The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-03-15

The election for members of the Le-
gislature is close at hand. The crisis
is the most important one in which the
country was ever placed-thc necessity
Of having the right men N the right
place-more imperative than it ever was
before. 1t is not that any great amount
Of additional legislation is required
The present Legislature has done nearly
all that could be done in that respect
1t is but fair to the larger body of them
to say that they have been fully up to
the times, especially during the last ses-
sion.
What we would particularly impress
upon the people is, that men are required
both for Congress and the Legislature
who have the f1rmest and most abiding
confidence in the success Of our cause.
and who have in their vocabulary
no such word as "fail." They must
not only think success absolutely certain,
but they must say so on all occasions
when it may be necessary to express an
opinion. This is no time to look out for
amiable tempers and mild manners in a
delegate. Men are required of iron will
and indomitable energy, but, above all,
as we have endeavored to explain, of firm
and unyielding faith. Never give up,
never say die, hold ON to the last,
and when the weak kneed begin to
shiver and totter, then take new and a
stronger resolution than ever, never to
think of submitting. The old Roman story
of Varro and the Greek has been often
told, but it deserves to be repeated here
for the sake of the lesson it inculcates.
That officer, flying from the unparalleled
slaughter of Canine, where he had left
the bodies of seventy thousand Romans
slain through his own rashness, was
nevertheless met by tho Senate in body,
dressed in their senatorial robes; and it
was made known that he was thus no.
nored. because, even in that crisis, she
did not despair of the Republic" That
sagacious body of politicians, long in
ured to political exigencies of the most
dangerous description, knew we'll enough
the value of faith in such crisis as that
which presented itself They knew that
| it covered not only multitude of sin,
but every other sin. In such circum-
stances, we hesitate not to say it is worth
| all the mild and amiable virtues that
can adorn the human character, where it
is not to be found. We must have it
now in all our public men if we wish to
succeed; and if we do not succeed, a
ruin so deep that the imagination is not
able to fathom it. The injury which a
single weak kneed disciple in public life
may do is enormous. People are apt to
attribute to him much better intelligence
than he generally possesses, and his
words are therefore supposed to possess
a weight to which they are, in the ma
jority of instances, far from being enti>
| tied. A large circle thus becomes de-
spondent; the contagion spreads until it
finds its way into the army. Away,
fellow citizens, with all such men. Let
them stay at home, and send men in
their places who have undying conf
dence in the cause, and the pluck not to
go into an ague every time they hear of
| 3 reverse.
What has been said of members of
the Legislature is even truer of Congress-
men than of them. Throw the weak
kneed overheard, for you know not the
harm they may do. Send 'your men of
nerve and faith to represent you, and
leave the demoralized at home. These
are times when everything is to be won
by boldness-when it is within the
power of boldness to win everything,
and when, if everything be not won, all
is lost. Audacity, audacity, audacity !"
That is what is wanted.