The Placer herald., 1865-03-11
a WAR OF DIFFERENTIATION.

The re-assembling of Congress after tho
holidays will mark an important era in the
history Of the war. Hitherto It has taen
conducted with some shallow pret-nss as
having for its object the restoration Of the
Union. This pretext is now laid aside the
mask has been worn already too lonr, in the
opinion Of Mr.. Lincoln and his advisers.
Now that no is finally seated upon the
throne for four years more, with powers far
exceeding those Of a constitutional mouarch,
!, is felt that any further couceament Of the
real objects and purposes Of the war would
be the sheeros, alectal.on.
That cbjec, was pretty plainly shadowe1
forth in The recent speech Of Gen. Butler In
New York, and in The resolutions oaered by
Mr.. Rollins, Of n. T., in Congress- I, Is, in
plain words, no longer 70 iraa, the inhabin
ants Of tho Southern States IS If there was
any possibility That they mi -h,, at any future
time, again be our fellow citizens; bu. to
treat them as the children Of Israel we're
ordered to treat The Caaaaui,os, the Nili'es,
the Jebusi,es, the hmonies, tho Hivites, and
the Perzes, and a.! other inhabitants of the
land which was to be their possession
namely: to utterly destroy them and their
cities, and to root them ont, they and their
wives and their iile ones, and TO take their
possessions for their spoil Their eye was
not to pity, nor their hands to spare.
In Ike manner oar generals are now to be
instructed ;hat, the rebels having refused to
submit to tho authority Of the government,
having refused the promised amnesty, and
having refused TO abolish slavery, the time
has come, in the words Of the Presidents
last message, TO withdraw al, offers Of ann
nesty that have ever been made to them, to
consider them as incorrigible rebels and to
wage agains. them a war of determination
and conquest. Such war will now be COM
menced, and will be waged with the whole
power of the government.
It will not be, however, any worse in It's
features Of Larbari,y than the last campaign
Of Sheridan in tho Shenandoah valley, nor
will lis excesses exceed those already prac-
tced by Tprchn, Mi!roy, and Mcneil. The
atrocities permitted by these generals have
never been rebuked. They wera appauded
at the time, and every one Of the four have
since been munticently rewarded by the
government. The only change which the
new order of things will make, will bN, that
the manner in which Sheridan, and Mroy,
and Mcneil, and Yurchin made war will be
the rule, and not the exception. Oar arm
les, henceforth, viii not make war on the
rebel armies alone. They will be ordered to
make war 90 the country, and on all its inl
habitants, without distinction. Their eye is
not to pity, nor their hand TO spare. They
arc to drive out the Inhabitants of the land
before them, for they are to possess the land,
they and their children.
Let me assure tho people that am con
fnng myself to smp!e literal facts. The
administration now agrees with Gen. Sler
man, that the war, conducted as il has been,
may last for twenty years, and the South
still be unconquered, because the popuation
and the means Of the natural increase of
population, will still exist. The almnistral
ton is determined to prevent this. DO your
readers remember Mr.. Lincolns bomey H.
lustraton Of slavery, comparing it to a rat
t.esnale in bed With your children? You
would not wait, he said. to reason about it.
but would strike and kill it. Well, Mr.. Lin
coin and his advisers regard each rebel as a
rattlesnabe, and each rebel family IS nest
of young rattesnales. Their hatred Of the
South and Of shareholders has brought them
to that degree OF malignant feeling.
A war OF determination has, therefore,
been resolved on, and will be undertaken.
The measures adopted by Sherman and fur.
chin will be quite sufficient to effect it. The
present moment, whom victory is crownng
our arms in every direction, would be q most
auspcous one for grand display OF mag
nanmi,y on the part Of the administration,
in Offering to the people of the South such
terms as we could well afford to give, and
which foreign nations would consider liberal;
that is, simply the old Constitution and the
old Union. But the administration have
always been determined, as was stated in my
letters three years ago, that the old Union
shall never be restored, and they would not
think now Of Offering the people OF the South
they are determined to Go is TO keep them
out Of the Union, not to bring them in.
II requires no prophet to toretell the re.
suit Of such policy as has been determined
on by the administration. The work Of ex.
terminating ten millions Of people can never
be accomplished. The system adopted OF
such policy will only strengthen Southern
armies. There is reason to believe, too, that
it will be the signal for that active interven
ton in favor OF the South, on the part OF
England and France, which has long been
imminent. Tho grave blunder Of Messrs
Lincoln and Seward, in refusing 20 allow the
$4,000 in gold, contributed by charitable
people in England, to be distributed among
the Confederate prisoners at the NORTH will
intame more than ever before, the anlmosity
of the people of England against the govl
ernment and people Of the United States.
Let the intelligent readers of the Times
look back for three years, and contemplate
the motives and incentives which, during
that period, we have furnished to both
France and England to engage in war with
US in favor of the South, and they will agree
with me that the wonder is that such wal
has not been precipitated before. There ii