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£ljc iPeeklg Constitutionalist
B y JAMES GARDNER
- ' [ COMMOSICiTSD.]
ihtekfekence with !
U rUCES-IHE. SEIZING RESOLUTIONS
'•Teajeay ttie exiis 01 tße h, E Q P r ’ ces ’ which I
10 ,;, e r *0.3 considering in ibe last number, j
I senoosly proposea to fix, by law, a |
““ a , 0 f prices, and annex a penalty to ibe i
I" of anr article abo»e tbe price fixed. 11 i
_,i.tnr* were composed of men tbora 1
” jr i cineersaat with exery branch of bun
_Wf*~ of ateriiag integrity, not to be sway- |
»?. .. ,g otrection or that by prejudice, interest,
I rj'desire to court popularity, they might tuc»
°uti in Irammg a law of tbe kmd, the opera.ion I
X '*u ca woold not M attefded with any eery
I '»! mjasbce to private interests, especially il I
, ltl #e re subject to very frequent revisions
* uto adapt the prices fixed to the ever vary.
K circumstance: and exigencies of trade. But
■ * ehail the world see such a body of legis.
istors* W® i JuTe cuttainly not been blessed
I th tbe vißioa in oar day, and if any geutration
(be oast has, 1 do not know the page of histo
_ „ which the fact has been recorded. You
ij,r i»kc an intelligent mac who has been re
’ ar.y trained to auy braoeh of business, and it
tja dbe impossible for him to tel, what would
-a fair remunerating price for the products of
Si.i business fur twelve m inths in advance, in
• aes waen trade is in its most stable siaie. In
i its like the present, he could not fix prices
tijoitably six advance, Shall we ex
pect a legislature, chosen as legislators usually
i-t, 10 oe prepared to represent every branch of
tas.utss, and to do it more wisely than regular-
I y trained business weu would be able to do?
i y- *t oou.d reasonably look tor, them to ac»
i cjupish ibis rn-rvel, Could we hope lor the
| ojiaby W.inderlul result of seeing them go
sirsigut forward, with ttieir eyes fixed steadily
oo tbe right, and the true good of tbe country,
without tuiniDg aside to court this or that vulgar
v( edict’' t.VeU we bad sucb a body of ieg
iti.ofs, unc iu*-y wore to accomplish the wo. it
proL-uaed m tbe most admirable manner, we
s, va ;d ujl roaily Oe under any very special obh
■ fitiuna to item tor their l .bor. What would be
I fne extent ol our obi gallons to a s tot leguda
I tors who should eu*ci tbai a bo*, y should tall
I i, s icuo, sixteen and a twelfth feet in a stcind *
I Tbt-y would bat register u natural law.
I j.j manner, tne legislators in question
I womd but record results which the laws of irade
I Wfuld accomplish of themselvas, if lett trie to
I o erate. it oue branch of trade or business bt~
H cjine? unusually iuorat'Ve, capital and labor are
I iy diverted Irom less prohtable pursues
■ *Qrt urned into this more favored chaned, and,
S la toi* way, a proper equilibrium is maintained,
I wi DOut any iDauks to me etf tts of legislators.
M it oi4V take * me time for men, accustomed to a
■ p»r icaiar pursuit, to give up old bab-ts and ci
■ red taeir into new ehunne.sof business,
■ tma regard to their «-wn interests will surely, iu
t tbe end, bring about His result. The pub ic ir.uy 1
suffr temporarily, but it is belter to endure evils,
■ tor a tune, shan, by attempting to remedy them, !
topluLge into the tpidsi ot much greater ones.
■ lien me a-teropt is seriously made 10 hx a ]
ol prices, Ji will oot be done by the
w:ee. virtuous tody o; sages supposed in the
■ foregoieg discus* on. Tbe b-.-dv will have agood
■ ly number ol ignorant men in it, some mercer
■ Di*y uues, and no', a ew that are demagogues.
■ The v«r# work which they ate supposed to proa
■ pus- to theuiselves, fixes, beyond all doubt, tbe
I composition of the niattnaLs that will enter into
I tbe ootiy. From various causes, prices will be
I wrongly ad; us ted. Some may be placed tow
I high. I * so, there will be a general rush mt tbe
I tavurtd pursuits, and prices will come down be*
I low tbe rates fixed, in spite of the law, unless the
■ enactment also gives u monopoly of these fuv .red
I pursuits »oa fortunate few. Others will be fixed
I tco l«»w, and will be parahzid und in* !
