The New York herald., 1864-11-30
The Rebel Incsndfary Press IN new
York City.

York City.
1t IS one Of the most extraordinary features
Of this extraordinary war that we should have
a regular rebel press In this loyal metropolis OF
the country. Since the rebels began their
attack upon this government by setting fire to
Fort Sumter and robbiug the Custom House at
New Orleans, they have never wanted apollo
gists and defenders here at the North. Day
after day the rebel press Of this city has exten-
uated their vices and given them unbounded
credit for virtues which they have never pos
sessed. The greater were the outrages and
barbarities Of the rebels, the louder were the
peans of admiration from the ircendiary press.
Our victories were tortured into defeats, our
defeats magnified into final disasters, while the
rebels were spoken Of as constant victors, and
lauded to the skies as miracles Of merit, cour-
age and endurance.
When the rebel press Of this city had fairly
wearied out the patience Of the people. II was
partially suppressed. To cay that every one
pie and evident fact; but still there were
doubts az to the legality and judiciousness of
such movement Everybody would rejoice
to see murderer hung; but still all Law abid-
ing citizens would object to see him dangle
from lamppost without legal trial. Upon
this principle the government was induced to
relax its severity towards the incendary press,
and those papers which had been suppressed and
denied The mails were once more permitted to
resume publication. Tie result was the great
riot in New York. The rebe. press Of this city
ipHamed the worst passions Of some OF onr
citizens, and q lawIess mob devastated the
metropolis, robbipg, burning and ravisbing
without restraint. Finally an admirable police,
assisted by the military succeeded in getting
the upper hand of the rioters and order was
once more restored. But the cause of the out
break-tbe incendiary rebel press which had
provoked it still remained to work further
mischief. Little by little 1t gathered strength
for another disturbance. At last the oppor-
tunity came, and a desperate and atrocious
attempt was made by rebel emssaries and
rebel sympathizers to burn down this city and
to involve In q fearful confagration our
citizens, our women and our children. Provi-
dence preserved us from this dreadful peril;
but the cause. the incentive, is still among us,
aud we are not yet entirely safe.
Our readers will remember that the scheme
to burn down New York was forcshedowed in
the Richmond papers. They stated that the
men to commit the arson were already here,
and that money alone was needed. They
argued that twenty men could fire our city; and
this SCENE to be about the number actually en-
ployed. "Ono New York" said these Richmond
rebels, "is worth twenty Richmonds;" and upon
this basis they urged JEFF. Davis to let no-false
acrupses prevent bis giving his consent to their
diabolcal plan. But while the Richmond
papers foreshadowed this iocendiary plot the
rebel papers in this city were not silent.
One OF them remarked that there were plenty
of hearty, able-bodied rebel refugees in New
York, making loud boasts OF their loyalty to the
confederacy. Again we were warned that the
rebels would retaliate upon us for the opera
tions Of our generals in the South. Threats
that the war would be brought to our own fire.
sides were not unfrequent Accompanying
these significant articles were others which, in
eu'ogy Of the rebel leaders and in detraction
of the North, far surpassed the secession press
of the hottest part Of South Carolina. We
call public attention to these facts. We ask
General Dix to consider them. Could the
rebel press Of this city know Of the presence
Of able-bodied traitors among US and be SO
we'll informed OF their intentions, without some
direct or indirect completely with them? That
is the question which we wish our military
authorities TO investigate.
When the plot of the rebel incendiarles was
defeated, and our hotels and theatres, with
| their innocent inmates, saved from becoming q
flaming funeral pyrc, the rebel press Of this city
was attentlvely watched by those anxious to
discover the guilty parties. One of these papers
ventured to claim the exclusive credit of know
ing all about the plot. Another INDUCED in
! q column Of special pleading to prove that the
rebel authorities chad exhibited too much wis
dom and taci' to endorse any =; inSendary enter
prises; that they were too "Chsstian and
enlightened" and that tie idea Of their organ.
izing such plot was "absurd, ungcnerous and
UNJUST to the contrary Of all
this Notwithstanding. Yesterday another OF
our rebel organs took up the strain, declaring
"the phosphorus panic" to be shameful and
ludicrous," and denouncing General Dixs
admirable order as savoriug Of "Lynch law"
This was the phosphorescent organ which
expected the incendisrism on Friday night, and
had its reporters on the spot, but was obliged
to alter its heading to the news, a. the fires
were extlnguished. Another rebel paper pub
lished two letters yesterday, ridiculing tho
terrible scheme ss republican yplot Titus
Oates affair, and concluding its defence Of the
rebels by saying, al only design to indicate
the class of mon basely implicated" This
sort Of correspondence is backed up BY
an editorial threatening the HERALD
establishment with destruction unless We