Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1865-01-31

Universal CONSUMPTION, such as was never before
in any country, has exhausted our light
ing population State after. State has been
wrested from us, until we ere reduced to very
narrow limits Orr army in the West has snt-
fered defeat after defeat, until it has almost been
ann:hilated, and as a consequence Sherman has
been enabled to march almost unopposed through
tire whole length of the State OF Georgia, cap
turing her most important city and seaport
By obtaining possession Of the Savannah river
he has reduced us to the necessity OF subslstlng
General Lees army, which is, in fact, the only
army we have LETT, from a part OF Virginia,
North and South-Carolina; aud in those States
it Is we'll known that there is but little to spare
from the wants of the women and children at home
He will soon commence a forward movement
northward through South Carolina and North
Carolina to cooperate with Gen. Grant in the
reduction of Richmond and the capture of Lees
army. Great as this undertaking may seem,
it is not half so great as was that of his march
from Dalton 10 Savannah. That he accomplish
ed in opposition to a powerful army, command
ed, for some time, by one of the ableSt Generals
on the continent Now, it must be remember
ed that we have no considerable army to or
pose him, AMI 10 material out of which to Gre
ate ole. How, then, are We to prevent the sue
cess of this expedition?
1t must be remembered too, that &r. Lincoln has
Just called for 100000 more men. The people OF
the United States are just nOw rejoicing greatly
over the brilliant successes which have crowned
Shermans campaign, and Thomas'S late operations
against Gen. Hood They are in the highest possible
Of their present brilliant pros
poets. NJ. Lincoln win, .hefefore, speedily oOeaif
all the. men he calls for. They will go the field
with the greatest sacrity, and being inspired with
hehppc of speedy succ s., they will soon b. c'me
excellent soldiers. How then, ask again Mr..
Speaker, We TO prevent the success OF our
enemies? CIn VIC succcsd in re covering back the
States-a majority of the States of the COnfeder
acy-whch have been taken from us by the ar
mics Of the U1ited States? Can we hold our
remaining territory Can We even prevent THE tall
ofRichmond, and with it, the capture or destruc-
ton Of only remaining army of any conSld-
cradle proportions under Gen. Lee, with our pres
ent army recruited the full extent of our white
population? Sir this question has already been
answered by th9 government itself in the mega
tire. Its leading organs, the Richmond Sentinel
and the r chmold Ea7Wircr have already decl4r-
ell that the Contest is too unequal to be longer
maintained unless we arm our SLtoeS, and are urg-
ing forward the measure with great energy
Gen Lee, too, it i; said has arrived at the sane
conclusion, and is also urging forward the meas
uro Tho question then arises, rThethe: We could
really add TO our strength by arming our negroes
| do not believe that we could, but on the o:hel
hanl, believe that this is one Of The cases in
which the proposed remedy is worse than the dis
ease.
Surrly those public men and Generals who pro
pose this measure, have nover lcllated for an
instant the awful consequences likely to flow
from 1t. Let US pause to consider the matter for
one momeHt. Oar white male population is all
in the field, either under the laws of the State
e al. NtNott hats
hive in mtny l1;tl ties, ten mLe slaves at home
to one white r1an. Excite them to frenzy by
passing law to conscript them, and We would
most probably have immediate insurrectiOn OF
them. Ii such an inSur: ection Sh Jud take place,
aud Shouli he general can any man living inform
US how it could DE put down without Withdrawing
our armies, and leaving the field to our en- inieS
And who can mag ne the horrors likely to re-
suit from such an insurrcction, even If it's dura-
ton should be briefg
Bat suppose that no sucn inSurrection should
take place, but that they would submit to be col
ected together in camps OF instruction, and formed
into regiments and bril- adcs and receive arms, the
danger would be- increased a thousand fold. jus;
imagine 900, 900 negroes well armel with all their
Indignant passions aroused and the women and
children left deenceles'. In that event we should
in all probability have re enacted among us all the
the mex prcSSible horrors of the massacre o. Saint
d ,mingo, where Il the graphic language of Burke
every demon Of destruction seemed TO be let loose
and Hell its II appeared to yawn." Bet suppose
Sir, that this should perchance not Occur, they
would most likely 60 over to the enemy in a body
whenever n favorable opportunity should present
itself to them; as the government Of the Unite
Stttes would hold ont greater induce neats to them
of liberty for themselves and their families than w
do And the events of this war-;he vast number:
OF them that have gone over to the enemy vOlun
tarIy, and in many instances Joined their army o
their own free choice, prove beyond all question
that they would place far more reliance the
promises than they would in ours. In fact they al
Understandable this war is being wdged on thel
account, as well as VIC do; and they regard th
Yankees as TIE. only party in this struggle wh>
desire their free Ion. After having held the il il
slavery all their lives, we never convince then
that intend to libsrate them as 4 reward for AM
services they nigh: render IN the field. But i
may be sail that they woull not be fHrme into reSi
mentS and b.ig1leS, but they would be scit TO ill
ND our depleted egiments. lfso, does any body SUP
nose that our brave and highmnded soldiers, win
have been thousand times assured that they wer
fighting against attempt on the part of the Yam
KEGS to place them on the same level with the negro
would thus submit to be placed on the same level b.
the action OF the Confederate government? mucl
mistake them if they will. The consequence theI
would be that our army would become thorough,
dcmorazed deadly conflict between our whit
and back soldiers, might at any time be expected
But even if none Of the consequences which nav
mentioned should be realized, there can be no dOub
that thousands Of them, headed by some desperat
white charater such as will always be found in ar
mics as large ours, especially when. such arme
are raised by compulsory CONSUMPTION are
will desert and every where infsst society arme
bandltti Then neither life nor property, nor fe
male honor would be safe. Such scenes as we ma
antcioate in that begSarS all description.
would most probably end in the determination @
the negro race, and the utter destruction of the in
sti'ution of slavery.
These reasons it seems to me, Mr.. Speaker
should be sufficient to cause statesmen to rt
coil from the proposition with horror; but there
others that would be conclusive. Our armies q
we'll as orr women and children at home must b
clothed and fed II this is not done, then the wa
must end through famine. All great writers OF
political economy agree, that no nation can plac
permanently in the field more than third of it
fighting population without being subugated soor