The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-08-25
The soldiers Convention.


be held at Cleveland, Ohio, on the
18th of September, and the call is
addressed ''to the soldiers and sailors
who served in the army and navy of
the United States during the late
rebellion"
BY this it will be seen that the cx-
Confederate soldiers are not included
IN the call, and although this word
rebellion" used in the caption of
the call, CRATES harshly on the ear,
yet there are passages in this call,
signed by 100 generals and the same
number of colonels and other officers,
which are patriotic and commend
able. A few of these we quote, as
indicative of the objects of the Con-
vention. Speaking of the Southern
delegates to Philadelphia, this call or
address says:
"The character of the men who
represented the Southern States in
that Convention precludes us from
| believing this enunciation of princi-
pies to be lnsincere. They sent to it
their foremost statesmen, men who
like Rlves, Graham, Orr, Parsons,
Sharkey, Houston, Brockenbrough.
Hunt, Manning and Stephens, were
known throughout the land, before
the war, as men of the highest cha
racter and influence. Among the
500 delegates from the South, there
was not voice or n vote dissenting
from the resolutions adopted by the
Convention.
eff the best of the Southern peo-
pie are ever to be believed, we must
accept these solemn declarations as
! sincere. We do accept them as con-
elusive evidence that great majority
of the Southern people, sick of war
and anarchy, and longing for IL rcsto-
ration OF free government, are ready
to bear true allegiance to the Consti
tuition and laws of the Union.'
The Committee, in the conclusion
of their address, say:
"However much we regret to sever
cherished political associations. and
to cooperate with former enemies,
we must prefer to act with those who
have been wrong and are now right.
rather than with those who were
right and now are wrong.
believing that our Government is
again III peril, we appeal to you who
have fought to save it, and who hold
1T dear, and more sacred than all party
ties, to come to the rescue Let the
soldiers and sailors agreeing with us
IN sentiment, but who cannot in per-
son attend, send delegates through
the action of their societies or local
conventions
There are some paragraphs in this
call, like that of it's predecessor for
the other Convention. that are obiec-
tlonable i'll phraseology; rebel
army" treason" &c. IL; but the true
spirit of the brave soldier is manifest
III the following passage, referring to
the proposed disfranchisement of
those who participated in the rebel
lion
"lf none were to be DISTINGUISHED
except officers of the rebel army, we
still could not expect the South to
adopt it-for Il large majority of men
IN the lately insurrectionurv States.
through compulsion of choice, served
IN the rebel armies; and their votes
alone would overwhelmingly defeat
1t. Would Union soldiers, to recover
political privileges, disfranchise Mc1.
leaders, whom they love and revere
for their heroic virtues? How. then.
can we expect Southern soldiers to
dlsfranchlse and degrade their own
commandcrs?"
One good result of his caN, we
think, is this, that it settles all appre-
hensions of the radicals attempting
to carry ont their schemes by force.
or resisting the execution of the laws
by force, may be ut an end The
present squad of rcvolutionists. like
Brownlow, counted largely on the
efficient aid of ''loyal bayonets" in
enforcing their ncfarious measures;
but this manifesto of so many of the
bravost Generals Of the Federal army.
taken in connection with the position
of Gen. Grant, must dispel i'll such
delusive hopes.
While, therefore, the soldiers of
the late Sout horn orp,ieS c,nnnf ,,,r