The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-22
Shall We Have Another Rebellion

Shall We Have Another Rebellion?
From the Tribune.
How much has the Philadelphia Convention,
with all the "brans" which its President de-
clared it to possess, done to make treason
odious? By the law of the land 1t is a feonious
crime-Doolittle and his followers have worked
their best TO reduce it to a misdemeanor, and
Mr. Raymond elaborately treats 1t as pecca-
dillo. We ask every man of candor to read all
the proceedings of the Convention, and then
honestly to determine whether it was not chiefly
assembled tor the comfort and consolation of
the Confederate mourners. There seemed to be
but one idea prevalent upon the seats and the
platform, and in the atmosphere of the Wigwam
the idea OF bringing the loyal States, by
wheedling and persuasion, and bullying, to the
discharge of what Mr.. Webster used to call
their "dsagreeable duties" The tone of the
proceedings takes us back ten years. We seem
TO be living again in a rainy season OF COM
promises. Our minds are excited TO u1sagreeable
reminiscenCe, and our ears are filled with the
old familiar drawl of the professional peace
makers. We are TO forget the tremendous
events OF yesterday, the slaughter, the waste,
and the panic Of the war, and only to remem-
Der that the assassins of the Republic lamentably
failed in their murderous purposes and are very
much to be commlserated for their disappoint-
ment. The baffled Confederates are to be
treated, upon the whole, rather more beneve-
lenty and charitably than the Prodigal Son.
They are not only to have excellent veal for
dinner and new coats to their backs and fine
rings for their fingers, but they are to be assured
that their little escapade was quite pardonable,
and is not only forgiven but forgotten. We
deny it. The memory OF the loyal land
is not quite so short as Dix and Doolittle
imagine. The soldiers of the republic, although
dead, yet speak to us. Fine words pay no taxes.
Dix and Doolittle move and make motions in
sphere OF ideal clemency and poetic gracious
ness; but the people of this country are con-
fronting hard, practical realities, and have
neither taste nor time for indulging in the Phi
1adelphia sentimentalities We may forgive the
sinner, but no dictate of religion requires us to
forgive the sin, Dix, Doolittle, and Raymond
condone and conSole in the same breath; and
lest the sinner should have qualmtsn doubts of
the plenarY remittance of his crime, they assure
him that he has been, all along, an extremely
vlrtuous character. The force of tondness can
no further go.
We do not like to speak intemperately, but it
really seems to us that the whole tendency of
this Convention was to inCite another Rebellion.
OF course, we do not mean to deny that there
was modiCum of patriotic words and Of loyal
professions. Some of those membe who uttered
them were, perhaps, sincere; while others used
them as certain parsonage sometimes cites the
Holy Scriptures. But ali these loyal phrases
were but the trimmings of the banquet-the
solid pabulum was sympathy with the hard fate
Of the insurrectionists "Think how much they
must have suffered" says Mr.. Raymond, with
the tears standing in his eyes. Pray, has Mr..
Raymond just found out that the way OF trans
gressors is hard? Did not his grandmother
teach him that in his callow and innocent days?
The Rebels have had a fine dance, and
Mr.. Raymond thinks 1t hard TO oblige
them to pay the piper. He may be as
sured that If they can dance for nothing,
they will be at it again before he is much
wiser, or even much older. Indeed, we do not
see why they should not pluck up courage and
try once more when the Philadelphia Conven-
ton, scowling at the North and threatening the
loyal population, tells the discouraged Con-
federacy under what circumstances it may again
properly resort TO criminal violence. Mr. Ray
mond declares that 'thc Americans who live in
the South" would be unworthy citizens Of a
free country, degenerate soDs of a heroic an
Cestry," should they accept" those laws which
Congress has seen fit, in the exercise of its con-
stitutional prerogative, to enact. When the
passage containing this opinion was read,
great and emphatic was the cheering and
the appreciation. The honorable and distin-
guished member from Maryland cried ''Read
that again. and all the little squad of dele
gates from unrecOnstructed or halfrecon-
structed States felt in their fiery souls that the
rod which they were accustomed to wave IN
te'T0rem over Unlon-shriekers and Union
savers was not yet broken, and did not lose
all its magical properties when General Lee
surrendered and Mr.. Davis retired to Fortress
Monroe. We congratulate them upon the dis
COVery. All is not lost There may yet be
another and a more fortunate Rebellion. Why
not? Doesn't Mr.. Raymond tell them so
Does not the Philadelphia Convention tell
them SO ? Is 1t lot put upon record that their
continued loyalty, such as it is, very properly
depends upon the contingency of legislation
which shall be quite agreeable to their sensl-
tive natures Thus we are no sooner we'll
out of the war, than political spectators at the
to renew it. This is Just what the Philadel-
pbia Convention has done. If il did anything
more or better, the reporters failed to make
note OF it.