New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-07-21
uAN.OwNING ARIsTOCRACY.

mAN.OWNIyG ARIsTOCRACY.
The Richmond E1dminer Of the 10Th inst. has
an article upon the eXtraordnry subject Of
burning the mansions of Governors. Letcher'
the Ex-Governor II Virginia, was burned out o.
house and home by the Union troops. Where
upon Bradford, Governor of Maryland wa
burned out of house and home by the Conicd
crate troops. The EIGmintr phllosophlcally
discusses these confagralions, and reJolceS III
the latter "a an act Of righteous retaliatlon but
hit is still unsatisfed Are Governors, ii angriiy
asks tie only .lerers whose indigniiiea are 10
be avenged Why should not private Rebels
whose property has been destroyed, have the
satisfaction Of knowing that the property Of
private Loyalists has been destroyed in return
Really we should not have supposed that The
Rebel Editor who is the hardest to satisfy
would have found any occasion for this gratui
ions grumhling. For we have not found over
scrupuousness or fastdous squeami-hnesS IA
have been peculiarties of Rebel raids. On the
other hand. whenever Che rough riders Of the
Confederate army have yenturcd upon visit
10 the regions Of civilization, 80 FAR from suffer
ing themselves by q false delicacy to be diddled
out of the sweets of their interesting situation.
We have noticed that they invariably steal all
che property possible. and that whatever they
cannot carry oil, Il is their constant wont 10
destroy, from geese to greenbacks. We Ger
tainly do not think the Rebel Generals deserve
to be thus lectured, or that they require any
Indictment to acts OF cruelty and outrage. SOL
diers who invariably signalizo their victories by
a massacre can safely be LEFT to the impulses %
) their native ferocity.
But The EIamin,r goes on 10 put sollloqny
into the mouth Of q private and humble Rebe
(who is supposed TO be- much injured u I'M
mind) 10 this effect: "Whose family j. 20 suffer
for what my family has suffered Or is 1t true,
IA orr enemies say, that this Southern country
is an aristocratic country What, then, am |,
aud what am | fighting for ?" Dangerous
lnuesions.n continues IN, EgdmiI,,r. land per
ilous line Of reflection !" We think 20 too We
can easily imagine some high private of the Con
federaie Army who never owned q negro aud
who has no hope of ever owning one, wounded
perhaps, ard certainly hungry, foot sore and
ragged, and in continual peril Of his life, mood.
y dreaming over his exceedingly unpleasant
. situation, and asking himself with a savage sort
, of self.contempt, what he il fighting for. II
has never been his sweet satisfaction 10 fog his
own black within an inch Of his utterly miser-
; able life. He has never enjoyed the novel de.
light of mortgaging bis own sons, or Of conduct
ing his own daughters TO the auction-block and
inevitable prostitution. His name figures upon
| no boxes OF tobacco, nor are his initials 10 be
read upon bursting bales Of cotton. He
is white, but he is poor white.
He is mere trash in spite of his
colorleSs cheek, his straight nose, aud his
: straighter hair lie has no interest in this wal
except the qualification of scnscless passion
which his superiors have dcxtrously melted.
=. He is their slave for the purposes of fighting,
: Just "a the negro is their slave for the purposes
| of field-work Victory will bring him nothing
{ but little passing plumber, and defeat will
: leave him still hanging loosely upon the skirts
3 Of an intensely artificial society. The whole
matter can be stated with simple logic. This il
+ war waged for the support Of Slavery. 1t is
: therefore, war waged for the benefit of Slave.
= holders. Men who own no slaves have, there.
! fore, the pleieing consciousness that they are
eoperding their lives and sacrificing their per.
sonal comfort for the sake Of a mere handful Of
) aristOcras, who think that they have made a
2 wonderful concession when they admit that a
poor white man is Just little higher in the
scale of society than negro. Well may they
ask what they are fighting for, And well may
. III. Eramiaer eSclaim: Dangerous question
"a perilous line of reflection"
? els IL true, as our enemies say, that thi,
, Southern country is an aristocratic country ~
asks The Examiner with amusing simplicity
2 True! alas nothing wa ever truer in thi:
world Of petted and coddled and organized
mcnlacitieS, Here fou have . society con-
structed of several millions Of slaves, other
millions OF poor whites, ard mere hand
| full comparatively, OF SHAREHOLDERS who man.
age public matters, levy taxes, 20 to war,
impress soldiers, all a. their own sweet
will; and yet The F1nmiaer wants 10 know il
the Southern country is an aristocratic country
Well, then. what should We call it A demo
cratic country Pray what then ia Democra-