Daily Nashville union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1862, 1862-05-20
The COmprOmiSers at washington.

The Compromisers are busily employed
at their great work in Washington, and
will probably present their bantling to
Congress in a short time. While the
Osopye of the Union are awake to the
Grand questions of the day, and the
armies of the Union are going on from
triumph TO triumph, and the enemies of
the Union stand on the verge of
inter defeat, we hear feeble cry COM
ing from men who are not of this age and
do not comprehend its momentous
issues, and are not qualified to direct
its progress" Don't be radical. You
must be conservative, or the country is
ruinedi =" Now conservatism is an adj
nirable thing, and not only 80 but essen
tiaI to the existence of every government,
and so far as the word signifies the pre-
ssyvatiOa of what is good we are conserv-
alive. And so far on the other hand as
radical means uprooting and destroying
what is good, we are anti-rsdical. But
we have heard this cry Of Conservatism
and radicalism too long not to know that
The first term is often used 10 express that
which obstructs the path of human pro-
gress, while radicalism is an epithet used
TO brand that course of action which is
prompt, bold and decisive. When man
lacks moral courage TO strike like hero,
he steps timidly back from the scene of
danger and calls himself conservative,
and such a man is sure to call his indie
pendent, bold and energetic neighbOr,
who fixes his eye upon one great and he
roic purpose and let's collaterals and
minor consequences take care of them
selves, a radical.
Well, what are these Congressional con-
seryatives aiming at in their efforts TO
compromise? Divested of an immense
cloud and fog of verbiage and threadbare
common places, they virtually tell this
great nation now lighting for its life
against the most wicked and Desperate
and reckless rebels the world ever beheld'
You must fight your battles tenderly and
with great regard for the welfare of your
erring brethren. When you fire your
cannon touch ttsna of easy"
You must be vigilant in protecting the
property of rebels, for If in marching
through district where the people are
trying to poison and assassinate your
soldiers, slave should accidently run off,
il might sour some traitor against the
Government.
On no account hold leading rebels in
custody, but if you do, liOnize them and
feed them high at first-class hotels.
The first grand requisite is for our
army TO protect rebel property, espeCi-
ally negro property, and rather than this
should not be done, let the Constitution
and the Union perish!
This is fair statement of the creed
which old political fossils are trying to
force upon this nation. The army Of the
republic is to be fettered and disarmed in
the flush of success and made subservi
ent TO the whims of a clique of cOmprO-
misers, who seem more anxious TO secure
the reinstatement of the rebel leaders in
their former political power than TO re.
deem a struggling nation. If such dis
sstrous cOunsels prevail we may expect
to see Davis, Stephens, Wigfall and
Floyd in Washington before many
months, again uttering their treason
boldly and defanty in the ears of the
National Council.
We utterly repudiate such mischieyous
heresies. They are fraught with nothing
but mischief and disaster. If the COM
promisers carry through their plans, trea-
son, far from being destroyed, will pause
only while it takes a breathing spell and
gathers fresh strength to renew its at
tack upon the Union. We shall have
troubled sleep for a few months until
Cancellation has given over the chief posts
Of honor and profit TO the arch-rebels.
And then when treason has done its
worst" the clangOr Of the FIRE bells, The
glare of general conhagration, the crash
OF topping buildings, and the shrek of
mortal agony will again awake us TO a
drama tenfold more dark, and bloody
and horrible than that now being enact
ed. We shudder as we now contemplate
the picture. There is but one way TO
destroy this hellish rebellion. We must