Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-01-12
RUTLAND HERALD.
sA,URDAY, JANUARY 7, 1885.
me Rebel Dilemma.

GERS that they now despair Oh 9uOOess
through their own unaided efforts.
Mingled with their outcries against Jetf
Davis for this drowning condition OF
rebeldom, are desperate castlngs-about
for some straw OF help, Some are fran
tisally calling for the appointment OF
Gen. Lee to the supreme command and
the taking OF all military power out ofDa-
Wis hands. The Enquirer and Examiner
are urging this, while the Sentinel, Da-
Wis organ, Of course opposes 1t. Says
the Examiner, Nothing will move the
cloud, or rather the lurld, ill-omeped
light which now rests on the future but
measures which touch the root Of our
evil, " viaa-such measures as the with
drawal Of military power from Davis
and the clothing of Lee with the militia
ry dictatorship.
Blu, what could Lee, any more than
Davis, do without men for his armies, or
other resources 2 Says the Sentinel, re-
ferring TO shermans march through
Georgia
If an array OF eminent military gen
Jus could alone have sutiiced, il distin-
guished talents could have supplied the
place Of men, then Sherman could never
have reached the coast while BeauTegard
and Bragg, and Gustavus Smith and
Richard Taylor and Hardee opposed.
But even such as these and all of these
were comparatively powerless because
comparatively alone, They had not the
men to cork sgitb."
Neither would Lee have the men to
work with were he made the rebel gen
eralissimo a dozen times over.
The Richmond papers doubtless see,
this, and this brings them to the dis
cussion OF last proposition, the very
character Of which shows that they are
at their wits end. An article in the
Sentinel, which is supposed to be from
the pen Of Davis himself, after dlsclos-
ing in a strong light the exhaustion and
despair 70 which the bogus cOnfederacy
is reduced, says
If France and England will enter
into a treaty with these confederate
stateso recognizing our nationality and
guaranteeing our Independence upon
the abolition Of slavery in ali these
states. rather than continue the war, we
should be prepared todlrge the measure
upon our readers. We believe that such
a proposition would be favOrably re-
ceived and acted upon by those nations,
and it ought to be made to them
The Enquirer says on the same point
III it he necessary, to convince the
world that we are fighting for the self
government of the whites, that we should
libcrate the negroes, and if that liberia
ton should secure our recognition and
the guarantee Of England and France to
our ipdenendence we believe the people
of these estates would not hesitate to
make the sacrifice
On the other hand the EXAMINER OF
last Friday opposes this proposition
for the following good reasons. 1t as
sunes that the rebel leaders seriously
propose to put the "conlederacy' under
the protection of foreign power and to
abolish slavery for the purpose Of secur-
ing such protection, and says
III neither England nor France will
so much as recognize us, not even know
of our existence, while we are vigorous
ly batting and beating back gigantic in
vasions year after year, in naughty reli-
ance on our own pFoWess and good
cause, and able also to offer advantage
Gus alliances and reciprocate benefits,
how would they receive such an invita-
dion as this. row that we are sinking
;an@. rrerishing under the power OF the
Yankee nation
The very proposal suggested to be
made to those powers would prove that
we were already subiugated. 1t would
be an admission that we had set up @
pretension we could not support, and pro
voked an enemy we could not fight, and
they would cOldly bid us creep back into
the Union aud stay there. They would
understand that the United States, if
this Oongederacy be once subdued, must
be the ruling power Of the West. They
would he glad to cement their friendship
with our enemies by treating US with
contumely, and would so endeavOr to
make a general treaty, settling the af-
MS Of all America and giving guaran-
ties both to Mexico and to Canada
"Lc,signifes nothing to say we would
rather give up slavery than be subject to
Yankees On the contrary, when we
should have made this graceful conces'
sion to the public opinton OF Europe
then Europe would Certainlyy cheat US
and seeing that we were whipped, and
the pluck taken out Of us, would make
friends Of our enemy at our expense"
The rebel leaders then seem to be in
about this dilemma Their own resour-
Cos being exhausted, they must apply
for foreign aid and protection or they
perish. II they apply for foreign aid
and protection, Europe will regard the
application itself as an admission of
their weakness and failure, and make
haste to conclliate the yankee nation
which has shown such exhaustless pow
er and unyielding determination in over
coming all enemies Of the Union at
leme or abroad