New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-09-22
. cROUNDLEss ImPUTATION.

as they are purely congregational, ana IN ther
government perfectly independent OF each
other, it is believed by some that they might
have an interchange of Christian ministerial
civities without at all infringing the principles
of their organization. And it is hoped that such
cylities would be mutually advantageous,
and might do something toward allaying Sec
tional irritation and eflectng the paclflcation OF
the country. As the churches took the lead IN
separation why not in reunion'
Several letters on the subject have lately
passed between Northern and Southern men,
bers of that denomination, which are altogether
of pacific and concilatOry character, ana 80
far promise q favorable issue. NO immaculate
organic union in missions or otherwise Is con-
templated, but merely an interchange OF kindly
words and Offices through the press and III de-
Lucrative bodies. In this correspondence, pas
sage in letter from from the Rev. j. Is. Taylor
ID. D.. of Richmond, Va, Corresponding Sec
rotary ofthe Southern Baptist Missionary Union,
contains statements and implications which seem
to us false to history. The Southern people may
have the impressions which DR.. T. imputes to
them, but they are groundless. lie says;
$50 far as the Southern mind is concerned there are
also difficulties IN the way Of organized cooperation
The pcoplc are impoverished thousand bitter memo
ries painfully affect them viii the exception Oh hse
or six counties every county IN the Sate ol IlsIn
has been overrun by hostile armies. In numerous vi
instances the most inhuman treatment hhs Dccn ic-
! ceived. A wanton spOlia'on and devastation nave
been suffered by them could M nY'y " ~'i IL trne
Of Virginia Is true of the South. And the convection
strong In the popular heart that tins desoathR Var
bat the elimination Of series OF intereTences begun
| yeers ago and that the party which denounced the
Constitution Of the United States ms co'ehah, "nn
he'll and which urged Secession as remedy, having
Obtain ed the powcr had determined, peacceby II they
could bat forcby they must TO override the eohst
! uona rights fthc South. Al through inc war; tne
Southern people looked upon the invasion OF ter so a.
cruel wrong; and the feeling became intensified by
tie unnumbcrcd instances In which quiet homes were
visited the wearing apparel OF women and children was
torn into alTeds or taken away, medicines ana iood
were rcckessy destroyed and furniture was broken to
4 pieces"
The error consists in imputing the sufrerings
of the South in this war to malice aforethought
in the Republican Party. That party, il is said,
acted upon the policy of " overriding the con-
stitutonal rights Of the people OF the South,
peaceaby if they could, but forcibly if they
must" Nothing can be further from the truth
OF history than the idea that that party acted
on any such policy. In It's platform, in the
first inaugural of Mr.. Lincoln, and in all the
documents emanating from its leaders, it, on all
occasions declared its fealty to the Constitution.
So Ear from entertaining any dei ign OF interfering
with the Slavery Of the Slave States, 1t proposed
an amendment Of the Constitution deprving
| Congress of the power to interfere with IT,
This was done by Mr.. Adams, now Minister to
England, in the first session Of Congress after
Mr. Lncoln's election, and was concurred in,
we understand, by the President himself.
How, then, can the desolations Of the South be
in pursuance OF a preconcerted plan and pur-
pose of the Republican Party to "oyerride the
Constitution in order to get rid of SlssT"cc11y'
Besides, for two years the Government under
THE lead of the Republican Party carried on the
w,r with as httle interference as possible with
the institution of Slavery. This was Gen.
McClellan's policy throughout, and of all the
early leaders in the war. Plantations were pick
eted with soldiers wherever our armies marched,
to keep the slaves in subordnation. Gen. Lees
negroes were thus preserved to him in sight of
the Executive Mansion at Washington. The
policy of the Government was to leave Slavery
intact.
From this peace-policy in carrying on the
war 1t was at length driven by the necessities
of the case-nothng ese-not certainly by any
malice aforethought against Slavery in the Re-
publican party. Failure after failure in all the
early campaigns finally compelled the Emancir
patton Proclamations, the employment of ne
grocs as soldiers, and those seyerer measures Of
warfare by which the South, and especially
Virginia, have been SO extensively dcsolated.
Grant around Richmond, Sherman in Georgia
{ and the Carolinas, and Sheridan in the Shenan-
doah Valley, gave the people of the South
taste Of the real game which they had vaunt-
ingly undertaken to play. War is war; nor can
it be made anything else with success. And
now for those who inauguratcd it to charge its
evils upon somebody else, or imputo them to
the malice of party, is alike unmanly and false
to history. Do the people Of the South suppose
themselves and their Slavery entitled to protec-
ton from a Government whose allegiance they
had cast of, and upon which they were making
war by every means in their powerl Did they
expect for their territory immunity against in
vasl0n
1t may be very proper for the churches Of the
Baptist and all other denominations TO restore
their relations of amity and friendship;
but We are quite certain they never
can do il unless tho Southorn peODle