The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-08-13

~ ri
tary fact, We might content ourselves
With a simple dcnial that such would
have been The fact. Boz It the editor
Of the Journal had taken pains 70 inform
himself Of the facts, Ne nigh, hsye
known that long before the passage Of
these radical ac,a,' the rebel leaders
and newspapers repudiated The idea Of
reconstruction with The utmost soorn. lie
might have known that from The begin
ming the rebels have prsctisod all sorts
Of barhMities upon our soldiers who fell
into tbeir hands, and declared that they
would be exterminaied rather than re-
turn TO the Union, lie might haze SEEN
that tbs most disgusting aud Insulting
manifestation Of treason have been made
in those places where our troops have
treated secessionists with the greatest
indulgence, lie might have learned that
secession Ism, instead Of being an error Of
judgment, which may BIO corrected by
reason, is a Wild frenzy which can beman-
aged by force only. Force aud fear
dragged the reyolted States into the re-
bellion, and force aud fear only eaR con-
troll the arch. conspirators of the Confed-
eracy. Tt is absurd to say, that This
measure Of Congress viii increase, or
that that one will diminish the force Of
the rebellion. The rebellion is not a
thing to be retarded or impelled by words
and resolutions; its impulses are received
from events only. When is leaders use
such language IA they have done since
the fall Of Fort Sumter, and its armies
are filed by universal CONSUMPTION, we
waste invaluable time when we rely on
anything but our armies 10 disperse
theirs. While we waste our breath in
entrcaties these m~araudcrs will scour The
Border States, surprise aud cut TO pieces
small detachments Of troops, and menace
the towns on the North bank ofthe Ohio.
If the editor of the JJUtnal were in com
mand Of n force in the onemy's country,
he would pursue a humane policy, well
adapted, in his judgment, to conciiiSte
his misguided Southern Brethren and
win them from their irregular opposi-
ton" lie would pass ayowed rebels in
and out Of his lines, pay them big prices
for provisions, aud suffer his men TO live
on half r%ations, as Gen. BUELL. does, rath-
er than subsist on the enemy. In return
for this his rebel friends would damn him
behind his back, for a h~ircling LINCOLN
lite, aud every few days the guard, placed
by our military editor TO protect rebel
property from the d%epredations Of his
soldiers, would be shot az by BUSH
whackers. AZ the end Of three or six
months he would lind that the rebels al
most universally attributed his clemency
TO fear aud avowed their treason more Of
fensiyely than before. This is what has
happened along Gen. BUEId's march, and
is a picture to be seen By him only who
is Sin the immediate scenes Of The war;
and lin The midst OF tontendiog forces
although not likely to be regarded as pro-
bablr by the editor Of New York paper,
who safely housed hundreds Of miles from
the theater of war, .complacently con
graduates himself on writing " clear
and indisputable arguments" which "no
paper in the United States will attempt
to meet by argument Perhaps the
radical press have failed to see the
logic Of the arguments prevented by our
contemporary, and have not chosen to
discharge heavy ordnance TO demOli,h a
cobwcb. The articles Of the USIoE have
been widely quoted, not only by the
Republican, but by the Democrat, aud ncu
trail press, we venture 10 affirm, because
their tone was loyal, and their PROPOSE.
tons Of that plain aud obvious charac'
ter which meets the approval Of The pop
ular mind. We recognized the fact HAT
We were involved in a bloody war
in which or national existence wa in
volved, aud which could mother be al
gued nor compromised away, but m.ist
be settled by tho arm of force aud the
decision Of The sword. The rebels were
waging war in earnest, aud We chose Ia
meet them on their own grooud.
Ia the second extract from our article
as quoted by the Joaya1l a misprint oc-
ours which pcrvcrts the meaning Of the
passage. We wrote: "!nsteNd Of deiy-
ing them The exercise Nc,' and not de
stroyiug," as BE Jograal has it. But The
Journal it appears, denies that traitors
forfeit any rights under the Constitution;
il regards a rebel hushWhacker aiming
his gun At General McCoOR lying in his
ambulance, as having equal claim with
that lamcuted chief 10 the protection Of
tho Constitution. Ia il not more proba-
BILE that such a proposition, which is re-
puguant to the sense Of all men, rs well
as TO alllaw will bc more likely to en-
courage the rebels, than the passage of a
coniiscation act, or "a speech from a radi-
cal Senator? The i~nsinuation Of the
Journal that We who live ia Nashville,
are unable tosce Why the Constitution is
worth anything in any part Of the coun-
try" Is wholly gratuitous, and beneath
the character Of a candid and dignihed
newspaper. We have never written any
thing which can ne t,rtured int, tho