The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1865-01-03

I
| Wnen the people of the Sovereign
States constituting the Southern Confed
| err cy, dissolved the bonds which united
them to the old Government of the
Union, they resolved at every sacrifice O.
| property and of lite to maintain the DO
sltion of lndepent ent SoVel eighty which
they had solemnly assumed. With 6
! constancy that has challenged the admi
ration OF mankind, and enlist the sym
pathies of the good in every land, yet la.
40 1ar drd,0n to them no material support, thi.
people have made good their pledge
ana have, for four years, struggled
through priyation and suffering and
sorrow and death, towards the attain
ment of their priceless object. To-day
after all our sacrifices, we find ourselves
/ still sorely beset and hard pressed by ouI
enemies, and the crisis of the war, to all
! intelligent observers, near its culmina.
ting point. The next spring and sum.
mer campaign will settle the question OF
our independence or subjugs ton. There
is great danger. 1t would be wicked h
deceive others, it is unWise to denv the
| truth TO ourselves. But look the neril
fairly and squarely in the face and do
what becomes of US as men loving free.
dom,a worthy oft, to avert it. Moth.
ing is more certain than that without
Providentisl interference if we drift on
TO this eliminating crisis of the struggle.
with our present resources, next summer
will see US stripped OF our capital; Vir.
gina and all our seaports lost, and the
States of Mississippi, Alabama and Geor.
gia largely occupied by hostile. armies
Sherman is unqestionably bent on CO.
operation with Grant to force Gen. Lee
from Richmond. If the news from Ten.
nessee is true, Cen. Hood will he forced
by overpowerlng numbers down 20 the
Cult or the Atlantic Our armies in the
Last aud W est cOopei up within
narrow limits, incapable of feeding them
selves, and will break up into guerrilla
bands from the necessities of subsistence.
In this way, we grant, that The var could
be carried en- Tor years, at ruinous ex-
pense to the North, but at more ruiuous
sacrifice to the South. In the foreground
OF this picture of national military dis
aster, we shall not fail to discover, torn
up root and. branch, the institution of
domestic slavery-nay, it will be an eIe-
ment OF strength against us, for the pol
icy of our enemies will be to enlist every
able bodied negro into his armies of
subjugation. Drift on as we are now
doing, and we tell our countrymen that
this is the prospect which in all human
and military probability awaits them in
the near future. How meet and avert
the fearful danger that stares US in the
face? Is there any way !? There is.
Weare pledged to sacrifice all of property
and life to honor and freedom. The
time Las come to test our frmness and
steadfast constancy to this great vow.
The need of the hour is plain. We
want more men with musl1ets in their
hands to equalize the struggle with our
enemies. We shall be told we have the
men and that they are already compo-
nent parts of the army, and lat if they
were all at their posts OF duty in the
front, we should require no more. All
true, but they are not at their posts. A
hundred thousand of them are stragglers.
skulkers and absentees on one plea or
another, while the thinned ranks OF Their
brothers in arms are alone bearing the
brunt of the fight. Congress and the