The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-06-22

VIC appear VI OtH' AIollCOh III D'Hdll VI Nne
suffering families of rebel soldiers says.
We may safely assert that the men of
St. Louis in the act here noticed have
achieved the 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 steeled by
hate, will find it hard to strike another
blow.
We have no doubt that this act will
bring forth abundant good And yet we
greatly fear that the generous belief ex-
pressed in the last sentence Of the para 70
graph quoted, will bring forth an equal
ly abundant harvest of evil We have
watched carefully in Southern Kentucky,
in Northern Kentucky, and in Tcnncs-
see TO see how far the velvet policy
would avail in subduing the rebellion,
Disposed by nature TO rlue by kindness
rather than by force, and to persuade
rather than to menace, we have ever
hoped that our own anticipation would
not be realized and that the gentle policy
would prove to be the proper one. Our
observation satisfies US fully that it will
only emboIden them to defy the loyal
people and to resist their authority TO
the utmost He who hopes to tame bit
ter rebels by charity, by indulgence, and
by honied expostulations excites our
establishment at his ignorance of human
nature as much as he wins our ad-
miration for his humanity. OF course
in these remarks we do not mean TO dis
courage such magnanimOus charity
as the journal refers to in the
instance given. We would do all
to encourage and increase this humane
treatment of the suffering poor. 1t is
noble and magnanimous. At the same
time we fully believe that the hearts Of
nearly all the prominent rebels are
"steeled by hate"-yes they are harder
than adamant itself Dark and fierce
and malignant passions rage within them
like those flames of
"Ever burning sulpher uncousumod,"
that make darkness visible in the regions
of the damned. We have thrown grass
long enough; we have pattcd violent
rebels with velvet gloves long enough
too long, we fear, for the welfare of the
nation. If persisted in, it will cost the
country thousands of valuable loval
lives and hundreds of millions of money.
To hope that the hearts of active rebels
will not be "steeled by hate" or that
lenicncy will make it hard for them to
strike another blow, is as little likely to
be blessed with realization as it would
be to hope to gather "grapcs from thorns
and figs from thistles" Why, look at
the rewards offered in Southern papers
for the assassination of Federal officers.
Read the following plea for assassination
from the Richmond Dispatch
Assassination in the abstract is horrid
crime, and so is every kind of killing;
but to Stay tyrant is no more assassi-
nation than war is murder. Who speaks
If Brutus as an assassin What Yankee
ever condemned the Roundhead crew who
brought Charles |, to the block, although
t would be n cruel libel to compare him
or personally to the tyrants
who are now lording it over the South e?
When Fremont hangs Virginia citizcus
or defending their country, either singly
n i'll bands of ten or a dozen, either as
suerillas, militia or regular soldiers, not
'nly should two Yankees be hung. but a
,lan should be found by which the life Of |
fremont itself should be made the atone !
nent even if it require twenty years to
accomplish il. Two or three |
DOL, sagaciOus and determined men-the |
ever the Lctter-ought to be put upon |
he track of every such villain, and under
very disguise, amidst every obstacle, |
nd no matter how many months or years
may require, shonld follow him up till
hey have inflicted upon him the same
ate ne has brought upon others.
Yes, thousands of them are ready to
iep from treason to assassination; and
ne policy Of the Government, in many
lstanccs, and the arguments of too many
'yal Congressman and journalists, is
ctually emboldening the rebels to
lis horrid practice, borrowed from the
jcarH of Venice and the skullS-
e cut-throats Of Madrid. Unless we
lange our treatment Of avowcd
nd malignant rebels assassination will
ION become more frequent than gucr-
la raids, just so long as loyal editors
influence argue for the Constitutional
ghts Of rebels, and protest against the
gality Of any measure that will Grip
e the resources of the rebels, and con-
nd that after the close Of the war the
'litical and personal rights of active
bells will exist just as they did before
c beginning of the rebellion, and that
c rights Of war and the rights of SOW
eighty cannot co-oXist as one Of our
contends, Just so long
Ill the virus of rebellion spread itself
ID, become more deadly and perhaps
lally ineradicable, II seems to us that
ch reasoning experimenting with the
ry life Of the nation. We cannot stop
chop logic and parley about the Con-
.tuHonal. rights of traitors, who have
lr hundred thousand men in arms
ainst us, who murder our people by
errilla raids, who threaten TO assassin ]
q our officers, and who imprison, inn
ess. ham,, and exile lnYal nnnnln and