Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1865-03-08

-------,- z.s,-. $3.50
u .he Individuality and patriotic ardor OF our peo-
81. eoch Of whom prior to that time ,ieit tnat as
freeman be was part Of the Government ana tnaI
was n'I sa,t that il was the Governments wal,
. ea Sa was no longer fresan but the slave ofsb-
'Hs nower. This was not the freedom be set out
80 FIR and thousands Of men rather than sub
W.T. to il and remain in SERVICE feeling that they wore
tho collar of power upon their necks have ieft the
49, without leave. Hence the Presidents COM
nlan the cause of which has been the necessary re-
sult of bis own policy lie has mistaken. tne genus
And shirt Of our people, and the material of which
b;s armirs are composed. The high toned spirited
Southern man will revolt when you attempt to re-
dhee him to an autotnaton of power.
Prior to the passage of this fatal act men taxed
tAer ingenuity to devise plans to induce the President
to receive them into service. So soon no viewer, as
Inc act was passed. which denied them the right II
future to form their organizations, and service as
Wiling freemen, with their neighbors and friends,
aid gave the President the power oseizs them and
APPOINT their officers, the whole feeling was changed
anc men have reserted to every imaginable shift to
.kee, out Of the service. =
she excuse that CONSUMPTION was necessary to keep
.thetwelve months men in service, or to ill their
plae cannot avail. 80. =
: The President knew months before when the term
If hese men would expire, and made no effort to
orgnize troops to take their places. bill was in
trduced into the Provisional Congress BY distin-
su;hed Georgian but short time before its pira-
ior in February 1862, authorizing the President to
caorh the militia to any extent nect ssary by re-
quiition upon the States, and to call for them for
thre years at his discretion. This would have left
th disappointment of the officers with the States where
tn. Constitution leaves it. The influence of the
President was actively used defeat this BILL the
ground that he did not need the law as be had more
troops rendered than hecoud accept andarn.
Early 10 A ril following he called for etonscriIt
act on the ground of necessity, toll up the army,
and the bill was passed giving him the patronage
and power above mentioned. If CONSUMPTION had
been necessary to keep the twelve months men ln
service till their places could be filled, that afforded
no reason why the act should have embraced the
whole population of the Confederacy within military
age special act applicable only to the twelve
months men for a short period, till troops could
have been furnished by the States to take their places
would have met that necessity. This, however,
would net have given the President the appointment
of the officers for all the troops to be organized-
His neglect to call upon the States for troopsto fill
the places Of the twelve months men was made the
occasion for vesting immense power and patronage in
him and fastening const rption with all lis evils upon
the country -.
The President has been as unfortunate in his gen
eralship, planning military campaigns, as he has In
his policy of recruiting his armies. All remember
his first appearance on The field as Commander-ip.
Chief at the Of the battle of LIST Manassas when
Gf reports are reliably he prevented our Generals
from taking advantage of the complete demoraiza-
J. ton of the Federal army to march upon Washington
City, when it must have fallen into QUE hands with
little resistance. He visited the army in Middle
Tennessee aud divided it, sending part Of it to Mis-
sisspp too late to accomplish any good result there,
and left General Bragg SO weak that he. was forced
evacuate Tennessee. which, together with Vicks-
r - A. l.. Al. H..
appeared upon Il field at Missionary Ridge and d.
! vided the army when superior force was being
masse in its front. General Lorgsreet's corps was
sent into East Tennessee. General Grant waited till
he was out Of reach, when he fell upon the remnant
| CT Bragg's army and drove it ba into Georgia
opening the way for the advance into this State and
then sent troops and drove Lougstreet out of Eas
Tennessee, and made himself master Of that invalua
BILE stronghold of the Conf-arracy.
| The Presidents last appearance upon the field wa:
with General Hoods army in this State, which was
followed by the movement Of that army Tito Ten
nessee. The country knows the result. Hood ha
been driven out of Tennessee with great calamity
and Georgia which was left completely uncovered
has been destroyed by Sherman at his leisure
Instead of rapid concentration of our armies at vi
tai points to strike the enemy stunning blows, GU
policy has been to divide and scatter forces 10 thu
face of superior numbers. and receive blows which
have well nigh cost our existence as Confederacy
Our people have eIdured this mis ule with remark
able forpearance ard patriotism. But the time ha
come when we mast deal with stern realities, and to
lock facts full in the face. We no longer prof
by huggng deluson to our b,soms. Our Govern
ment is now a military despotism whenever thespri
vilege of the writ Of habeas corpus is suspended,
object to which the Presidents earnest efforts are COD
stanty deected. The tendency to anarchy is rapt
and fearful. -;
The LINCOLN dynasty reforms US distinctly that re
construction or subjugation are the only alternative
to be presented to us. .-
| The present policy if persisted in must terminal
in reconstruction either with or without suhugation
accuse supporter Of the measures of the admir-
istration of any such design. But entertaining tn
opinions which do of its results if l. favored re-
construction or snhjngaton, to both of which ar
utterly opposed, Il would give an earnest support t
the Presidents policy, as the surest mo !e OF dimn
ishing our armies, sxhasting our resources breakin
the spirit of our people, and driving them to despia
to sfek refuge from a worse tyranny, by placip
themselves under the, protection Of Government
which they loathe and detes, because it has wrong
ed and tyrannzed thcm destroyed their propert
and slaughtered their sons. ~. -,
These are sad truths, which it is exceedingly: un
pleasant to announce. But true statesmanship.re
quires that theuer do the best that be done ft
his people under all circumstances by which they al
at the time surrounded And the statesman VIII
sees nothing but ruin in the pursuit Of line of pol
cy, aud does.n not warn bis couutrymap against IT,
unworthy the high trust confded to his care. -
But you may ask, do despair of the justice :
: our cause or of oar ability to succeed. answer en-
phatically No. But as our policy has been and mue
as we have wasted Of men and means, we still ha,
enough of hoih if properly used, to continue Il
struggle till We a'heiye. our independence and r
establish in these States constitutional liberty whi
has been for the time SO completely crushed:
To enable US to do this the conscriptiou act mu
y be repealed and thspolicy abandoned and we rnu
return to the constitutional mode of raising troops
the States. The States cannot do this successful
3 while CONSUMPTION ia pracriced and they thwartcd
their efforts by conflict and collision with Oonfedera
3 officers. In word the two systems cannot work t
f gether.
Our armies, composed of the DGtia of armsbea
ing people OF the States, must be reorganized und
officers appointed by the respective States as the Co