I dustry tripp ed, and m-n will cease’all effort to
I produce tLe articles 10 question, and tradesmen
I will not oriDg them into the cmntnuDilv from
I otter points, and the most exorbitant prices will
I come to prevail in the face of the legislative eu*
I actmest. in short, contusion will reign through*
I cut the world* of production and trade.
I know of no wholesale attempt at regulating
■ pr.ces, after the manner we Lave been di&cuss'Ug
I ID a recent legislative body. The Georgia Legist
I l»htre, however, at i's late session, passed some
■ D'tiioe resolutions, to which I wish to call the!
■ uptciai atteonou of ibe public, bet* re closing this
■ ditcoisiuo. The renoluttous me in r >duced bv a '
H preamble, setting so tb, in strong colors, tbe suf. I
I Iri'* dtstitution .»1 the Georgia soldiers in
9 ntedeta f e bervtce. Then come the resolu* i
m hens, author.sing lie Governor to *tix* the •.ru>
■ c-v-f c-reded, aad tixujg the prices to be paid lor
I r cotton varus. Ac. The? touch, in '
m tit . What t hiy suppose to be the Pili ar j
® : 1 e destitution if -b* soldier. That thtre |
9 r *- * destitution in the a my, I have n> 1
* • ■ oo’ * -ouie «•! 'be ur at reliable of their I
I" : r “ ‘ nil n><n. ne ! . be'
,'V r ,u ; ** I!U| v doubt i.bnut if. it des* I
; * «w -
I ric;«cl tbetr be a,< sup;, ei ;ndup m 1 hr- j
■ : Vrfv sfianiT after the res iluiionr irete
1 I txisting, pri bablj at the time, wh : . ; h
■ i to va'jin.t to the publ.c. be! -re these ~a . I
I Bn ' sh " i - J n ,he «*">»* «f tbeir real ;
■ -'.■Mii.fi, they bare a claim upon ns, which !
1 " J *•*' ®*»»t be. met. It is a debt wb ch ’
I right, will s»
I .ut er r abhor, however, ail bjpoeriiica'
I ®K about these wants on the part of cn-n
' uu f for a purpose. Ido eo'. s.v ibut all,
I ■ ,' u , al "' ’"■ T ’ °* 'bore »bo were iu favor of
■ 'ti outioDs, were so from an improt er motive
‘ ' lore Shari table to suppose that manv of them’
I «v.e ignorant ot facts. Os the fact. L-werlr.
. l„ S r ° a " e: " ;p;n »ere plaving the den:ag( 2ue, i
■ « reiM, ' fr iook around him and see if he
. a find instances of those who cry out luslilv
. “ censii of ibe soldier, and contribute bui little
o , *sy ■ * meins or lab* rto relieve his wan s
),r bearilv in denouncing those who
■ - «vdin)r every ene-gv to produce articles of
beru.se the exigencies of ibe times compel
■ 1 r osell -be articles pr iuced at wba* sem
■so price,. Let them look around (hem f-r s leh
| „.'.i “ Eci 'ker judge whether the writer i,
a..ar:table in supposing a few of that class to
«.., . Ulia “tn Dgtbe membeisof our General As
I ' I P4,ci !bal t! * ese must be
I ,-, r . - rr.t the shadow of a doubt but
aanu'seturers, as a class, are as patriotic
' a to contribute to the fell meusure
. r , rlr “bn •>—provided the contributions are I
I ,-rs r9 ul ‘ a *>ty—fiaa aav other portion of our ciu- I
I J.'ll "••en an attempt is made to compel I
I oil" bvc-ntribute an u just proportion, because j
| 'i sappeo |, e p ro duc ng the arncis.i needed, I
' "J' rpMs'ng that they are sorm w-.at restive |
- -mproper exerc se of an h ruy. An j
■’ '- 1 0 i eS >UtiOB», Os the]
;- !r P"®v '•* pr ces by law leather !
' fi ie noilar per posit f, and s • at
, Q i..: let master, at the head o f the lea'ber |
' : ' v .« so«-h.rn p..r: of the C mfedera y,
been i ' te :,i :ea> ber to the pair, to those I
; ih*' 21 ke shoes Men who haTe fur-|
“ if •rrrnment their thousands of pairs, I
AUGUSTA, GA., WEDNESDAY MORNING;, FEB, 11, 1563.
! unite in the testimony that the allowance is not
i unreasonable. Now, our wise legislators would
. have tbe manufacturer of shoes ta furnish lasts,
I pegs, nails and thread and pay tisTaborers aaa \
tbe interest on his capital, and all this for abso
lutely nothing. H'. w long would men continue
to manufacture shoes at such rates? I happen to
! know of this instance of wisdom in oar legislators.
