, 1862-07-04

lF7on the Nashville (Tenn) Union.
The Louisville Joufnul speaking of the ra-
spouse Of The citizens Of ST. Louis TO the ap-
peal Of Ten. Halleck in behalf Of the suffering
ta3,!ss aeI, Of rensl f, soldiers, s3ys: {
Louis III the act here noticed, have achieved
tile most splendid victory Of the war, and, We
may hope, one pregnant with good. The
Southern rebel who hears Of it, unless his
heart is steelcd by hate, will 1lud it hard to
strike arotheT blow.n
We have no doubt that this act will bring
forth abundant good. And yet We greatly fear
that thu generous belief expressed in the last
sentence Of the paragraph quoted, will bring
forth an equally abundant harvest Of evil.
We have watched carefully in Southern Ken
STE, 10 see how f4r the velvet policy would
avail in eubduiug the rebellion. Disposed by
nature to rule BY Kindness rather than by
force, and to persuade rather than to menace,
VT have ever hoped that our o"n antcipa-
tlon would not be realized, and that the gentle
policy would prove to lie the proper one.
Our observation satisfies Ills fully that it will
only embolden them to defy the loyal people,
aud tn resist their authority to the utmost.
H who hopes to tame bitter rebels by chari-
ty, by indulgence, and by honied eypostula-
tions, exctes our astonishment at his ignor-
ancc Of human nature as much as he wins our
admiration for his humanity. We fully believe
that the hearts Of nearly all the prominent
rebels are "stccicd BY hate YES, they are
harder than adamant itself. Dark and hercc
and malignant passionR rage within them, like
thtsc flames OF
''Eytt burning sulphur unconsnmed,''
that make - darkness visible ~ in the regions
Of the damned. We have thrown grass long
enough; VIC have patted violent rebels with
velvet gloves long enough-too long, We fear,
| Tor the wcifarc Of the nation. If persisted i'll,
| il will cost tie nation thousands of valuable
~
To hope that the hearts Of active rebels will
not be- steelcd By hate,' or that 1eniency Will
make it harder for them to strike another blow,
is ss little likely to be blessed with realization
as it would be to hope to gather :, grapes
look at the r.wards offered in Southern papers
| for the assassination Of federal officers.
Thousands Of them are ready to step from
treason to ssasslnation; cnd the policy Of the
government, in many instances, and the ar
journalists, is actually e1nbo1dening the reb IL
to this horTid practice, borrowed from tht
S:caaii Of Y enice, and the skulkiug cut-throats
Of Madrid. Unless we change our treatmeu
Of avewed and malignant rebels, assassination
will soon become more frequent than guerrilla
raids. dust SO long IS loyal editors Of infiu
ence argue for the constitutional rights o
rebels, and protest against the legality Of an,
| measure that will cripple the resources ct th
rebels, and contend that after. the close Of tb
WAT the political and personal rights Of activ
rebels will exist just as they did before the be
ginning Of the rebellion, aud that the rights q
VET and the rights Of sovereignty cannot &C
exist, as one OF our contemporaries contends
justso long will the virus Of rebellion spres
itself, and become more deadly and perhap
finally ineradicablc. It seems TO US that sue
| reasoning is experimenting with the very lii
Of the nation. We cannot stop to chop logl
and parley about the constitutional rights (
traitors, who have four hundred thousand me
in arms against us, who murder our people b
| guerrilla Taids, who threaten to assassinate on
officers, and Who imp1ison, impress, hang
and exile loyal people, and coniscate the
effects without hesitation. This War Toul
hxye been ended months ago had we put fort
half the energy and severity displayed by th
rebels.