The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-01-09

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seeds of another crop than . terror to
future syil-dOers. But with what might
have been in the proclamation il Is not
my business to deal. There may be, as
Mr. Lincoln intimates, other prOclams
tons enlsrgiDg the scope Of pardon, aud
think there will be; in the meantime,
what are Tennesseans to do with the
present one?
To decide this question, it viii be ne
cessary, perhaps, to turn back little and
see how it was that Tennessee became q
partsker in this rebellion. Before the
war began, the bulk of her people were
undoubtedly opposed TO dissolution of
the Union. She was emphaticslly a
Union Stsle. This is fresh in the recol-
lection Of all, and was proved in every
practicable way. But the war came;
neutrality would not, and in fact could
not, bs allowed by either party, if war
wac 10 be effectually carried On. A choice
of sides alone was left 10 her. She then
said to tie South, 'If / must fight, it
shall be with you rather than against
you, however wrong you may have been
ia bringing about or attempting TO bring
about dissolution Of the Union. You
NAV have had great proTOeatiOn, and
though it was unWise in you TO yield 60
it, yet you have yielded and resorted to
arms; cannot fight against yOu-I am
not allowed to be neutral-I will fight
with you, and as this makes NE On enc
nv OF the North and practically no
longer united with it, I will make COM
mon cause with you; but I shall be 3
border Stste, and you must protect me"
Now, whether this was right or wrong.
prudent or imprudent, under the cir
oumstanoes, shall not pause to inquire.
Tennessee did become . party to the
war on the Southern side, and what have
been the consequences? Her very heart
has been almost Wrenched from her body;
her Young mea are dead upon battle
fields or In hospital, or piniBg in weary
prisons; her commerce has been destroy
ed, her fields laid waste, her towns de-
populated, and finally the hoof Of The
Federal botssme7 trezd5 upon the last
foot of her sell. Resistance by Der or
from her is utterly hopeless, nor is there
the slightest prospect that the South will
ever regain Der territory. What then
shall be done? Shall she say, All is lest
but honor, and stand still in sullea def
ance, awaiting the course of events =?
How long shall she so stand? Shall it
be till the rebel armies are captured or
presFed into the Southern seas? Shall it
be until the last predatory band Of des-
perados has been taken prisoner, aad the
last spark Of resistance trampled out {?
And what then? Will honor still be sat
isfed? But what does honor. ia such q
case, require of Tennesssans ? Does it
require that the last man should die and
the last woman be driven from the terri
tory? Imay be wrong, but such notions Of
honor in 8 State Seem to me to be some
what fanatic. 1t would be = new thing
under the sun, to say the least Gift, for
a whole State TO undergo msriyrdom
rather than submit to terns which,
though not precisely what might be de
sired, and though not precise. ~ restoring
rs to our status quo anie bslluRl, ave yet
fully IS coed as an unsuccessful party
might expect But, really, what do
home-stsying Tennesseans mem By hon.
or ID the present instance? They are
not fightiug-they are not going to fight,
nor to give aid to those who arc fighting
in the Southern cause. Stand still, for
sooth, and look sourly On, while others
fight, leaving, in the meantime, their
children to be uuedueated, their estates
TO go to wreck, and civil society to BE-
wholly dissolved. Do they mean, when
il shall be ascertaiaed that resistance in
the South is wholly at an end they viii
make an exodus in e body from the
State? Mol this would be too absurd.
These h9ms staying chimney corner lighting
Tgnnessesaas mean to DO no such thing
What then? Why, then, when perhaps
every thing here will have gone nearly to
ruin, when the present term OF amnesty
will have been Withdrawn, and some
thing will demand 10 be done, ne shall
have to begin at very different poi1t fcom
that which is offered to-day.
Some may say, however, What il to be
come Of our sons and brothers and rela-
tives who are in the southern army
Well, what is to become OF thsa, anyhOW?
Will your standing off make their fate
any better? No one expects you TO hate
your sons CT relatives, or 10 hops that
they may be killed, because you have
ranged yourselves under your old gov
ernmeEt. If your sens come home and
take the benefit Of The amnesty, they viii
have the Same fate with yourselves. IF
they % not, they viii be in no worse
condition for your having accepted the
pardon. New, if Mr.. Lineoln's procla-
maiion offered anything IS a condition
by which Tennesseans, who had been
rebels, were to be degraded into ar ilfe-
rior class, I should personally prefer an
exodus or death on the block 20 sub
mission. Bat he presents no sach con
dition. Personal rights are all restored,
and in the main even property, foT as The
proclamation Of emancipation does not
apply 10 Tennessee, and IS the cOufisca-
ton act has been but very partially act
ed Cd, the property Of even armed rebels
would, with few exceptions, be restored.
How thu proclamation may be received
In other States, or how il may affect
other States, Is net a matter Of Prime
confederation to TennesssGns ~ present
Each State and its citizens, in the exist
ing condition Of affairs, will d necessity
have 10 act for themselves, - there can
Of course be 10 common agreement
Well, but By waiting. somBthing better
may, perhaps, be offered. Do Thugs
really seem to Be tending that way
Have they not been getting worse, and
do they not seem to b. getting WOrao
still BIZ delay? And viii not the terms
bscoms harder as tie Southern fortunes
continue 20 Wane? Some ss1guiDe per-
sons, however, may still believe that
Teanesses will be rsgsinsd By the Con
fed rates. What then VIII che b
any worse Of fer having, in tae mean
time, resumed Der attitude Of civil and
Political Organization, and VIII sny man
be blamed for having. in the exercise Of
a sound judgment, dons that which BE-
deemed daty to his State demanded?
Now, If sll this reasoning look b
soms generous souls Ike tie calcula-
tions Of : cool and sel1sh mar, who is
disposed 70 abandon the common cause
and run bis own vessel into ihe fret
harbor, leaving the rest Of the sqnadron
10 tie fury ef the storm, lef me ask Of
these people what they think would be
the course Of the Gulf States If To,0 Of
fsred their independence, excluding Ten
neeearp ttoufd sha ~ sharG1uedt