! I bare no doubt others could point out equally
| remarkable ones in their schedule of prices.—
Tbe*e resolutions provided that this system of
, indiscriminate se zare might be kept up, if neces
■ sary, through the year 1863.
I The legifelature, from some cause, seem to bare
| become a scheme of the plan of legalized robbery
; which they had inaugurated; for we find them
| soon passing a set of supplemental resolutions, ,
. which provide that tradesmen shall be paid tea (
j per cent upoa tbe cost of articles
| manufacturers twenty per cent upon the cost
j of production, and that tbe seizures should be dis- !
| continued on the 20th of December. This seems
!to be a wonderful revolution in their v ewf, and
| whether it wa* brought about by new light ciwn*
ing upon their darkened tmeds, or by intimations •
which they had received from home that the
measure was not likely to prove so popular as they
! badai th at supposed, I will not undertake to de*
' ciue. The last set of resolutions are infinitely ,
’ bet’er than tbe stil* sufficiently bang
| r.ng ; and their chief merit consisted in the fact
j that they sought*to put an end to the policy at a !
■ very early day. Tbe profits which they allowed -
! tradesmen were far below the rates usually realiz
ed by merchants, in favorable times, whereas they
should have been higher, on account of ihe in
creased expense to them, in common with all j
other classes, of living ic these times, and the
heavy risks m w to be encountered.
Th® mistake, ic the per centum of profit aK
| lowed manufacturers, is still areater. The reso- ,
I luiiods put all classes of manufacturers upon the
j same footing. Twenty-five per cent, would be a
i tine proti* to some, while it would be utterly in
adequate m the case of others. Hatters, for in- j
stance, can buy tbeiaw material, and, by rapidly i
j converting it into tbe manufac } ured article, do a !
I tan ring business ai that rate of profit. Not so*j
! with the tanner. Hides, bark, oil, and tallow, are :
j now selling at very high figures. While all the j
' materials used are enormously high, it takes
| moQUiS tor the hides to be turned into leather.
llt you restrict the tanner to twenty-five per
cent proti*, dow, and be continues to fill his vata
j and proceed regularly w.tb his ousmess, he is
I do-lined to inevitable bankruptcy; for the day
| wil come when ihe blockade will be raised and
j our ports be < peued, aud thee he willabe com
pelled to take irom 30 to 5u cts per ib. for »eather
made of hides which co»i him from 75 cts. to $1
per lb. Tnough the stock which he is cow work
lug out may Lave been purchased at low rates, hie
only Security cousi.-is u selling at the prices now
cuetomary, in older to indemnify hmiself against
the loss which is inevitably to come upon aim,
when his leather wni net bring nce'iihird of tbe
price per lb. which his bide* cost him. Further,
many tuaners have hut recently embarked io tbe
busiuess. They have made all their improve
ment*® at three or tour times the cost of tbe same
improvements ,m ordinary .imes, and it is but
jusi and reasonable that they should have unusual
profits, to pay for these unu»ual outlays.
If tou restrict them, therefore, to twenty-five
per cent piofit, you force them to abandon" tbeir
i business, and then we shall feel the want of
jbh'-esas we have leit it. I have taken
• these two case 6 to show the folly of the course
| pursued by our legiclaiure. It an emergency
arises when it becomes indispensable to Keize,
'ben the price paid ought to be fixed by an Intel-*
ligeut v,ew of the circumstances oi each case, und
not by the ai bitary will of the se.zer or legislature.
1 do not deny that such emergencies may arise,
but they are of rare occurrence. To attempt to j
u»ike seizure a permanent policy, shows grea. j
want of leg slative and executive wisdom. When- |
ever such a policy becomes general, production :
wiit be hindred, tor meu will cot attempt to de» ;
ve cp manufactures, when o:hers are to fix arbi*
iranly their rales of compensation. Manufac
tured articles will not be brought into territory
when such restriction* i revaii, but will seek other
and freer markets. More anon.
IsVBFTIGATOe.
[COMMUNICATED, j
CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE LATE SEIZ
UREB
Mr. Editor : In this third and last number, I
propose to consider the cunstitntionai power of
the Legislature to pass the resolutions we tare
been discuss ng.
In Article Ist, Constitution of Georgia, occur
i the following words;
j “In cases of necessity, private ways may be
granted upon just compeueation being first paid;
I ana wiib ibis exception* private property ehail
Dot fie taken except tor public use, and then,
only on just compensation; such compensation,
j except iu cases of pressing necessity, to be first
■ provided and paid.
