The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-13
i" REGRETS. 4"

This is the simple word carved, upon
the tombstones of the departed by
which the natives of beautiful France ex-
press their sorrow for their dead friends
and "regrets" is the epitaph which the
people of the South seem determined to
inscribe upon the tomb of their cherish
ed Confederacy. 1t is useless for us to
expect any expression of joy at the ILL
success of the "lost cause" orany mani
festation of pleasure on the part OF
southern man or woman at its down.
fall, for we would look in vain for any
such full evidence Of love for the old
dag. No, there is nothing but "rserets'
everywhere felt and expressed, and in
stead of giving any token'Of satisfaction
ut the manner in Which the struggle
terminated, the press, and the leaders,
and the people, are forever casting about
to find an excuse for their failure, in
place of rejoicing that it was failure.
Some blame one General, aud come an
olher--while others say 1t was Mr..
Davis, and a few that it was the Con-
gress--but none admit the true cause to
nave been the want of any inherent
principle of right or justice in the cause
itself We think the sooner the people
cease to lament the failure of their
cause" and show some signs of gratifi-
cation that it really did fail, because it
was not worthy of success, the better it
will be for their peace of mind; as well
as for their material interests, and they
will find it much the easiest road to
travel back to the paths of loyalty and
duty from which they SO thOgghtlessly
strayed. 1t matters not to whom or to
what causes they may attribute their
failure, we can tell them they never,
from the very first gun they fired, down
to the last discharge Of artillery, had the
Of fks eso iRsia9 WERE edf
Union, and that was sufficient; for what
they determine they accomplish So il
will be as well for them to cease both
their recrminations aud their ''regrets'
at the same time aud taking down the
harps they have hung on the willows
proceed to attune them to the music of the
Union. They ought not to mourn for
ever,-especially over an object SO un
worthy of their tears as the late Confed
eracy,-and the sooner they dry thei
| Ianty ord x>,stl, oh rf
hopes to the future, which lies 30 invit
ingly before them, the sooner will they
forget the cause of their grief. Tears
now, are of no avail, and regrets are
useless; therefore drop them on the
tomb of the Confederacy, and greet ths
Uuion with the subdued and chastened
smile of returned love; turn from the
embrace of the cold and pulseless clay
and clasp to your hearts the living body
and let the memories of your first and
earliest love return, that you may again
plight your vows of faith to that coun.
try which won your pure and virgin az
fections, e'er you were dazzled by the
gay and dashing youth, who wooed
your fair land to its present ruin
We reflect thus, because, we recently
read in the most loyal of all the loyal
papers of Richmond the following. We
had better hopes of the Republic, and
regret to find that it too is filled with
regrets" and seems to be sorry that
they did not fullysucceed i'm dismember-
ing this great country, and establishing
petty little government, without char
acter or dignity in the South. We re-
greet that the Republic should regret.
The following are the tears it lets fall
upon the grave of the "so-called -
The power of the South i'm rebellion.
For year or two it was ideas propell-
ing the Southern power. For year or
two the convictions of the people acted
in aid of the physical power of the Con-
federate Government. But it was the
folly OF the hopeless simpleton, Davis, to
crush out ideas, of which he had none
worth button himself, and to reduce
the war to mere physical resistance.
The people were insulted, outraged aud
despised by their own unworthy and
foolish servants. The system employed
was mere system of physical force. So
long as the war was the peoples war
SO long as the peoples men were leading
in it--so long as ideas furnished the pro-
polling impetus. the South was success.
full and irresistible. But the isolated
martinez at the head of the Government
could not brook the thought that the
war was one of the people, and he
dwarfed 1t into a con temptible little per.
sonal enterprise of jeff. Davis and his
admirers. He insulted and drove of
from the Government and its support
everybody who had brains. When
petitions from the people were brought
to him, it is a historical fact. that he
had the folly and weakness to throw
them on the floor and to fretfullv
trample them with his feet. He had
not sense even to keep up the ap-
pearance of relying upon the people.
A natural result followed. 1t soon ceased
to be war of the people. Ideas ceased
to furnish any aid to the cause. Davis
has no ideas at all, except the petty,
mischievous ones of a military martinez
Benjamin was fruitful in nothing but
tricks. Seldom was mere "cannie
Seotchman," lick-spittle of Davis, fl
only by nature to aggravate the Execu-
tive evil. I'D. =, H.. -
The war, of course, soon dwindied