The Columbia daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1865, 1865-05-26

t"e ouIset, Wuen virginia seeded he
honestly believed it his duty to abide
her fortune- He opposed secession to
the last, foreseeing the ruin it was
sure to entail. But when the State
withdrew from the Union he had no
recourse, in his views Of honor and
patriotism, but to abide her fortunes.
He went with her, intending to remain
merely private citizen.
When he resigned his commission IN
the United States army, he had no
intention of taking up arms in any
otherservice antagonis,ic to the United
States. His State, however, called for
him. and, entertaining the fixed prin-
c'ples he did Of State sovereignty, he
had no alternative but to- accept the
service to which be was called. When
he made uee Of the declarations that
have been so extensively quoted of late,
he had accepted only a commission
from Virginia. Subsequently. when
Virginia attached herself to the South
ern Confederacy, the same political
impressions impelled him to follow her,
aud when he accepted service under
the reboI Government, be did so on
the principle that he was defending
his native State. And yet, by the
act of accepting such service, be was
bound in honor to serve in any part of
the Confe,leracy where he might be
called, without reference to State lines;
and the reconciliation with his former
avowal, if any were necessary, were
found in the fact that Virginia, stand
ing or falling with the other Southern
States, in defending them all he was
defending the one to which he consid>
cred his allegiance primarily due.
AS to the effect of his surrender. he
was free to say it was severe blow to
the South, but not crushing blow.
1t was Of military, no. political signi.
hcance. | asked, was not that surren-
der virtual surrender Of the doctrine
of State rights? BY no means, he
General replied. When the Soutl,
shall be wholly subdued there will
then undeniably be surrender of that
doctrine. But the surrender of
single army is simply military neces-
slty. The army of Northern Virginia
was surrendered because further re
slstance on its part would only entail
a useless sacrifice Of life. But that
army was merely a part of the force
of the South. When the South shall
be forced to surrender al. its forces and
return to- the Union, it undisputably,
by that act, surrenders it's favorite
doctrine Of secession. That principle
will then be settled by military power.
On the question of State sovereignty
the General contends that there exists
a legitimate casus belli. In the con-
vention that formed the organic law of
the land, the question Of defining the
relative powers Of the States, and their
relation to the General Government.
was raised, but after much discussion
was dropped and left unsettled. 1t mas
remained so unsettled until the present
time This war is destined to set it
at rest. 1t was unfortunate that it was
not settled at the outset; but as it was
not settled then, and had to be settled
at some time, the war raised on this
issue cannot be considered treason. If
the South is forced to submission in
this contest, it of course can only be
looked upon as the triumph Of Fede-
'al power over State rights, and the
forced annihilation of the latter.
With reference to the war in the
abstract, the General declared it as his
honest belief that peace was practical
BILE two years ago, and has been prac-
tlcab;e from that time to the present
day, whenever the General Govern