And again .
| “Toe right of the people lo be secure in their
[ persons, houses, pipers and effects, against un
! reasonable sear ..-lies and seizures, shall m t be vio
-1 u -j; and do warrant shall issue Ur upoo jr< b
t aule cau»e, supported by oath or affirmation, and
t a; ’ culunv de*cribing ibe place or places to be
j searched, and ihe persons and thing* lo bese z -d.’
We fiuo the last quotation, almost r rba-tim , .u
• ’he Constitution ol the Confederate States, e.ud
j another clause which reads: “Nor .snail private
! property be taken for public use without just
compensation.” If the Legislature examined
I ihe Constitution at all, I suppose tney based the
right of passing their resolutions upon the provi
sion of tne Constitution first quoted. The first
set of resolutions is a plaftn and palpable viola*
non of these provisions. W ould any sane man
'ay it was “just compen ation ” to pay a man
$2 5o for a bunch of coilon yarn which bad cost
mm f-5 o€’ Leather, shoes, jeans, and all the
articles iv the list, had been bought, and were
held on sale, by parties who had paid double the
prices fixed by tbe resolutions, and yet the Leg*
.stature and the Governor seem to hare thought
hose prices “just compensation.” It may be
mat it was thought these parties were guiitv of a
crime in purchasing at such prices, and that it
was proper to visit a punishment upon them in j
this particular form. They violated no law in so
doing, for there was no law in existence fixing
prices, and it would not be very just, liberal or
constitutional, to set in judgrr.ei. upon acts a!«®
ready done, treat them as crimes, and proceed to .
annex penalties. In toe second set of resolutions, ’
| toere was, as has been stated, some improvement;
! but, with the argument made in another par! of
I this discussion, on the manufacture of leather, •
i *ept in new, will it be coutendrd that twenty- .
i five perc.mi. wni afford the tanner “just com- I
, ;-ersation”? Doubtless tbe framers of tbe Con*
j atitution meant to give the to seize in case 9 <
jof necessity, but it is «rqu lily clear that every
j case ol se'zure should stsnd on its own merits,
i md that the c >st of pr duct on, or the original
’ pr.ee paid by a tradesman, should be carefully
j looked into, before a decision is made as to what
lis “just compensation.'’ I >ay it is clear, for the *
framers of the Constitution are supposed to have
been reasonable men, and there is no other senei*
ble way of arriving at what is “just compecsa
tion.” Further, it is evident that the clause of
the Constitution we are discussing was intended
to meet emergencies, and it is obvious to every
reasonable man, who will take the trouble to
think, that it was never intended to make seizing
tbe policy of the State, to be practiced upon for a
year or more at a time.*
But I intend to make this argument stronger
still. The second provision of the Constitution,
which has been quoted, declares that “the right
of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers aud effects, shall not be violated.”
lam now going to state some facts which I hold
myself ready to substantiate.
Not long after the seizing resolutions were
passed, there were in the hands of the Quarter*
master, having charge of tbe leather business in
toe s»utfiern portion of the Confederacy, 1,200,*
ul'O lbs. of leather—enough to make 400,000
pairs of shoes, and the supply was continually
pouriDg in. This leather was being converted
into shoes as rapidly as possible. Tbe same
Quartermaster alleges that he has contracts with
tanners, which wilt, ere long, shoe not only the
army, but tbe people of the Confederate States.
There is another Quartermaster in charge of the
leather business in the eastern portion of* the
Conieueracy. lam not prepared to say what he
has accomplished, but have no a oubt of his bav«®
ing collected a large supply. Besides, there are
many other Quartermasters who have contracts
with mauuiacturers tor shoes. Add to these
facts, wbat is well known to the public, that a
large portion of the army are suppled with shoes
by friends at home, and you have a strong array.
I shall not g.veuiv opinion as t 0 the number of
meQ now in our army. Tbe intelligent public
can form an approximate estimate. i will sim
ply ask the question, if. the stizure of leather
aud shoes, with this array of facia in the reach
ol the authorities, was reasonable ? lam no
lawyer, but i would not be afraid to eucounter
the ablest of tbe prolession, on a case properly
brought under these resolutions, before any ms
teiiigeut court.
The Governor seems to lave a special spite at
tanuers and shoemakers, and before I doe-, 1
have a lew tm>rr things lo say in retereDce to his
unwarranted assumption of power in bis treat*
meut of this class ot citizens. 1 will add that .
what I say of L.m, 1 shall sav with reluctance, |
lor 1 uuVe been a personal admirer of his, have
voted thiee times w hen a candidate for his pres
ent portion, and have bad occasion to approve
most of the nets of bis administration. He has
done tbe rotate noble service, and I accord him 1
the meed ol honor. But, if the rights of one !
class ol citizens are assailed, by an~exercise of
unconstitutional power, and no voice is raised ;
against it, the way is opened for other encroach- ■
meats, and no one can (ell bow soon we shall !
witness the overthrow of constitutional liberty.
