Washington telegraph., 1865-05-17


GUERRILLA Should our armies
surrender. and our civil authorities abandon the
| struggle for independence, a matter which will
doubtless be decided befers this sheet is issued
| from the press it viii then become grave qucs-
ton whss course duty to himself and the COM
| niunity requires Of the citizen and soldier Of
the South. For ourselves, il would be a morti-
fieation tsus. more intense than would be the
concentrated chagrins Of oar whole past life.
and the balance of our little lease OF sunlight
| would be eheaply rated. But it becomes US all
| to rise above personal feeling, and consider that
after us does not come the delugc. J Human
souls near and dear to each will still remain up
on the sar.h, of whom we cannot make heca-
| tombs in the frenzy of despair. and whose best
possible interests Hnder the circumstances must
be humanely considered. Wr live not for our
selves. noT are we entitled to sacri6ce the inno-
cen. to even our noblesi passions without hope
| Of adequate results for our country snd our
! race Whilst would shrink from no desola-
ton, in striving for some high goal which may
, be possibly sttainable-and as long as il may
| bs--we would not rashly and foolisiIly imross
an additional pang upon single human being
Thereis no christian virtue in the Hindoo law
which burns the widow alive on the funeral pile
| Of hef husband. however hopeIss her desola-
! ton. -'-
III the case supposed, which in our uncertain.
4 ty Of events we must treat alphabetically, there
| will doubtless be thousands of naughty, proud
and restless spirits, stung by sense of wrong,
| reduced to poverty. and animated by uncon-
| querable hostility to the people of the North.
who will refuse to relinquish the contest. We
| sympathizs too deeply with their just and na-
| tural feelings to utter word of censure upon
such supposed course.-nos knowing, indeed.
how soon the cruelty and malignity of CON
| querins people may drive all good citizens to
join them in desperation. vi. r
| We have, nevertheless, deeply and auxiously
considered tine matter. and would now. i'm view
OF future possibilities, ask to be heard patiently
IN the way Of friendly rsmonstrancs Willis.
we see honor and hope in main,aning our cause
! by organized armies, under constitutionally ap
pointed and commissioned officers-whilss we
thus stand before the world as civilized bcliige-
rents entitled to its sympathy. We can see no.
thing IN desultory guerrilla warfare but long
| distui bance and scenes Of violence, leading TO
nc ultimate good, and attended with the utter
desolalon OF all non coinbatants, friends as well
as foes. Certainly. with sufficient numbers the
enemy might be harrassed for years, but the
end would be the same When the organized
| government Of the Southern cnfederacy may
be abandoned. the Federal government will turn
all its forces without hindrance upon those parts
of the country which still hold out in desultory
warfare and. however desperately or heroically
| resisted, must eventually succeed. Meanwhile
| fields, and horses, and cattle would in turn be
destroyed by both parties. and all the innocent
! women and children brough, to desolation We
think no true Southern soldier car look with
indifference upon such condition of his
people. o, wish to bring upon them calamiiies
still more grievous than any they have been
called to bear.
For the brave and chvarous. in the army
and out of it, who may not brook Northern do
| minion, there are fields of noble enterprise
where laurcls may be won. with the praise Of
mankind. With the cessation Of this war the
flames viii rise il Mexico, the land Of romance,
and perhaps in Canada. Central and South
America is all before them, where fortunes may
be carved with the sword, or drawn by enter
prise. Foreign commissions Will fall thickly
| enough upon veterans Of the direst war in the
annals OF ages, and pupils Of that school may
be professors in others. .tc~s-~tNs,.
lIf the worst should COM, and our govern
ment be compelled 10 submit to the cruel fate of
war, it is far better for all proud high spirits to
drop tear for the poor old land, and leave il in
peace to recover itself as best it can. and then
in foreign lands 10 prove 10 the world by their
conduct and bearing that they belong to a race
OF heroes, and deserved the success which fate
denied