Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-02-16
The situation in Rebeidom.

for men, money and arms. That there
is fearful dearth OF white soldiers is
evident from the fact that the project of
srmiug 100000 slaves is seriously enter
tanned. From the best information we
can get it seems undeniable that Davis
and Lee and the most influential mem.
bers OF the rebel congress are in favor
Of this measure. The matter is freely
discussed, and although it meets with
violent opposition from Orr of South
Carolina, Wigfall Of Texas, and others,
we hear Of no acts Of bullying, no threats
OF hanging on the nearest tree and all
that sort of thing, One man has
the bsrbarity and the stupid blind
ness 70 propose that the govern
ment buy up 100000 negro soldiers, and
at the close OF the war that these should
be given at the rate Of one apiece to
each meritorious white soldier. All
sorts Of appeals and Misrepresentation
Of the Yankees" are fesorted to 10 fire
the Southern heart, and to induce de-
serters and stragglers to return to their
duty. But all their putting and blowing
and striving only has the effect to reduce
the temperature still lower and it
would seem to be only a question of
time when the last spark of chivalrous
fire shall go out.
If they are at their wits end
to know how to raise men, they
are no less so in reference to mat
ters Of finance. Inasmuch as gold is at
1000 or 5000 per cent premium, no matter
which, the called confederate govern
ment have come to the conclusion that
it will issue no more bills of credit, and
that 1t will draw in considerable por-
ton of its present issues. AS 1t Is i'm
possible to realize on cotton, owing to
the tightness of the blockade, there re-
main only two possible methods Of rails
ing the wind, the sale Of bonds and taxa
tion. The Richmond Examiner thinks
it would be very proper TO hand down
to posterity q portisn of the burden, and
that it would be very gratifying if capi-
talists would come forward patriotioslly
and advance the needful on govern
ment securities. At the same time it
evidently has no expectation that they
will be so kind, and therefore the last
resort is taxation, Money and NUM-
tions must Ge had, and it is assumed
that the people will submit to the neces-
sary depletion without grumbling, if
and provided the thing is equally and
fairly done Let there be no exempts,
no covering up, let every man pay in
proportion to his means, and the Exam
liner thinks that the people will give 'up
all, If need be, for the sake of Protecting
their wives and children frCm outrage,
AM, uS themselves from sutjugation.
The third great aestatratua is arms,
and Gen Lee n" 20 issaedi an order calling
upon everybody to deliver up such guns
and pistols of all descriptions as they
R'ay have in possession. He enforces
this call by the considerations that the
arms can do the holders no good-that
they rightfully belong to the army-that
he will pay or receipt for those that have
been bought in good faith - that he
needs them to protect the homes of the
holders from violence and plunder-and
that he will have them anyhow. There
is also a growing scarcity of iron and
lead. A good price is paid for old iron,
and great care is taken not to waste
lead. 1t will be recolIected that Hood.
when he was before Nashville, required
his men TO discharge their muskets into
sand heaps, so that they could save the
balls
What the situation is with reference
TO quartermaster's supplies is not GER
tainly known, but we may presume it is
no better than it has been for the last
two or three years, during which the
rebels have always been greedy enough
to strip Union prisoners of everything
they had on. 1t is probable that they
are better supplied with provisions than
anything else, but their resources, aud
their means of transportation are grow
ing smaller by degrees, and beautifully
less,
How long the leading rebels will vet
hold out, and what further expedients
they may have in store, il is Impossible
to tell. We know that the Union cause
has for the last two years been increas-
ing like geometrical proportion. and
the rebel cause has been decreasing AZ
corresponding rate. Judging of the fu-
ture by the past, we certainly have rea-
son to believe the latter will reach the
zero point before a great many months.
Certainly this must he the case unless
apathy, treachery and corruption in our
very midst shall prevent.
~ The Legislature OF Delaware has
rejected the Constitutional Amendment
by strict party vote. o