The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-01-12
Grsni,ss Stats Soisrnal.
THURSDAY EVENING, JAN. IL, 1871.
SPIRIT OF THE MORNING PRESS,

ton of disloyalty brought against Senate
Sprague, for having, as it is alleged, engaged
in blockade running, INDUCES in anothe
of its mad Trades of abuse against New
England and the sanity inhabitants
thereof. 1t accuses them of prolongins
the war for the sake of gain, by blockade
running, and plumber. We think there
was less plundering, and less trading with
the enemy, than it was natural to look fol
in such war. 1t was by far the mildest-
hammered war that was ever carried on
and had 1t been little more vigorously
and vigorously prosecuted, it might have
been ended by Mcclellan in 1862. But
his Democratic method of making war
was rather weak. Then, too, had
the war been brought to speedy
conclusion, slavery would have con-
tinued to curse the nation; and view
ing it from all points, we are inclined to
believe that everything was ordered for
the best Had the Confederates yielded
earlier, slavery would not have been
abolished. To their stubbornness the
negro owes his freedom, even as the Chris
tian owes the blood Of his Redeemcr to the
vindictive malice of the Chief Priests and
Scribes of Judea. The Enquirer thinks
that were the Confederate archives at
Washington closely examined into, things
would be found which would startle
good many peop.e, if money has not been
there before. We think the Enquirer
makes good deal more out of this MOLE
hill than is necessary. Of course, there
was blockade-running and trading. The
government itself encouraged it by every
means it could devise; as it was DESTROYS
of saving all the cotton from the flames of
the raiders that it possibly could, to molli-
fly England and keep her quiet. But
for the avarice Of those who owned
the cotton in the South, and the corrup-
ton in official quarters in this section.
The war might have terminated different
ly-therefore we thank heaven shat South
ern self-denial was not proof against Yam
kee avarice; but that they accepted our
bread, meat, quinine and even gold, and
gave us cotton in return to keep the Eng
lish and French factories in motion. After
pitching into our Yankee friends quite
fiercely upon this account, and accusing
the women of stealing window curtains,
table covers, and bed-quilts, (which we
hope they only borrowed and will returnl,
our contemporary thus concludes:
They talk, these Yankees do, at their Ply
mouth festivals, and other meetings, of devo-
ton to country; and yet they have among
themselves materials to convict many of them
selves of more heinous crimes against the gov.
eminent they protested to serve, than they can
lay at the door of any Confederate who fought
against them.
Some people may say all this is unwise that
it opens old sores. Let them consider rather
whether what we say is true; and then how it
can be legitimate to suppress the truth, and
thereby contribute that much to the continued
power of party which can only find its par
allel in the worst days of Republican Rone, or
Revolutionary France.
We go for reconstruction but SO long as
there are two rules for the sections; immunity
for the rich but guilty Federa-fetters and
warder for the poor and accused Confederate,
there can be no real reconstruction.
"Plate Gin with gold
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks;
Arm it in rags, pigmy's straw doth pierce it."
The Enquirer makes very unfair COM
parison of the cost of the War Depart
ment for the four years preceding and the
four years following the war. 1t has cost
two-thirds more since than before. Well,
the pay of the soldiers has been doubled,
and the pay of officers has been largely in
creased, to correspond with the increased
price of living and the deprecated value
of paper money beside, the rank and file
as well as the officers of the army have
been doubled This is a very small matter
to harp upon, that political capital may
be made for the Democracy. The shame
of the thing is that the small army we had
before the war, in a time of profound
peace, when there was no need of soldiers
at all, should have cost so much. Then
it was under Democratic administration.
As for the use of soldiers at elections, James
Buchanan was the first to use them. In the
city of Washington he ordered out the
marines and had number of Know
Nothings shot down in the streets. If there
is any crime against liberty that has not
been done in the name of Democracy, or
any corrupt practice it has not resorted to
when in power-we should like somebody
to point it out to us. The country has
never been ruled by party with more
damaging record.
The Enquirer objects to the women of the
North resenting insults and protecting and
defending themselves. We confess that
we rejoice to know that they have the
pluck to do it; and we believe their South
ern sisters generally show equal spunk. 1t
is a virtue to be admired and not fault to
be condemned.
The Wing continues to urge the necessity
for an allrail line of communication direct
with Washington. la speaking of the
controversy between the Fredericksburg
and Potomac compony and the Pennsyl-
vania Central, it says:
We have far from anything like an implicit
confidence in the disinterestedness of the Penn
sylvania Central. 1t is coming here to make
something out of us, and will doubtless acquire
very considerable power amongst us. But if
we desire Northern capital to come here, this
il Of course to be expected. Capital is always
powerful, and just as Huntingdon & Co. will
become a power in the State through their
road from Richmond to the Ohio, so will the
Pennsylvania company be another power in
the State when they shall run from Alexandria
South. And if hundred thousand Northern
men come down here and buy lands from us
they will WELD a decided influence in oar po-
litical and social interests. If we want the lat
ter we want the former.
The present line between Richmond and
Washington is failure. Constantly the route
has to be abandoned. For two weeks we have