The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1866-03-08
The Present DisuniOnists.

New York Times, paper which has
the reputation of being the exponent of the
views of Secretary Seward:
THE WAR FOR THE UNION AND THE WAR
AGAINST 1T.
Mr.. Thaddeus Stevens and his Radical
friends are not unlikely to overshoot their
mark. Their fiery zeal will in due time
defeat itself, and bring upon their own
heads the punishment with which they
threaten others. For all this agitation in
Congress, this piling up amendments to the
Constitution, this denunciation of every
man who differs from them, this anxiety to
disable and punish our fellow citizens in
the Southern States, is in strange forget
fulness of considerations which the states
man who would live must ever keep in
view. 1t pre- supposes the continuance du.
ring peace OF public opinion which nc
4uired force under the excitement and
perils of war. 1t makes no allowance for
the abatement OF feelings which derived
their strength from a conflict involving the
life OF the nation, and which are naturally
modified, IT not eradicated, now that danger
has given place to triumph. And it ignores
the fact that many Of the measures urged
by Radicalism, aud which the Radical lea
ders would fain push to completion between
the risisg and the setting of the sun, can
not acquire any guarantee of pcrmanencc,
and may be annullcd without ceremony by
another Congress. Even with regard TO
Constitutional amendm, nts, it takes for
granted the concurrence of the requisite
number Of States, although the known
weakness Of the Radical element IN several
of them renders such result extremely
improbable. There is folly, therefore, as
well as mischief, in some of the scenes now
being enacted at Washington The idea
OF subjugating the Southern States and re-
ducing them to the condition of conquered
provinces, obtained no favor during the
period most likely to foster it. True, the
Wendell Phillipses Cn the platform enact.
cd the same role of characters now played
by the Stevenscs Of another place, but the
great body of the people repud;ated it un
quali6edly and always. The Copperhcads.
taking their cue from the Phillips school
OF Radicals, opposed the war under the al
legation that 1t was n war of conquest.
But the people, from whom men and means
to carry on the war were derived, never
regarded 1t as other than struggle to pre-
serve the national integrity. All their
plans, all their arms, were predicated upon
the continued existence of the Union in
It's entirety, and consequently upon Il e
continuance within the Union of the r. bel
States, throughout the whole term of the
rebellion. The entirc policy of the Gov
ernment, foreign aud domestic. proceeded
on this hypothesis. The proclamations of
President Lincoln, the correspondence of
the State Department, the legislation of
Congress, the efforts and aspirations of the
Northern peoplc--all were in harmony upon
this point. 1t was this and this alone which
Justified the war 1t was this and only
this which sustained the North under re
verse, animated it when things wore their
gloomiest aspect, and gave unceasing vigor
10 the spirit which led to victory The
States we've held TO be States all the time
And the close Of the war was held to imply
the resumption of their former relations as
between the Federal Government and the
several States which had been copcerned
IN the rebellion. This popular apprecia-
tIon OF the question is of more value. for
most practical purposes, than the abstract
arguments of publcists on either side. AS
the subtleties OF the secession problem have
been blown into nothingness from the can
mons mouth, so the theorizng of Messrs.
Stevens and Shellabarger is bottcd out as
OF no account by the deliberate judgment
OF the people. We have the testimony of
Gen. Grant to the good faith with which
the citizens Of the South acquiesce in the
verdict of the war, and resume their ale
glance to the old flag. The terms dict; ted
by Gen. Grant. with the full knowledge of
President Lincoln, were calculated to bring
about this happy condition of affairs. The
great soldier who guided the struggle to
Its end dreamed not of arrogating to him.
self the functions'of conqueror, or of i'm.
posing upon the South terms of vassalage.
They who did the fighting felt always that
they were fighting, not to extend con-
queror's flag over alien territory--not to
ADD provinces to republic and make its