Staunton Spectator

The Merchant occupies an intermediate place in society between the producer and the consumer. He is the agent of both. A high and honorable position this, not only because of its responsibility, but also because of the confidence necessarily placed in his honesty. If faithful to his trust, he will be respected and honored; if not, he will recieve [sic] the reward of all unfaithfulness, the distrust and contempt of all.

It is not the function of the Merchant to make his fee--to get his profit. The fee is only the first payment of the labor he expends in providing for the wants of the consumer. It is his function--a function to be performed irrespective of fee or for quite the contrary of fee--to thoroughly understand the qualities of the things in which he deals, and to apply all his sagacity & energy in obtaining them in their purest forms and distributing them at the cheapest price possible, where most needed. This is his bounden [sic] duty, and it is his duty, too, to suffer any loss--to welcome poverty and even death itself--rather than provide that which is impure or adulterated or at exorbitant prices. Does it ever occur to our merchants why it is that they, as a class, are not respected and honored as the men of other professions are respected and honored? The clergyman, the lawyer and the physician are all more respected and honored than the merchant. It cannot be because of the superior or mental qualities requisite to the successful pursuit of these professions. For there is as much energy, tact, foresight, decision and other mental qualities required for the successful management of mercantile operations, as are expected in the members of the other so-called "liberal" professions.

This public estimate of honor must be deeper than in the measurement of their several powers of mind.

The truth is, the respect we pay to the soldier, the lawyer, the physician and the clergyman is founded ultimately in their self-sacrifice. The world honors the soldier, because he holds his life at the service of the State; the lawyer because of its tacit conviction that in all important acts of his life, justice is first with him, his own interest second; the physician, because of his persuasion, that to alleviate the suffering and save the life of the sick is his first object; the clergyman, because it firmly believes he seeks, above all things else, man's welfare for time and eternity. And the merchant the world does nor honor, because he is presumed to act selfishly. The public believe that his whole object in his dealing is to get as much for himself and leave as little for his neighbor as possible. The same public, that loudly declares, as the law of the universe, that it is the buyers function to cheapen and the sellers to cheat--do involuntarily condemn the man of commerce for his compliance with their own rule. And this is the reason, that the land echoes with anathemas pronounced against speculators. Bring speculation to the best of the commonly recieved [sic] laws of trade, and it appears all right and proper. Nevertheless the very men who recieve [sic] these laws of trade for laws of the universe, condemn speculation. It is not right to buy as cheap as possible, and sell as dear as possible, because such a rule ignores all affection--that which we owe to our neighbor--and is therefore a rule commending injustice. The man who hides or stores away in his barns or cellars those things which are necessary to the being and well being of society until his neighbors are starved into paying the highest possible price, is an unjust man, a cheat richly deserving the contempt of all. This robbing the poor, because he is poor, is especially the mercantile form of theft, consisting of taking advantage of a man's necessities to obtain his labor or property at a reduced price.

"He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches shall surely come to want." "Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the place of business. For God shall spoil the soul of those that spoiled them."

W.

I would like to talk an hour with each of you, but as that can't be, I address you thus:

