tum, but then We are so brave! However,
granting the independence of the South what is her
present actual territory, and what do we have p,
An imperial Southern Republici No: at ALL Be-
cause we are still antagonistic to the North; and
must ever remain So as long as we allow our minds
to be inthraed by narrow bigotry, sectional
hate, and low purblind ignorance. Establish the
independence Of the South, and our first necessi.
ty as people is standing army of 100000
men; always provided we make our terms,
as this insensate war has been prosecuted under
the influence Of hate malice, mad ambition, and
sectional illberaty. 1t stands to reason that the
North will never wholly relinqush this pet scheme
Of our final suhjugation. She will Of course main-
tain large standing army as contingency of her
peculiar relations towards US; and we, in the very
nature of things are forced to follow her example.
From whence will we recruit this armyS Not by
foreign emigration; we have long since declared
this to be impolitic, and it would be, perhaps,
really dangerous condition to have 5000 drilled
foreigners continually under arms within our midst
Not from the free colored population. They would
not be reliable in case ofemergencv nor would that
mode of life suit their peculiar tendency. Well
then, from our native population by draft? In
no other m amer could we pretend to keep stand
ing army up to the proper numbers at once relia
BILE, polite, and efficient We have this pros
pect immutably certain as an adjunct of self.
government. a standing army of 900, 600 men, at
an annual cost of $500 o000 900. Does any one dis.
pute these predictions If so, let him but refer
to the annual appropriations of tho United States
Congress for the maintenance Of the army in time
of profound peace. And if it is not sufficiently evil
dent that we have, in fact sold glorious birth
right Of freedom for paltry mess of pottage, then
, condemn your humble servant for an unmitigated
fool or a false prophet. With standing army such
as here hint at it is simply preposterous to assert
that We can hope for any other system Of govern
ment here than military despotism such as Rus.
STA or Austria
Had We been allowed peaceable secession, such
as was so confidently and sagely predicted, un.
doubleday, We would have sprung forth rival of
the North, and always equaaed, if we did not ulti-
matey excel her, in the grand march of civilization
and modern refinement That hope, however, is
long since an exploded faliacy; sickenng terrible
river of blood mantles the two sections as fearful
harbinger or "reminiscences of past woe. of future
misery
Evidently, then, we have but the one alternative
to disabuse our minds of this loEg nursed falacy.
our Infinite immaculateness as people and allow
our leading msn-or force them If the necessity
presents to arrange an honorable peace with the
United States, bearing in mind the fact, howe
ever humiiatng to our egotisn, that the people of
the Northern States are in every respect our equals:
and are in no wise more to blame for precipitating
this unhoiy war upon this country, than ourselves.
Is oyersteppng the truth to assert that the South
no longer reposes full and implicit confidence in
President Davis and his omnisciest CLIQUE of fave
rites at Richmond notice in to-day's Mereurv.
an Article headed: Hurrah for jeff Davis hurrah!"