The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-08-26
AmnestIcs ana IssstoratIon--

AmnestIcs ana Isestoration-
This war for the preservation Of the
Government will have been fought in
vain If the pernioious counsels given in
some quarters are 10 prevail at its close
Is the con6scation act to 90 for naught
and an amnesty to be the anal reward OF
the rebel leaders? This is the position
advocated In some circles. Sincerely
taken, and held with good intention,
doubtless, but effective for mischief only.
To waive all circumlocution, we ask can
any man reconcile 10 with his views OF
justice, that he failure of the crime shall
clear he criminals The amnesty propos-
ed by some hyper-compassionate men
for the conspirators, who have been the
authors Of more human suffering and
anguish, than any other set of despera.
does in modern times, means this and
nothing more. Gov. Harris, who stole
the School Fund of Tennessee, sold the
State TO the Confederacy, and introduced
the reign Of vigilance committees among
our people, is TO receive an amnesty, be-
cause he failed in his atrocious co nspira.
cyl We wonder how many of the Union
men of Nashville would have received
an amnesty, and how many Sophisticated
northern debts would have been paid, had
his plot succeeded. Kirby Smith and his
minions who turned Indian savages loose
upon the Unionists of East Tennessee,
and his successors who have shot down
the loyal mountaineers in the woods, and
stripped their wives and daughters max.
cd while ct work in the fields, IN order,
as they pretended, to find Union men in
disguise, these outlaws are to be white
washed by an amnesty, and turned loose
scot free, on the community. What
would these tormentors and prosecutors
ofloyal men and women have done had
they been the Victors? Would they
have proclaimed an amnesty for all the
refugees of the mountains, and restored
their confscated property? If traitors
are to be thus mildly dealt with why
punish any crime at all? Why punish
, burglaries, arson, thefts and rape with
confinement In the pehiteniary? Why
condemn murderers to death and execute
them on the gallows? II treason be not
crime, then strike the word crime from
the lexicon If traitor be not the gre at
est of all criminals, and the southern
rebel leaders, the greatest Of all traitors,
then let felons be honored with an apa-
theosis, and let us cannonize the names
enrolled on the Newgate calender. And
We are advised not TO conflsoate the
goods of rebels Here is one rebel in
Nashville, who gives his whole estate,
worth S5,000000 TO the southern Conled-
erscy, and another, worth $500 600, who
offers his estate likewise and boasts that
100000 have passed through his hands
for the benefit of the rebel cause. The
wickedness of these men has broken up
hundreds Of families in Nashville, and
Davidson county; has made multitudes
OF widows and orphans, who having lost
their supporters, now depend upon chart.
ty;--has bankrupted hundreds of honest
men, and helped largely to ruin the
State yet certain humane, tender-heart-
cd, charitable gentlemen, who re main.
ed at the revengsful spirit of radical
ism, are Tor letting such men as Overt, n
and Harding go scot free---poor Gellowsl
such gentlemanly, clever men land tel
ling their unhappy victims, whose pierre
ing cries ascend to the very heavens, to
take care Of themselvesl God preserve
us from such l0nieney, aud compassion,
which shields the wealthy criminal, and
kicks his poor victim from the door. Oh,
mercy, what crimes are committed in
thy name The loyal people of Tennes-
see will repudiato ell such mistaken
mercy.