The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1866-04-21
pOliticianS--SOltliers.

| FROM tnc hcliplls Apptai'J
We sincerely believe that but for the
fierce, vindictivc passions Of the nom
combatant classes ut the North, and
their leaders--unfort,nately supreme
in the present Congress--the utmost
good feeling and u spirit of confidence
would at this moment prevail in the
Northern States-eXcept, perhaps, in
New England--toward the Southern
people. Those, at least, in the North
who have taken up arms and met the
men Of the South in the field, enter
tain none of the unmanly, implicable
sentiments that rankle in the souls and
embtter the hearts of those persons
who, from personal temperament, are
avcrse to the ''smell Of villainons salt
petre," and have failed to strike one
blow on the battle field, for the resto-
ration Of the Union. Brave men are
rarely rcyengeill, and never find graft
iication in the humiliation Of those
they have fairly overcome in the con-
nict Of arms. Only base, craven ma
lures do so. The slain and the woun-
dcd have ever q sacred claim upon the
humanity of the victor. a white flag
stills the surging tumults of the battle
field. We have seen u brave private
soldier lose his life in giving water to
Il wounded enemy whose cries had OK
cited his sympathies. The fierce cry
Of poe pictis--woe to the vanQuished,
does not originate with or find an
echo in the breast Of veteran soldiers,
but with SUMMERS, MARArs, ROBES
pIERREs, or such $50 called soldiers
as BUTLER, The politician or journal
ist of this noncombatant species takes
satisfaction and revenge in holding up
Gen. ROBERT +. LEE to the world on
the false testimony Of Il worthless ne
gro, rs habitually u harsh, cru2l mas
ter to his slaves, or going farther,
urges his trial and punishment for
treason; and when Ictty judge is
found ahject enough to entertain such
an idea and initiate proceedings to that
end soldiers such as Gems. GRANT and
llIrCnCoCK protest and tell the poiti-
clans plainly, that in so doing they
break the faith and dishonor the peo-
pie of the United States. So, too,
when, as in the recent case Of Gen.
BRADLEY JOHNSON, the malignant local
politician sets to work with his ma
chinery of annoyances and revenge,
the soldier GRANT appeals to the Pres
idcut for the maintenance Of public
faith toward that gentleman involved
in the acceptance Of his parole!
1t is II somewhat curious fact that
those who are most malignant in their
hostile manifestations toward the
South, and who, during the war, were
loudest in their clamors for the blood
of our people, for years previously,
were most lusty advocates OF the
settlement Of all human difficulties
personal and national without resort
to arms under any circumstances,
| CHARLES SUMNER, of Massachusetts,
was the CoRYpllEUs of these peace
rhapsodists, than whom none have
been mom wrathful more pitiless, more
bloody minded toward the Southern
people. Only in one thing have these
believers in the sovereign virtues of
pcace been consistcnt-in their scIu-
ious avoidance Of Notwithstanding
with their own dainty hands-in their
nvariablc indisposition to trust their
precious bodies within the reach of Il
rebel rifle. Preaching war to the knife,
they have indeed, practiced peace in
dividuallv. But if the conduct ofthesc
worthless may excite surprise, beyond
comprehension must be the course of
those foreign preachers of peace, such
as the British Quaker BRIGHT, and the
French scntimcntalist, FlcroR HUGO.
who with all indeed, Of, the European
members of the Brlsscll's peace Con
grcss-assembled some few years be
fore the war-havc been our bitter
enemies, and who laving down the
olive branch to a man, became VOciter-
I