, 1864-12-01

wAsAstEoRs nonuay, NOV. 3.
TIE QUESTION OF TIE HOUR.
The late Development Of rebel emlssarie
in New York city is theabsorbing topic Of tn
day. It is q remarkable fact that for seye1a
weeks suspicious characters have been hud
ding about hotels and other public pIaces Q
our eastern cities; and It is no less rema
able iact that for several weeks past desei
t1ons from The rebel army have been unnspall
numerous, and the oath Of allegiance ha
been Administered more freely thin at an
| previous time. do not irnp1irate Init til
coincidence is one which auT close observe
could not fail to mark.
| Not day passes but We zee announcement
Of deserters taking the oath and being sen
] North. They come by flfties and by hundreds
They are virtually exempt from seryieo IN ou
armies, and hence are not under that suryeil
lance which even our own soldiers endure
Besides, Il competent, they take the positions
Of trust and responsibility which our OWL
men had filled, before the war
and thus their circumstances are made pecn
a; lia.iy @ favorable for carrying ont any eEil De
signs which, possibly, they might entertain
1appeal to those who have had experience In
the army whether two-thfrds Of these desert.
ers DO not come-to say the most for them
into our lines merely to escape dangef-aud
such unionism, such patriotism, is not incor.
Moreover, are We oblivious to the fact that
there are thousands of men In the South who
Will not hesitate moment to break an oath
administered BY tho authorities Of the United
States, screening themselves under their ia
yorite argument that "tbere are no United
States.n And can we doubt that in whole
army Of traitors there conId plenty Of men be
ct once, to aid the rebellion and gratify their
own deyilish malice: These ara Questions we
cannot afford to wink at. SelEprotectiop is
both d national aud individuaa duty Our
homes and fresi6es are too sacred to be ieop-
aldized by doubtful charity.
But the question ariscs, what shall be donee
Shall the Government depart from its.prescut
policy towards deserters?. No, I would
answer, but amend it, In the first place, It
would certainly not be:1lnjust for our military
authorities to deal with these men 1pho. haze
otst Jound on the enesny7s si<Ae, with no; less
lcn1cncy than with onr o#n soldiers against
whom there is prcsautiye evidence Of guilt !;
and ne all know thai, in thu hitter casc the
accused is held as guilty taI he has proved,
himself innocent. IL bezo' s2trt .zeyex. This.
course, if adopted In denlings with our crring:
penitcnts, wonld place over them some kind.
poses Of any who plot mischief while, If pro-
perly tempered with mercy, 1t. would prove
but little Inconvenience to thosewho are sim
cere.
Secondly, If these deserters arc friends Of
the Government which they swearto support
II not they should not be allowed to come
what injustice can there be in asking them,
nay, even compelling them, Unnecessary, to do
their part in its defense: OF course. no one
would ask to have them sent where they would
be liable TO capture, which in their case would
be equivalent to death. But the Government
has hundreds of places fur away from the hos
tile armies, in which they could be used to
profit ard here they would be under no re-
straints that m honest man and q patriot
could object to. By this method they would
at once be supplied with honorable employ
meut, of kind, toe, which would shield them
from the wiles Of northern traitors, Of whom
every city las it's gang. Any idler is open to
yielding to the sedncer if he happen to have
prePosscssion for the forbidden fruit which
is offered him.
The following clause in the late order, issued
Nov. 18th, with regard TO the treatment of:de-
sertcrs, deserves, at this time, serious re-
consideration.
Hereafter dcserters from the Confederate army,
who deliver themselves up to the United States
forces will, on taking an oath that they will not
again take up arms during the present rebellion,
70 their homes the sarna are within the lnes Of
Federal occupation
II their homes ars not within such lines, they
will be furnished with subsistence md free trans
portatio' 10 any point IN tho Northern States.
Il, Il our eagcrness to save the innocent
men who have been driven into the rebellion,
against their will, We hare opened the door
for the impostcr and the assassin, We must
change our policy. And the sooner It is done,
the better.
HOUSE
A curious interview took placeat the White
House today, between the President and one
of his old Sucker friends. Just thirty-four
5ears ago they first met, and under the fol-
lowing circumstances:
It was in the spring. and the country had
been flooded with rntn and, of course, the
river Of Ocaw had spread Itself far and wide
over the bottoms, 60 much SO that the good
people Of Sangamon, then a village Of no pre-
tensions, but the scene of our couedy-be-
lieyed 1t dangerous for man or beast to cross.
And no wonder they huddlcd on the banks
highest, and watched with more than ordina-
~ interest solitary ox-teatn that had started
IN from the other side, md was working
toward there with speed barely pcrceptabie.
In this wagon WIS the Lincoln family and
the tall, 'sgangling". youth astride the near OF,
his brrechcs rolled up some three feet, more
OF less, gad in his hand that would have
been the delight of q pioneer pedagosuc, WAS
"Abe'-1he President One of the group
that stood on the bnnk and watched the new
had got safely over, vas the friend who to-
day was welcomed to the White House.
The friend Of whom speak, WAS afterwards
In the Illinois Legislature while Abe :"
worked In the still.house to which Douglas
frequently called his attention In after years.
not forgotten. Young Lincoln frequently
counselcd the legislator, and finally borrow
ed Law books from him, which be kept by him
in the stillhouse, and read during leisure
moments. With his history from that time
to this every intelligent school boy is, or at
least ought TO be, familiar,
To-day the sangamon boys had an inter-
vien-"How are you, Abe! how does it 60
to be President! " 40, we'll, its more than
contracted for.' Not much court style about
TINT, but there's nobility in that cordial
grasp Of the nd-reciprocating at the White
House in 1864 iavors received on the banks OF
"Earpr."
Nov that the southern part Of your State
has cast out her "tlesh pots" has broken
her iaole-has immured her Aliens in that po-
utical Obscurity whence no demagogue ever
returns, would 1t not be well to have her
re-christened and to transfer Egypt" to
your neighhoring State Of Wisconsin, Il I
lake shore, including Washington md ozakee
counties, which could do honor to tho name.
The fact that Mr. Eldridge vegetables and is
reelected in this region must be sufficient
evidence to any well Informed mind that the
That the good people Of the ewail-ln which
wil1-o' -lhe-wisps, of course, dour1sh-ahonld
believe in ghosts and should worship the
sphinx is not to be wondered at. And, by all
means, let their section OF country have the
ancient name to which its advancement in
like that; and how interesting It will be for
| the future HoTalit to stand on their pyramids