Year: 1865

Richmond papers of the Sd have been
received at Washington and the Examiner,
Enquirer and Whig, contain their custo-
mary budget of comments on the situation.
1t would seem as if they had concerted
together to buoy up the rebel public mind
by the most laborious editorial efforts.
Certainly our loyal pens may learn a lesson
for adversely from the upanimity and zeal
with which they fabor Ia behalf4nf thair
cause. Thore 1s is no SACRIFICE apparently
that they are not ready to urge upon their
people in preference to reconstruction with
the Yankees. Anything but the Yankees
Is still their cry. They really seem in a
state of frenzied apprehension lest the
virus of reconstruction may possibly seize
upon the southern people. Itis pleas.
ing reflection, however, to the Enquirer
that the rebels are at last arriving at
general understanding, and that the under
standing is that "Colonial vassalape is a
preferable thing to Yankee slavery" This
understanding, it says, isis the first out.
cropping of this year of our Lord. 1861
1t also says that it "would be good bar
gain to receive the material aid of Eng
land and France by formal sacrifice of
our institution of slavery"


The Enquirer goes on to say as follows;


ave believe these States are fully able
to conquer their independence without a
formal act of abolition; bat that it will be
the work of years-a war of many, many
years, during which every State may be
overrun and every able. bodied man depart.
ed; but that in the end-it may be of ans
other thirty years war-we shall triumph
and gain our independence. We asked,
shall we wage that war and preserve the
germ of slavery, or shall We recognize the
prejudices and opinions of the world, and
abolish slavery for immediate indepen-
dence2"


1t would seem that the Examiner does
not take kindly to the abolition PROPOSE.
ton, for the reason that it "does not re.
gard the question as practicable" avery
well, then," says the Enquirer, ''let us ask
with the avowal that for the material aid
of France and England it would be good
bargain to make a formal sacrifice of our
Institution of slavery. The opposition is,
therefore, only to the practioability, and
not to the essence of the proposition. All
are agreed that Independence and peace
would not be dearly purchased with the
sacrifice of slavery. The spirit of the peo-
pie of these States is that they will make
any sacrifice rather than accept any terms
of reunion with our enemy. If we can con.
vince our enemy and the world of that, the
people of these States are ready and viii.
ling toimpoVerish themselves, disrupt their
institution, sacrifice the convictions of
years and obliterate the very subject that
occasioned the war, in order that they may
triumph in its great object, independence.
We shall have made our conquest really
impossible and eventually secure our lib
erty. For though people actuated by
such spirit may be oVerpowered and
overrun, they can never be conquered nor
conciliated into subjection. But if the
preservation of slavery had been of more
Importance than our independence, if our
people had shown a willingness to save
their negroes at the expense of their lib
erty, the enemy would not have been long
in making the offer. General Sherman
may have discovered some such weakness
in his march through Georgia, and hence
the remark attributed to him, that slavery
would not be destroyed by reunion. The
enemy would stop the war to day and give
us what remains of slavery, if we would
return to the union and obey its laws and
submit to its authority. The enemy is
fighting more for power and the plunder
of these States than for abolition, which
would diminish our power and destroy the
plunder. Abolition proclamations are
war measures, designed 10 frighten
the timid slave holder back to the
Union, as we'll as to purchase sup
port from the anti.slaVery party
But they are defunct with the war,
and the war would cease if we would SUBJ
NIT, and what was left of slavery would be
preserved by the enemy, if not under the
name of slavery, yet Gnder some other
name. Neither the abolition of slavery by
our own act, nor the change of its charac.
ter by the act of the enemy, will depart the
negroes or deprive the white people of the
labor of these negroes. They will remain
among US, subject to law and obedient to
the will of the dominant whites. If we
were to yield the conflict and submit to the
enemy, the negroes would exchange the
present humane system of domesticity for
the cruel aud harsh system of compensated
labor. And if We purchase immediate in
dependence with the sacrifice of slavery,
the negroes would remain among us, free
it is true, but kindly treated by their old
masters, and taken care of very much as
at present. The authorities can now un-
derstaud and know'the extent to which the
people of these States are willing that they
should go in this matter. Any sacrifice
that secures independence will be readily
made"


Another editorial in the Enquirer sug
gests the. fimpressment into the Govern
ment of the management of the DAnville
Railroad, giving as reason the present in
efficiency of the directors. To the bad
management Of the road they attribute the
delay in getting troops to Wilmington, and
say if that place had fallen it would have
been because OF this delay in transporting
reinforcements--Thee editor further charges
the hanagets OF the road with corruption,
in receiving bribes aud Transporting other
freight, when Government freight is await
Jog transportation, aud thus keeping the