The Governor has himselt set tbe example of
vigorously resisting what be considers to be
the exercise of unconstitutional power in otb*
ers, and he can not complain it he is dealt
A iih in a similar manner. Ido not object to bis
simply withholding bis signature from tbe
supplemental seizing resolutions, since the veto
power is vesttd iu him by th- constitution ; but
1 confess that my respect lor -rug legal acumen,
honestly eufertatned, b.a u>t been enhanced by
his signing the llrFt set, so clearly unconstitu
tional, or by his refusal to sign the second, on
ground al eged ; v*z.: because they did not per
petuate, through the year IS«3, the indefensible
policy which ihey inaugurated. I do object,
however, that iu carrying oat the resolutions, he
\ has departec, us wiueiy as the poles, from their
! iruetinient und meaning- it was bud enough to
act under a graut of power by the Legislature,
whicu they had unconstitutional right to con*
fer, but w orse to depart so widely from the in
structions contained in that nugatory grant.
Tue resolutions authorize ihe Governor, “if sat*
j lstactory arrangements cannot be tUidewith the
proprietors otherwise, to seize all Ihe factories and
j tanneries, Ac.” Now, the Governor, in carrying
j out these resolutions, sent out his agents, who, in
; some ca>es within the personal xnowiedge of the
; writer, se zed tunnenes without saying a word to
; proprietors about making “arrangements-” So
j fond were they of tbe exercise of 4 a little brief
i authority,” that they seem d to prefer to make
*.be?r own “ arrangement*.” N*»t content with
; this violation ol the resolutions by authority of
Which he professed to be acting, he caused his
Quartermuster-General to issue a pronunciamento
which contains some remarkable features. This
j document from the QuarterniasiersGenera! sets out
j by informing us, that complaints have been made
; to him “ ihat the seizure of the tanneries in this
! State for the procuring leather to put shoes upon
, ibe leel of our suffering soldiers, has, in some
! cases, left the families of soldiers and the prior
j without allots, or the material for making them,”
and, to lemedy these evils, he proceeds to dictate
, the terms upon which he will release sa’d tan*
uenes. He teili us that he “is instructed by the
Government to release tbe tannery or leather
} seized of any person in this Mtate, who wit! file
. the affidavit in the office of th * C eik of the Supe*
! nor Court of this (hist) county, and send a copy
to tbit" ffio-*, accompanied by ’he certificate of the
! t.lerk that ;r is a copy, ia which h“ shall swear,
i to the beat ot bis knowledge, to the number oi
j p< nods of sole lea'her, and ihe number of po md»
• upper leather, he has on band, or will be ab ! e
to worx out from hides u w :n tan, and that he
! will eeli said leather, or the shoes that he may
make of it, to the soldiers’ families and the poor
i of ms couniy, at oue dollar and ten tents per
pound for sole leather, and one dollar and seventy
live cents per pound for uppe- leather, and shoes
: at five dollars per pair lor grown persons, and in
» the same proportion for children ; and that he
will in good fa.tb make up all the balance not so
\ sold to customers in the county, and not con
tracted in g jod faith to the Confederate Govern
! rnent prior to the 25th day of November last, into
good, heavv, double*soled shoes, with two rows
jof pegs, varying in sizes from 7’s toll’s, inclu*
sive, and will deliver them to the nearest depot
; •>□ a railroad, in this State, boxed for shipment,
and send the receipt of shipment to this office,
and will accept for them six dollars and fifty cents
per pair ; then, and in that event, all the leather
b longing to «ucb persons who will make such
affidavit wfll be immediately released from seiz*
| ure upon the receipt of such copy affidavit”—
Where did tbe Goveinor get the authority to re*
qu.re tanners and shoemakers to sell leather and
sooesto the families of soldiers and the poor, at
the prices he has fixed? There is not a word
said in the preamble, or either set of resolutions,
about these classes of persons. There is certaicly
nothing in the prevision of the Constitution which
authorizes the seizure of private property for pub
lie use, that will furnish him his warrant.
It would require a most extraordinary twisting
of ihe constitutional grant to make out that seiz
ing goods for “public use,” i. e., tor the use of the
Government, means se z ng them to provide for
the wan»s of the poor. Whither are we drifting?
