The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1864-03-17
The Barbarisms of the War.

Sraced the conduct OF the war by both par
ties will hereafter remain as blots in their
history which they would very gladly ex-
punge. At the commencement of the con-
test, Mr.. Seward made to the world a
declaration of intention upon the part OF
The administration to prosecute the war
with a magnanimous regard for every
amenity prescribed by the laws of war
He herein expressed also the feelings and
wishes of vast majority of the people,
who, even under the provocation Of rebel
lion and insult to the government, could
not forget the communities of origin, his
tory and interest which had united the see
tions.
The party which by clear and well-de-
fined official act first made departure
from the laws of war must to great degree
be held responsible for the excesses which
have followed. This is as true as that cru
city begcts retaliation. The order of Gen
eral Pope, in 1862, in relation to foraging
on the enemy, was the first authoritative
announcement by General in command
that the recognized usages Of warfare would
not be observed. This order, as the Gen
eral himself acknowledged in subsequent
one, resembling or modifying it, led to in
tolerable abuses by our soldiers The
Confederatcs retaliated by threat of ven
geancc against Pope and his officers
When General Pope issued the order.
we protested against it, and predicted,
what has since been abundantly verified,
that it would provoke an inhuman system
of warfare; and in few weeks, as we have
seen, its author was compelled to rebuke
the brutal license which the order encsur-
aged among his soldiers.
We shall make no estimate as to which
party has committed the greater number
of, excesscs Enough have been commit
ted by both to make a record in this
regard as disgraceful as was ever made by
two nations in war with each other They
have in many instances been justified by
the respective governments, and in many
more they have not been condemned.-
Reverend Higginson and Colonel Guam
trell both live, and their acts have not been
disavowcd by their governments One
burned Jacksonville and the other Law
renee. Confederate newspapers have GU
logized Quantrell as a patriot, and abolition
newspapers have sung the praises Of Hig-
ginson as patriot and christian.
a company of negro soldiers were re-
Gently butchered by party of guerrillaS
near Vicksburg, and abolition newspapers
are, with all possible vehemence and elo-
quence, denouncing the slaughter This
Indignation is just and natural. Why did
they not denounce the atrocities of Lane,
and Jcnnison, and Anthony, and other lay
hawkers in Missouri Lane is United |
Anthony is Mayor of the chief city in Kan
sas, and they boast that Judges, Jurie>
and SheriffS in that State are not deemed
necessary for the trial, sentence and exc
cution of 'copperheads." Why are aboli-
ton newspapers SO intensly excited over
the murder Of negroes by guerrllas, and
SO apethctic over the murder of their own |
race. who are true and lawabiGing tizel
The Il told you So is generally regard
ed as disagreeable character, but he is
most disagreeable to witlngs suffering from
follies which he had predicted would result
in suffering The administration, and the
disciples Of the isms which it has adopted
as its policies, were told that if negro
troops were employed, the fact would add
immeasurably to the horrors of the war
and that if the Coniederates captured thems
they would either grant them no quarter
or consign them to slavery, Abolitionists
and secessionists are joint parties in the in
human treatment of negro soldiers, for the
former employed them with full knowl-
edge that if they were captured, tie Con-
fedcrates would be compelled in selfde-
fence to re-enslave those who had been
their slaves, and infict upon them such
punishment as would itimidate their fol
lowers Chicago Times