Newspaper Page Text
State Conventions.—Among the
most mlschievoue in purpose, or dan
gerous in character, of the factious
propositions of the present time, are
t'uC calls for state conventions, which
are being made, in several quarters.
No occasion cOuld be more unpropi-
tious for obtaining a e ^P 10 ® 8 ‘® n
of the wisdom, and thC wu * 0 e
people. By very far the major p- 1 *'
of the courage, the worth, the intel- I
ligence, and the patriotism of the
country, is in the army. The duties
of the citizens, who are thus engaged,
are such as would prevent them from
taking their appropriate part in the
organization, or the discussions of a
convention. The scheme for calling
a convention, is practically a scheme
for disfranchising those virtuous, and
brave men, and for placing the great
sovereign authority of the states, in
the hands of a portion of the people,
and of the portion that is least to bo
trusted with its exercise.
Though some true men are entrap
ped in it, it is essentially a scheme of
the extortioners, the time-servers, the
tremblers, the cowards, and the dis
loyal, to get possession of the groat
seal of state, the august symbols and
prerogatives of sovereignty, that they
may betray us to the enemy, while
our men are away. The extortioner
is anxious to save that ‘fortune’ which
he has made out of the war! The
man of property would give his liber
ty to save his gold. The person who
is whipped, in spirit, feels stirred by
spaniel instincts. The disloyal man,
ever watching for opportunity to be
tray his country, hopes that this may
be the time. All these are moving
for a convention, for the chance it will
afford them of gaining power, by cor
ruption, artifice, activity, and duplici
ty, and by a fraud upon „the popular
sensibilities.
In the event of success, the betray
al of the confederacy would be their
grand aim, and immediate effort. The
soldiers in the field, and the people
at home, would be alike sacrificed to
the interests, and aims of money-seek
ers, dastards, and traitors in disguise.
The efforts for conventions, to
which we are referring, are appropri
ately headed by the Augusta .Chroni
cle. One would suppose if its editor
was anxious to reconnect himself to
Abraham Lincoln, that the short, and
honest course would be simply to re
trace his own steps, and go back to
that Connecticut which he so recent
ly left. He had no part, or responsi
bility in the secession of Georgia—
why not leave her alone 1 It is from
that paper, thus invested with all the
signs of systematic treachery, that
the call for a state convention, for mo
tives no longer veiled, is constantly
clamored# In North Carolina, the
call is taken up by the notorious Pro
gress, and Standard, of Raleigh, and
a convention for that state is earnest
ly insisted on, with the same ends in
view.
The patriotic people of our coun-
I will eschew, and spurn such
treacherous leadership, and such tain
ted' associates* The judicious, and
intelligent will see that this is a most
unfavorable time for holding sover
eign conventions. We knot? that the
persons who urge them will exclaim,
that we are ‘afraid to trust the peo
ple.’ But ‘the people,’ so far a«? the
soldiers are concerned, are away. it
would be unjust to them, as well as
dangerous to us all, to take sovereign
action in thoir absence. This con
vention movement is a conspiracy of
disloyal demagogues, got up solely
for the chance the} suppose it may af
ford them to betray tlxe confederacy.
We certainly are uuwilling to trust
them ! We doubt not we should bo
sold to Connecticut, with the utmost
speed of steam, and telegraph. We
doubt not Lincoln’s heel would be
placed on our neck, in less than a
week. These convention callers,
have no object in view with which a
loyal man can sympathize, and our
good citizens will scarcely deem it
wise, to oblige conspirators with op-*
portunities for mischief.—Richmond
Sentinel.
Our Cause now, and the Revo
lution.—In the commencement of
the year 1781—that year which ter
minated with the capture of Corn
wallis, at York, and the cessation of
hostilities—the affairs of the colonists
had never worn so gloomy an aspect.
Not only Savannah, but Charleston,
was in the hands of the enemy. Gates
had suffered a defeat, which caused
the almost entire dispersion of big
army. What remained of it, seemed
fit for nothing but a prey to the ene
my, But Washington never suffered
his hopes to abate, or his courage to
shrink, or his firm resolve to be shak
en, for a moment. Others might
tremble, but he knew not how to fear.
Placing a firm reliance in the justness
of his cause, and in the goodness of
Providence, he never doubted, for an
instant, that all would turn out well,
and that his country would emerge
from the trial greater, and more glo
rious than it would have done, had it
never been subjected to them. The
countx-y caught the contagion of bis
example, as men catch the plague.
Its fears wore allayed, when it saw
the commanderrin-chief calm, and
confident. It proved to be the dark
hour just beforo day. The light soon
began to break. On the 17th of Jan
uary, Morgan defeated Tarleton at
the Cowpens—a blew from which
Cornwallis never recovered—and on
the 19th of October, Cornwallis sur«»
rendered.
We recall these things to recollec
tion, at this time r because it strikes ue
there is a similarity in our present
condition, to that of our fathers in
the beginning of 1781. Hood, like
Gates, has been defeated, and Savan
nah has been taken. 1 Yet Charleston
lias not been captured, and Hood’s
defeat was far from being so signal as
th£t of Gates. Richmond is still in
our han^ s ; whereas, at the opening
of the year 1781, Arnold was master
of it. When Gw ene joined the ar
my of the south, in .December, ho
found it reduced to a mere handful,
intimidated by defeat, and altogether
incapable of making any great exer
tion. The forces of Beauregard, on
the contrary, are numerous, and well
disciplined, and its officers are able,
and experienced soldiers. The vic
tory which has just been achieved
over tho yankee armada at Wilming
ton, may be fairly set off against the
defeat of Ferguson, at King’s Moun
tain. Everything considered, we are
in a far more hopeful condition now,
than were our fathers in 1781.
Let our countrymen consider that
fact, and deduce from it the inevita**
ble conclusion : They have no causa
for despondency. If God, in his own
time, brought light out of the dark*
ness of January, 1781, what reason
have we to think that he will not
bring a glorious day out of this night
of January, 1865 1 Our cause, like
everything else in the universe, is in
the hands of God. If it prosper not,
it is because of our sins, and because
of our distrust in liis Providence. Let
us trust iu him, first purifying our
selves of our offences, by prayer, and
penitence. There is no difficulty so
great that it may not be overcome $
no cause so hopeless that it may not
be made to triumph. But at the samp
time that God gives the victoi-y, it is
through moital instruments that ho
effects the triumph. Our people must
continue firm, and united, as they
liavo heretofore been. They must
cast off all hope of victoi'y, save
through their own exertion ; for God
smiles not on that cause in which meq
scruple to do all that is necessary to
insure success.—Richmond Dispatch.