Has the good oia commonwealth o! Georgia al
ready been converted into a despotism to be ruled
by the arbitrary will of one man? The Czar of
Russia never issued a more despotic ukase, uor
has Abraham Lincoln, among all his gross as
sumptions of power, been guilty of a better
marked or mere clearly defined exerc:s<j of abso
lute authority- I use strong language—not strong
er, however, than is warranted bv a due regard
for truth—no* stronger than is prompted by a
de*ire to see our r'lrh**', a c a‘ree [ • "; j, p'e s erved
and perpetuated. If I were a ’inner, and were
disposed abjectly to accept tbe terms most gra
ciously and condescendingly proposed, I should
feel no little loss in attempting, in the progress
of my business, to comply with the terms of my
oath. I should be somewhat puzzled to decide
who are the “poor,” and should, perhaps, be com
pelled again to apply to headquarters to state
specifically how much, or rather how little, 9 man
must own, in order to constitute him one of the
Governor’s “poor.” I presume, further, that the
Governor meant for that somewhat indefinable
portion of oar citizens, embraced under the head
of the rich, to go barefoot. At least, he has not
taken tbeaa under his special guardianship, and
docs not seem particularly concerned as to whether
they shall be secure, quoad pad-s, against the
assaults of winter. Indeed, we may safely infer
this, a6 he specially requires tanners to disenmi*
nate, in dispensing their benefactions, in favor ot
the classes first named. It seems, iurther, that
he is somewhat partial in the exercise of his sym**
pathies, for he requires the tanner and shoe man*
utacturer to confine themselves in their sales to
the citizens ot tbeir own county. It there hap
pen to be a pretty good supply of leather in any
county, all well and good. If, on the other hand,
the supply is exceedingly scarce, then they must
wage war against Boreas as best they can. The
royal edict promises no hope of relief to them.
It, in the honest judgment of the Governor, the
time has arrived lor him to don the imperial pur*
pie, an humb'e cit'zen, (I beg pardon; perhaps
subject is the proper word,; would venture 10
suggest that, in the exercise of his kingly func
tions. it might be well for him to seek to'act ju3i«
ly. According to his own verdict, six dollars and
fifty cents is not too much for a good pair of armv
shoes, and yet by forcing tanners and shoemakers
to furnish shoes for the adult poor at five dollars
per pair, and smaller shoes at rates in proportion,
he levies a contribution, at the rate o! one dollar
and fifty cents per pair, upon these classes of
citizens, for every pair so furnished. Would it
not be well to divide out the burdens a little, and
require owners ot bank and railroad stock,’ ne
groes, real estate, and the various other kinds of
property to afford some assistance in those con*
tributioQF? It so strikes a plain, unsophisticated
ma j. It might le well, also, for him to consider
maturely, before leadmg the way in introducing
the low catchwords or radicalism, founded on
distinctions between the poor and ihe rich, and
thus arraying one class of citizens against an
other.
i History tells us that, from & simi’ar cause, blood
: has Sowed freely, the louodatioos of society have
been uoheaved, and, in some instances, the men
! who hare led in engendering such sinles, hare
; atoned for their error with their own heads. We
■ do not pretend to say that the Governor looks
forward to such thints, but it might be well for
' him to consider. The only remedy for all our
! evils, is for the Confederate Government, as has
been suggested by the Tresident in his late mes-
I sage, to adopt some wise measure of withdraw*
| ing from circulation as large an amount of our
! present currency as possible; and fortne people,
every man, woman and child of them, to go earn
estly to work rn producing us n*icb and as many
articles of necessity as cau be made in the coui>-
try. There are many croakers, who are states
men sufficient to criticise the measures recoin-,
mended by our Piesident and adopted by our
representatives, who are such consummate Gen
erals as to sit al home, without any knowledge of
the facts of the case, and pomt out the errors of
our military leaders in this or that particular
movement, and who then fill up the remainder
of their precious time, us censors general, abus
ing this neighbor or that, and viTTlTying one
class or another of the real producers, the busi
ness men of the country. Let this class begin to
examine themselves, cease to pry into the affairs
I of their neighbors, and go to work, might and
main, to accomplish something of real value.
' Let the Governor and the Legislature imitate
thtir example, and cease to meddle with that
which they do not understand, and attend to the
plain duties of their respective stations, and we
shall be a better, wiser, happier, and, in the end,
a more successful people. Invxsiigatob.
NORTHERN AND EUROPEAN NEWS.
I The Army and Navy Gazette says : “An end
| to the war, except in mutual ruin, we can
none. Those who speak of reducing the South to
' the state of San Dummgo, little real#e the niise*
ries and horrors which must befull the South if
her bleeding carcass lies unresistingly at the foot
of armed Abolitionism.”
