The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-05-12
From the Boston Courier.
The Real Question.

A Chaplain in the service of the SAM
tary Commission, writing from Savannah
under date of March 18th, says:
zone or two regiments of colored troops
just raised at Charleston, have come to
garrison this city. The inhabitants are
Mortified at the thought that their own
arms are all taken from them and they
are to be guarded by armed negroes
Is not this righteous retribution ?"
Suppose that in the old French war
the town of Boston had been taken by
combined force of French and Indians,
and that after the inhabitants had been
deprived of their arms the town had been
garrisoned by two or three regiments of
Indian troops, and we shall be able to in
terpret the feelings of the people of Sa-
vannah by what would have been the feel.
ings Of the people of Boston in the case
supposed. And the parallel may be car
ried little further, for had there been q
French ecclesiastic in the conquering ar
my who was an enthusiastic philo. Indian,
burning with an indignant sense of the
treatment which the Indians had received
from the colonists, might he not have
been justified in writing home that the
occupation of the chief town in New Eng
land by garrison of a hated and persecu-
ted race, was righteous retribution ?"
The above effusion would be of little
Importance were it solitary or even an
exceptional expression of feeling, but it
is not the case. Such is the dominant
sentiment of the loyal States. That is
to say, the people of the loyal States, or
majority Of them, seem to have no other
thought at present than that of taking full
vengeance upon conquered community,
and forcing them to drink to the dregs
the bitter cup of humiliation and degrade
ton.
Admit, for the sake of argument, that
by reason Of slave holding and secession,
the Southern people have forfeited all
claims to merciful consideration admit
that they are the most depraved, the most
debased, the &ickedest community that
ever lived on the face of the earth ad-
NIT that the morality of the New Tesla.
ment is all wrong, meant for show, q
pretty thing to look at, but altogether too
fine and delicate for wear admit all these
things for the sake of argument, and yet
there remain grave considerations of anoth-
er kind, which should be taken into &C.
count in determining our conduct towards
the people Of the rebel States.
For this fact is certain, that VIC must
live with these people in some relation or
other, unless we put them all to the edge
of the sword, and absolutely exterminate
them from the face of the earth. The
physical geography of the country neces-
states this. Seas do not roll, mountains
do not rise, between us and the rebel
States. Our territory is homogeneous
and similar, and thus it follows that our
power both of mutual help and harm is
very great.
And the further fact is certain, that the
future relations between the two portions
of the country will depend in no small
measure upon the course of policy 60 be
pursued towards the conquered rebel
States, and the consequent sentiments
created in them. Wisdom, MAGNANIMI-
TY, CHRISTIANITY, may obliterate
and allay the irritations and estrange-
ments of civil war, and reunite us in unity
of spirit, in the bond of peace; while a
contrary course will only exasperate pas
sions already sufficiently great to cause
every rejecting man to look with grave
anxiety upon the problem before US
Which of the two will we choose?
The result of the one policy will be to
restore the Union upon substantially the
old basis, or at any rate, to create q con-
federacy of which each separate State
shall be a ,oillsng member. The result of
the other policy will be that we shall hold
the Southern States as conquered provin-
ces, and govern them by military force, as
Austria holds and governs Hungary, and
Russia Poland.
Setting aside all inquiries as to the NOR
al rigbtfulness of the latter course, setting
aside all considerations of its effect upon