The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1861-05-01
Flnrrv About Reprisals.

arnroept of the confederate States. They have
memorialised Lincoln to issue his proclamation decar
ing all persons accepting such commissions pateS 10
be dealt with as such.
10 be dealt with when taken itshoud be saidbut
# is Dresumptuous noticn of those north that to de-
clare us rebels is at the same me to make US sueh;
and to utter decree of condemnation for piracy against
the legitimate uses of Defence IS equivalent to arrest
and the sure forerunner OF execution 1t scarcely en-
tiers into their negotiations that the south will not sub
NIT to sucl arbitrary and bloody expostons OF public
law and assume of course that it will dYest Itself
at once of the weapons with which the customs OF the
world and the universal laws of sef-protectlon arm
them against the of determination which these
frightened ship owners are lmplorlnS Lincoln 10 pro-
claim upon US.
Il is quite a stretch of charity to suppose, for the
Instant that those puffy and pursy old gentlemen have
become bloody minded ON sudden only from panic.
1t has not been their habit to be demOnsrave ex-
cept when some interest affected and they must have
been deenly stung now They have not been sensitive,
or indeed impressble when questions however great
but simply of right of liberty and good government
are concerned Its when their bags are touched
that they start herocs open their pocket books with
spasmodc haste to hire others fight for Them and
mportune the government to be savage and merciess
Like crazy Lear they want to KILL KILL kill They were
complacenty still, tenderly expostuative only when
Lincoln was organising his plans to harry commerce
and blockade coast. They could, indeed, come out
from their palaces after dinner and shy up their beavers
as orators vented their spread eagle gorhcaon over
the Union andencouaged reckless executive to assert
supremacy over the rights of free people, and to sup
press all opposition his will by force. And having
done this good easy men, they could go back to their
stuff chairs and sleep behind embroidered handker
chiefs in the complacent thought that they had put
down rebellion, and saved Union which was so prof.
table to them at little cost of money and gas They
seem to have been totally nsensible to egrand ques
ton of right and freedom which the contest involves
and to have gagged by countnghouse rule of profit
! and loss Repubcanism bad thing so long as 1t
disturbed trade but thing is that which dis
turbs trade the more and the one thing objectionable
is that which resistS tyranny any which endangers
the money bags of New York. 1t surprise, there
fore as well shock, when they unpleasantly
awakened from the dream of southern submission by
the shrill blast of defiance from the south, returning
! threat with blow, and menacing every war measure
with sharp and sudden retribuOn. 1t must have been
under the sudden effects of such a surprise, and the
fright consequent upon visions of the damages to their
ships and property scattered all the ocean, that
these hurried together to demand of the govern
ment the extraordinary declaration that measures OF
directed by the southern government against its
enemies, should be denounced as piracy, and all who
engage in it be proclaimed and punished pirates.
! Do they understand what this imports? what sort of
welfare it proclams? the extent of their principle and
We choose to think that they do not
II they do they have ceased to be Americans and chris
tians become savages excited by brute instincts
| to the ferocity of brutes
| The employment of privateers is one of the egiti-
mate and wel-recognised means by which nations en-
gagged war provide for their offences byassaing
The commerce of their enemy 1t is suppressed in
Europe by leading maritime powers, by conventional
agreements, in force among themselves only. The
United States parties to the agreement, but on
the contrary peremptoy refused to assent to the propo
stion, and held on to the practice eminently
proper for nation to use which, without naval estab
lisments is assaed by another which is its superior in
that respect.
Privateering is therefore an established American
practice Of the usual and most expedient
ures for purposes OF
No extraordinary steps therefore be taken by the
government at Washington to apply to the practice of
priyateerng under the confederate flag any exceptional
rules not applicable alike to all other measures taken in
the nature OF To make confederate pryateers
pirates, and hang the prraeersmen, is more lawful
under the usages of war than to make every conede
rate soldier traitor and rebel and hang shoot him
such wherever taken. Privateeriug the sea is
just as legitimate as soldering on and and whatever
character is assigned for responsibility and punishment
applies to Jefferson Davis, Gen. Beauregard and Gen
Bragg fully as to any captain who cruises under the
same flag and by authority Of the same government.
When, therefore, Abraham Lincoln shall decree that
the lawfully authorised naval service of these conlede
States shall be excluded from the privileges of lawful
combaants and its sailors be strung up as pirates
will be proclamation that none of the humantes of
warfare to be observed with the contumacous States
but that they are in all their departments territories
and PERSONS to be hunted outlaws, whoseves are at
his mercy
We forbear dwell upon the infinite and ndescriba
bic horrors Of such warfare the nupal reprisas and
the necessity of retaating conscation for cons
cation slaughter for slaughter and measuring for
man. in order recall the federal authorities from bar
barrie practices to the of humanity and civil
sation
When these New York men of money and ships shall
have thought little while the real character of
the bloody DEGREES they calling for SO loudly it is
hardly rational expect that viii not modify their
1y, rubn
money will be made by introducing into the wars of the
country the devastating horrors of La Yendee
There ought to be no war at all There never was
utterly without orevolting to reason
justice civsaton and christianity this will be- if the
north persists wagng for the purpose of subduing
to its purposes the territory and the will Of unanimous
and resoue people, which has only asked for the right
of choosing their own government. To accomplish
that subugation Is impossible These States would be
easily obterated from existence than forced into
the same government with their invaders They are
more likely to receive them, with sbloodv hands and
hospitabe graves The men ofcommerce at the north
the men OF peace and the men of religion, have but
line of conduct before them in order avert innu-
merable caamtes, which under any fortune must in
volve themselyes. They musstop this war by conced-
ing peacefully what the longest and boodest war must
at last recognisethat this government of ours indie
pendent and that theirs accommodate itself to the
inevitable fact.
If they have not power enough to quench the appetite
must at least curb the ferociy of the passions which
would make for independence in republican Amer
ca sad and disgracefu reproduction of the Jacobn
saturnala of France Standing on our solemn defences
of own hearths and homes must saw with clear
consciences, if these things must come that we are
innocent IN O. Picayune |
THE SHOE TRADE.-We have noted a very signif-
cant paragraph from Philadelphia in the Shoe and
Leather Reporter Of March 21st: "a few invoices of
shoes for Mississippi and Alabama have been sent to
Memphis and other border towns whence they can be
carried into the seeding States as the buyers affirm
without paving duty We think it would be expe-
dent for the papers which circulate most freely in the
border counties to call the attention of the people of
those counties to the determination on the part of these
aboitionsts and their emissaries to continue their
poilation on the SOUTH In the old Union thew acted
under color of law passed by strictly sectional major
ty in the new order of things which the south has in
augurated, they purpose acting in defiance of law and
to plumber by fraud when they can no longer plumber
by right We annex statement which shows that dur
ing the last quarter have purchased S77l 800 90
worth of shoes, paying tribute that extent to the
cherished strong holds of abolitiondom {
Shipments of boots and shoes from Boston to the
Confederate States during the Quarter endnr Al ST