The New York Herald, in speaking of mediation,
says “that, like misery, u makes strange bed -
fellbws. Jewett, Greeley, Vailandigham und Na*»
poleon are now laying iheir heads together to
accomplish a peace.”
The New York Tribune calls still for war until
the Ist May, and then, substantial success failing,
it will accept *‘the best attainable peace.”
The Washington telegraphic correspondent
states that there is the best authority for saving
that the statements that the Emperor of the French
j has made a renewed proposal ol mediation tq the
I British Government since the battle ol Frekericks*
j burg is entirely without truth. The unfriendly
interpretation put upon the Emperor’s remarks
' respecting the United States by u portion of the
: press, and the reports of conferences with Mr.
■ Slidell, are unjust and unfounded.
The New York Tribune says that Count Mercter
, denies that he has been a party to any scheme tor
! mediation or intervention, or that any proposal of
* the kind has ever been made to bum
The London correspondent of the Manchester
! Guardian writing on the subject of the emuncipn*
! tion proclamation, says be hears a very general
| expression of opinion that the first black outrage
win be the signal tor European intervention in
j the interests of humanity.
.Messrs. Bright and Scholefield had again been
! speaking in Birmingham in reference to belliger*
ent rights. Mr. Bright did not think anv change
could be made in the determination of the Paris
Congress. He questioned whether commercial
men desired peace in America. It would bring
ruin to many. He complained of Russell and
Gladstone, and bitterly denounced the London
Times for misleading the public on American
questions.
An influential deputation from th% Emancipa
tion Society waited on Minister Adams' on the
1 Gth, and presented resolutions sympathizing
with the Lincoln Government.
A famine is said to exist in Ireland. The
means of the small farmers were exhausted, la
borers unemployed, and the in
terests desperately distressed.
The Italian question hud assumed a new
phase. England had officially proposed to Pope
Pius 9th to leave Rome and reside at Malta.
The Pope declined the offer.
All the .Spanish ministry have resigned. O’Don
nell had formed a new Cabinet.
It is rumored Turkey is making warlike pre
parations.
The latest news from Mexico announces that
the French are reported as completely routed at
Acajete, and the defeat of General Berthier at Rio
Seen. The French are said to have slaughtered
: each other in a fog.
I Jalapa has been abandoned by the French, and
! the French expedition against Tampico had
| failed.
! Important to Louisiana Soldiers. —Among the
| acts passed at a recent extra session o t the Louipi*
| ana Legislature, was the following; “Au act to
appropriate fifty dollars and eighty acres of land
j to every soldier from this .S'ate in the State or
j Confederate service.”
VOL.. 16—No 6
i AFFAIRS it VICKSBURG.
from the bpecial Correspondence of Mobile Advertiser
ana Register,
._ . 3 Vicmboko, Jan. 30, 1563.
Affairs are gradually, but surely drawing to a
focus at Vicksburg. An enemy, numbering per*
hapj Kerenly-five thousand miserable Yankees
and Western Hessians, are naw ecamped in full
new of the city, and were it not for the interven
ing umber their operations might be daily and
fully seen from the city. But the Yankees are
sheltered behind the timber, and it is only
through open spots in the woods that they can be
seen. Ever since their first appearance there
they have been as busy as beavers in digging
out the canal and getting it into navigable cons
dition, and it is likely that their iabois may be
crowned with success.
The Mississippi is still increasing in volume
and is now nearly bank full, and the water «•
running rapid,y through the canal. Yesterday
the Yankees succeeded in getting a steamboat into
the canal, which was slowlv making its wav
through. From the slow progress it made it was
supposed by some to be a dredge beat eng ged
in cleaning out the mud and deepening the cutna
net But this is not likely, as a dredge would be
of but little use in a place like that, it is more
likely that it was a small class transport making
a trial trip. 6
Yesterday a large number of Yankees wereen.
gaged id prowling around the ruins of De Solo
Guy, immediately opposite Vicksburg, and so In.
soleut were they that they actually tired at our
citizens with their muskets. Os course the bails
fell harmlessly into the middle ol the river, but
the daripg and audheity of these fellows in quite
remarkable—to come up.under the guns of cur
batteries to take their ooservatious. Occasionally
some ol our guns, would send an iron messenger
among them; when they would make a hastv re
treat into the woods, but as soon as danger was
over would appear again.
It is strsnge that our-batteries don’t shell them
out of reach at least, because the presumption is
that a large force ot the Yankees is engaged in
erecting batteries in the timber, and these strag
glers are thrown forward as a blind, to engage
our attention, while the balance are left unmo
lested in putting up their works. If they should
be planting batteries opposite the city they will
be compelled to make an attack very soon, as the
high water wilt drive them out in two weeks if
□ot sooner.