You are all busily in engaged in preparing your Spring crops. This is right, and I urge you to the most strenuous exertions to raise to the full extent of your means, grains, hay, and vegetables. There is but one serious obstacle in your way, and that is the possible interference with your farming operations by the public army during the early Spring months. I think there are well founded apprehensions that this great Valley will be subjected to plundering raids before and in corn-planting time. If the enemy comes he will seek to destroy your farming operations and resources by stealing your horses, burning your implements, and kidnapping your negroes. All this can be prevented, and I think will be, by the presence of an adequate force for your protection, provided it can be subsisted in your midst. As regards ample provision for the men I have no apprehensions, but the defence of this Valley requires a large cavalry force, and to maintain it the horses must be fed. I know that the Valley people have, this Winter, furnished an enormous amount of army supplies, and that there is a general scarcity of grain and long forage; but, I believe, there is still a sufficiency to carry your stock safely through the Winter on diminished allowance and to spare enough by a little close economy to support the Valley troops. In sixty days from this time your cattle, sheep and colts can live on grass, and in ninety days your horses can do the same, and so can ours. It is of the utmost importance to you and the country that the Yankees shall be kept from plundering you during these sixty or ninety days. That can hardly be expected to be done unless you can feed the cavalry and artillery horses. We cannot haul feed from the upper country, 75 or 100 miles, to feed our horses when on duty to the front. I might possibly obtain a supply by sending my Quartermasters to your barns and cribs with orders to take whatever they might find; but if this is done you will think yourselves outraged in many instances. The Quartermasters will be cursed and I shall be denounced. If on the other hand supplies cannot be had at all, and the troops are obliged to fall back on that account, and the Yankees ride over your country, stealing and plundering as they go, and living off the very supplies we could not get, I shall be cursed from one end of the Valley to the other for falling in my duty, and the Government will be blamed for an alleged indifference to your safety and welfare. Now I don't want to send impressing officers to barns and corn-cribs, to your hay mows and garrets, for it is the most unpleasant task I ever have to perform, nor do I intend to fall back too far to afford protection, unless I am ordered to do so, or forced by dire necessity. To meet the whole difficulty and surmount it, I think you have but to act in concert, and promptly. I have a plan to submit to you, and beg that you earnestly consider it. It is this--in each neighborhood let some energetic patriotic man immediately mount his horse and see his neighbors, and ascertain from each one, on a close calculation of his wants for the next 90 days, how many pounds of hay he can spare--how many shocks of fodder he can let go, and how many bushels of corn or oats he can dispose of. If he can't spare a ton, perhaps he can a half a ton of hay or fodder, or if that would run him too close, he would hardly miss 500 pounds. In the same way try his corn. No one has a moral right to hold on to 6 or 9 months provisions. He must trust in Providence and the seasons for a good harvest, and have faith in the army and our cause, and show his faith by "pinching" a little. Let the names of all who can spare us a little be sent to me by the 19th of March, with a statement of what they can furnish, and I will send the money and a wagon to each house to pay for and collect it. If a wagon can't be loaded at one house it may at two or three, and the aggregate, I am sure, will supply our wants. Thus imprecaments will be unnecessary--good feeling will be preserved and promoted--the troops will be sustained--the farmers and our wives and children, I hope, will be protected, and, with the blessings of Providence, our armies, which are never low-spirited or desponding, will, I firmly believe, this year, drive the dastardly and hated invader beyond our borders, and establish our future peace and maintain our present independence. The distinct proposition I have submitted may seem to many a small affair, but I assure you it is a most important one, and affects you more nearly, perhaps, than you are aware. I consider no matter too small for the earnest consideration of any man, which contributes to our success. An acre of cabbage is of more real value to us now than would be a ship load of the richest spices of India. I would rather see a spare load of hay in one of your barns than a rosewood Chickering piano in your parlor, and would rather be invited to send for 20 shocks of corn than to attend, at one of your houses, the most sumptuous entertainment of even the halcyon days of peace. "A little here and a little there" will furnish all I need. Then, again, I appeal to you, as your fellow-citizen, to rid your country in the manner proposed. If you cannot see each other during the week, confer together on Sunday at church. It surely cannot be a desecration of the most holy day and place to help forward a cause so sacred as that we are fighting for.

J. D. IMBODEN, Brig. Gen'l,
Comd'g Valley District.

HEADQ'RS 25th VA. REGT.,
Feb. 16th, 1864

I have been requested by the men of this regiment, to tender their grateful acknowledgements to the ladies of Staunton for a package of cloth socks and gloves--36 pairs of socks and 22 pairs of gloves. They were received a short time since, and many of the men being destitute of socks suffered from the exceedingly cold weather, or were excused from duty for want of this necessary article of clothing, thus leaving the duty, to be performed by those better provided, much harder than it ought to have been. But owing to the timely arrival of this package the men were rendered comfortable for the time, and to-morrow when the regiment goes on picket all will be able to go.

The ladies may think they cannot do much to advance the interests of our cause, and may feel discouraged at times in regard to their efforts; if so, they know not how much their labors contribute to the preservation of the health and efficiency of the army, and do not realize how highly their efforts are valued by the officers and men. A soldier that has warm socks is not particular whether they are yarn or cloth; and moreover his health is preserved during the Winter and he is ready for the earliest Spring campaign.

I regret that those who so kindly donated these articles could not be present when they were distributed, that they might have heard the expressions of gratitude used by the thankful recipients.

R.D. Lilley,
Lt. Col. Commanding 25th Va. Regt.

With the early Spring, there comes a duty to those out of the army, as well as to the gallant defenders of the country. That duty is diligent labor to raise supplies of food for man and beasts. Let there be early and late planting of corn, taking the chances of all seasons; plant large supplies of vegetables; give the ground all kinds of seeds, and then strain every effort to make the most out of mother earth. This is the duty of those out of the army--a duty second only in importance to that of the army. Well performed by every farmer, an enemy more dangerous than those commanded by Meade and Grant will be defeated, and the overthrow of Lincoln's hireling soldiery no longer a matter of doubt.--Enquirer.