It is not yet reliably ascertained whether Gan.
Grant’s army has arrived, bat trom the appear,
ance of the river, which indicates an enormous
fleet, extending some 14 miles up, it is supposed
that the reictorcemenis have arrived, though
they have not yet been landed. The number of
boats anchoped near their camping grounds is
daily increasing, and by to-morrow ihe entire
fleet may be in .sight. The gunboats have for
the past week been mainly employed as convoys
to the transports, and but few of them have been
within sight of the city
As soon as the canal’will admit of the passage
of the fleet of transpittg we may look lor a fight
here. It will be necessary for them to run some
of the iron Ciads past the city, iu order to protect
the transports at the mouth ot the canal. When
this attempt is made there will be some awful
work in the way of heavy cannonading. Our bat»
terms are ail ready and in fine working order,
waning for an opportunity to pitch into the guni
boats. If the l'ankees succeed in passing our
batteries they will prove themselves more invul
nerable th-n 8 generally supposed.
„ Oll3BBVA»l>».
The Vichsbnrg papers of Jan. SOtb, contain the
following items ,n relation to Yankee move*
men's:
The Yankees attempted to run the ferrv boat
down the river early yesterday morning,' hot a
few shots from a couple of oar guns near War-en«
ton, satisfied them that they could not go past
The boat returned to her mooring, but kept up
steam, and was moving about at intervals <lu: ne
the day. 6
The'enemy have at last got a boat into ;he
canal, destroying the prognostication* of the
“ wiseacres,’’ wno last summer declaied the canal
could Dever be made navigable, and that t was
useless to fill it up. A steamer, supposed to he a
dredge boat, was seen yesterday plviug up and
down the canal, and we suppose that a few days
more will suffice to make it navigable for the enea
my’s gunboats.
The Yankees visited DeSoto, yesterday, in large
numbers. Squads of them were walking about
the river bank all day. We noticed one on tbe
bank opposite tbe bayou, with a book in hand,
tuking sketches for some illustrated paper we
presume. Three others appeared to be maxing a
survey, but were disturbed by a visitor irom
Wbis lmg Dick, which shattered a large tree
where they were at work.
With tbe exception of new arrivals of irans*
ports from above, there has been no other n> ve
inent among the Yankees since yesterday. There
are now some twenty boats in the bend above,
aud the number is constantly increasing. Until
withio a day or two, most of the tranip in- that
could be seen were merely atoreslups, h i. bow
their number is being considers y augmenitd bv
the arrival of transports bringing trot ps.
Yesterday they were engaged it taking obser
vations ot the strength of our batteries and ibe
lay of he ground opposite the city, m denot f,,t
the purpose of ohtairing an eligible site to e'ect
some batteries opposite trie city. Durtug tht.r
reconm-ifsance they could not resist their natu
ral proper s ty tor stealing, and accordingly wt at
It. killing hogs, in sight of our batteries, but a
few shells sent over in that direction had the eis
feet of driving the pillagers into the w >ods.
Yesterday evening and this morning it has
been observed that a large fleet was in tbe river
above, and the smoke of the boats could be seen
extending up the river to a great distance. It
was also aupposed that some o( the gunboats
had gone up the Y azoo but we have no news
from that quarter yet, though firing is reported
to have beeu heard during the night in that di
rection .
This morning, everything was apparently auiet
along the lines of the enemv. The appearances
now indicate that General Grant’s army has ar
rived, or is very near at hand, and we may look
for active.hostilities in a few days. The river is
almost bank full, and the Y'ankees cannot stay
in the swamp much longer.
The Jackson Mississippian, speaking of tbe
situation, says;
it was generally conceded that the canal would
he so far a success as to permit the passage town
of the Federal transports, and that they would
do so unless counter preparations now going on
should successfully resist them. Getting hack
will be impossible, as the curreut in the cut off
will, it is -aid, be so rapid that a boat will be not
able to stem it.
£3?“ The Natchez iMiss.) Courier of the 27th
says that on last Thursday, the Federals, in push
ing out their cavalry force, came in contact with
; the Tensas Cavalry on Koundawav bayou. A short
| skirmi-h ensued, in which an Abolition Colonel
i (then acting Brigadier General,) was killed, acd
; on his person were found important papers
| Others were surposed to be killed and wounded.
Tbe Whevt Prospect. —Tbe Rome Southerner
, says tbe wheat crop is very promising. An un
usual qnantry of ’and has been sown, and unless
| it ston'd he visited by some calamity Jiereaft-"-
j the rrip in this -eg’cn will be immeq^,